Recent Stories with tag Afternoon Tea

As skeptical as I was about going on a food-related trip to Whistler, I was even more skeptical about making a similar trip to Vancouver Island. I’d been to both places about fifteen years ago, but I figured that Whistler had probably evolved more. The Olympics were there, foreigners hung out there on an ongoing basis, and you could drive there from Vancouver. It’s part of Canada, whereas Victoria is, what, part of England? I always told inquirers that it’s a place you only need to see once. Too prim-and-proper. See the Gardens, enjoy the buskers, maybe have tea…but bring some cartons of Chinese food from Vancouver if you want something good to eat.

And then, recently, I got gifted a bottle of balsamic vinegar from Venturi-Shultze, and told that Vancouver Island is a bounty of good food. One sip of the vinegar, and I was already making plans to give Victoria and environs another chance.

And am I glad I did!It’s an easy trip from Seattle. My partner and I planned on the Victoria Clipper outbound and then a return via a Kenmore Air seaplane in order to experience the trip both ways. Three hours on the boat gave me time to review our itinerary, as the eating would begin almost immediately upon arrival. It was a majestic entry into the harbor, and then just a quick (five-minutes or so) walk to the Inn at Laurel Point, our home-away-from-home in Victoria.... (more)