Cucumber Sandwiches and Totem Poles
A Delightful Day in Victoria with Grandma
23.06.2006
Victoria is pretty much an ideal place to travel with one's grandmother. Or so says this granddaughter. It's small, boasts a beautiful harbor, and pretty flower boxes dangle from every European style lamppost lining its quaint streets. Its two most famous attractions are high tea at the deluxe Fairmont Empress Hotel and a world-class garden. What screams "fun with grandma" more than cucumber sandwiches and smelling 35 varieties of roses?
We began the morning in search of a breakfast slightly cheaper than the 20 dollar eggs and coffee offered at our hotel. Fortunately, the porter tipped us off to the place he and his wife love most--Willie's Bakery and Cafe, which was the kind of place that I would turn into my local coffee hangout if I lived within walking distance. The breakfast was delicious, we appeared to be the only guidebook toting tourists, and I could tell we had stumbled upon the one street in Victoria that has true local character (Johnson street for any future Victoria island visitors.)
And then we were off to Butchart Gardens, where we were greeted by tourbuses (our British Doubledecker Bus #248 included) and turnstyles. But it was beautiful and grandma and I especially loved the two incredibly tall totem poles recently installed in the gardens. We decided to start keeping a totem pole tally (okay, I decided but grandma was game.) But high tea...oh, high tea! I love flowers, but fresh strawberries with devon cream and lemon tarts? Grandma and I made it through all three tiers of our sandwich and dessert filled plate with impressive gusto. And I think we went through at least 8 cups of delicious tea apiece. I'm a coffee snob but had no idea that teas come in such a range too. Dammit...better not to know these things. Ah well. Those scones were worth it.
After stuffing ourselves, we set off to the Royal BC museum across the street. The museum's First Nations Gallery was definitely a highlight of our day. The interpretive labels seemed like they had been installed in the 70s and could use some revamping ("this is a beaver over a killer whale over a frog" isn't exactly revelatory) but the masks and gallery filled with totem poles were breathtaking.
What a full day!
Totem Pole tally: 27
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