The Empress and the QueenA Visit to Victoria, British ColumbiaBy Parks and Suzanne Hall
Finally, we straggled into the lobby of the Empress Hotel. It was late night there and the wee hours to our minds and bodies operating in two time zones away. We were greeted courteously and sympathetically by the front desk clerk and bellman. They quickly got us settled in a room where we literally fell into bed after unsuccessfully trying to find a closet for our coats and blearily concluding for some reason the room had none. When we awoke the next morning, we found not only the closet but a coffee pot, our very favorite amenity, in the room that we discovered was a junior suite. An ample and attractive bedroom was on one side of the entrance hall. On the other side, we found a living room. Although not particularly important to us, but essential to other travelers we know, both rooms had televisions. Later in the day, we found the wine glasses and corkscrew, definitely essential for us. The biggest plus, however was the presence of two full bathrooms. For the remainder of our stay, this luxury allowed us to be up and out early each morning to enjoy the city. Having once been to the Empress, one of the Canadian Pacific Hotels, we can’t imagine staying anywhere else in Victoria. It is a grand old hotel in the truest sense. Opened in 1908, it is well managed and maintained and has just the right balance between modern convenience and the charm of a bygone era. Walking through the halls and looking at the photographs which tell the Empress’ story from just before construction started to the present, you can almost sense the presence of the ghosts of balls, parties, weddings and intimate rendezvous of past decades. The formal Empress Room for fine dining has the feel of an Edwardian Gentlemen’s Club and the Bengal Lounge with its wood paneling and huge fireplace is warm and welcoming. No place we’ve been seemed more appropriate for afternoon tea than the Palm Court with its magnificent stained glass dome. We are water people. It draws us to its edge wherever we go. So, although we were starving that first morning in Victoria (We wouldn’t consider describing our diet at the six airports we’d passed through the day before.), first we headed across the street from the hotel entrance to Inner Harbour. It is the heart and soul of Victoria and is watched over the by Empress and the Parliament Buildings. Completed in 1897, these magnificent buildings are the seat of British Columbia’s government. Open to the public, they offer a detailed look through photographs, documents and artifacts of the history of the region and the city. At night, when the business of government is done, the outline of almost every major architectural feature of the Parliament Buildings is illuminated by thousands of small, bright incandescent lights. The lights reflect in the water around the marina and when combined with the warm glow of the lights in and around the Empress create a visual fairyland. There is constant, ever-changing activity as people come and go in the Inner Harbour. It’s a place where both locals and visitors mix to enjoy street musicians or purchase a snack from the venders with their carts. Horse drawn carriages move through the area frequently and you can hear the voices of guides telling visitors about the city and its attractions. The Royal British Columbia Museum with its adjacent IMAX theatre is within site of the harbour. The museum hosts visiting exhibitions, like the Leonardo da Vinci: Scientist, Inventor, Artist exhibit when we were there, and houses permanent displays tracing the history of British Columbia from the ice age to the present. Thunderbird Park, behind the museum, offers an interesting collection of authentic totem poles and other carvings from the Pacific Coastal Indian tribes. For visitors who like such things, the Inner Harbour also is home to the Royal London Wax Museum, a stationery glass-bottomed boat and other attractions. For us, though, the greatest attraction was walking the streets of Inner Harbour and the adjacent downtown shopping and restaurant area. Although we share a language and other things in common with the people of Victoria, it is in another country and has a very British and Old World charm. Walking is the best way to experience it and its very friendly people, who are anxious to help and seem sincerely glad you’ve come to visit their city. We rarely go anywhere especially to shop. But we found the shops along Government Street and the surrounding area a delight. We bought Christmas ornaments, cigars and Northwest crafts. We looked at linens, china and other items from around the world. While shopping isn’t one of our favorite pastimes, eating certainly is. Victoria didn’t disappoint. After our first morning tour of the harbour, we enjoyed Sunday brunch at the Empress. The service was excellent; the buffet tables more than bountiful. Both breakfast and lunch foods are offered. You can choose from eggs Benedict or omelettes made to order and French toast. Some unusual accompaniments included wild boar sausage, broiled tomatoes and fish. Boiled shrimp, all kinds of salads, pork tenderloin, carved-to-order turkey breast and roast beef and too many other dishes to describe filled the long tables. If you still had room, (We managed.) there were about eight dessert offerings. Reservations are a must. When we were there, the bargain price was about $16 (U.S.). While we never ate in the Empress’ formal dining room, we did have Afternoon Tea. This elegant affair, where the dress can be as casual or dressy as you like, begins with a serving of fresh berries and whipped cream, followed by assorted tea sandwiches and desserts. The Empress has its own tea. Each table gets a box of 10 tea bags with the check--about $15 (U.S.). Before we arrived in Victoria, we made reservations for a wine dinner at Camille’s. This small, romantic restaurant on Bastion Square is known for its seafood and fine wines. Our three-course dinner, plus dessert, was accompanied by five or six wines from up and coming British Columbia wineries. The dinner was an intimate affair with only six couples. We were the only out-of-towners and were welcomed warmly. The bargain price per person for this congenial evening was $31 (U.S.). For lunch our last day in Victoria, we selected Swan’s Brew Pub on Pandora Street. Seated at a covered outdoor table, we were able to watch the world go buy, read one of the local newspapers provided for diners and sample the pub’s beers. The food is casual here and quite British, except for a nice assortment of excellent pizzas. We sampled shepherd’s pie made with lamb and topped with vegetables and mashed potatoes, ham and split pea soup, scallop soup and other pub-style dishes. The beers were excellent. For dinner that night, we found our way to Herald Street Cafe, an attractive little restaurant popular with locals. Since it was Thanksgiving Day in Canada, many people were eating turkey. We, however, opted for a wonderful dish called “seafood splash down,” a combination of various seafood on spinach linguine. The spinach salad and Caesar salad also were good. Our visit to Victoria was way too short. And, while we were tempted to linger, a meeting in Seattle beckoned. But we will go back to explore the city once again and to travel more extensively in Canada’s beautiful Pacific Northwest. To learn more about Victoria, British Columbia, go to http://www.victoriabc.com or http://www.city.victoria.bc.ca Contacts: Empress Hotel, 721 Government St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1W5, 800-441-1414. Camille’s 45 Bastion Square, Victoria, B.C. V8W 1J1, 250-480-1999. Herald Street Cafe, 546 Herald St., Victoria, BC V8W 1S6, 250-381-1441. Swan’s Brew Pub, 506 Pandora Ave., Victoria, BC V8W 3H9, 250-361-3310. Images by S. Parks Hall |
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Our entrance to Victoria, British Columbia’s queen city by the sea, was anything but royal. Mother Nature had created a foggy fiasco at an airport more than 2,000 miles