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Victoria, BC

August 2018

By Kelsi

For the second consecutive summer, the PNW has been surrounded by devastating fires in British Columbia, northern California, and east of the Cascades, and their smoke has enveloped the region. In addition to a scratchy throat and feeling particularly winded during workouts, this year's smoke unexpectedly affected my mini-funemployment trip to Victoria with my mom.

Our plan was to travel via seaplane, which would be a first for both of us, so we tried everything to make it happen after our original flight was cancelled due to poor visibility. Try as we might to rearrange flights and hold out for possible clearing, we eventually resigned to the three-hour Clipper ride and shared a (free!) cab to Pier 70 with a fellow out-of-lucker.

The Clipper was by no means awful, but it also wasn't the 40-minute aerial view we'd organized the trip around. Both of us had looked forward to soaring over our PNW home from a new angle, mouth-breathing against the seaplane's bubble windows as our eyes took in every mossy island strewn about the Sound like sprinkles spilled on the kitchen floor.

But instead, we sat back—headphones in and cameras out—as the Clipper broke from the dock and slowly coasted into the foreign clouds that were choking the city. I closed my eyes, swaying with both my music and the waves, and thought about how beautiful it all usually looks on a clear Seattle day.

Some moody photos that mirrored our inner feels:

Victoria

Victoria is beautiful, even when soaked in smoke. Hugging the Inner Harbour, its downtown quarter feels small and quaint, and is extremely walkable. I enjoyed the quick break from Seattle's hills and would absolutely own a bike if I ever lived here.

As we disembarked the Clipper and began the short and pleasant walk to our Airbnb in Chinatown, we were welcomed by the familiar smell of the tide and greeted by the cheering cries of seagulls. We loved our apartment (the first of two, but we'll get to that later) and we spent the warm and dusky evening wandering past cafés, shops, and delicious-smelling restaurants in brick courtyards, and slid through the famous Fan Tan Alley.

Abkhazi tea house

Our first full day in Victoria included a lovely afternoon tea at the Abkhazi Tea House, an unassuming property gently tucked away in a quiet neighborhood a short bus ride east of downtown. But before enjoying tea time, we explored the verdant grounds. Although not all of the garden was in season (my mom previously visited when the maze of hydrangeas were in full bloom), the grounds felt like a traipse through one of Misselthwaite Manor's many beautiful gardens—but not the Secret Garden; every once and a while we would spy other roaming visitors (therefore, not very secret).

Afternoon tea

With a view that overlooked the gardens we just explored, our table was pristine and meticulously set. We each chose a different herbal tea—Mom's the Alchemist's Brew, and mine the Philosopher's. Soon afterward, our table was adorned with a tea tower filled with light sandwiches and scones, scallop-edged quiche and bitty croissants, and a top tier of fresh baking. I've been to a few tea houses in my time (including one in Shanghai), and have come to love and expect the varying experiences.

What I loved most about this particular one, was pretending to be ladylike and sophisticated for an afternoon. I told Mom that we should act as if we were at Downton, so of course: we ruthlessly gossiped.

The smoke hovered over Victoria as well as our departure from it. Flights back to Seattle continued to be cancelled, and we decided to extend our stay another day, hoping that by Thursday, the haze would begin to lift and we could return home via seaplane as intended. Extending our stay, however, also meant finding accommodations for another night. After learning that a single night at the Best Western would cost over $250 USD (with a discount), I hopped onto Airbnb for more realistic options and succeeded in finding a fantastic one—last-minute—for $100 less <insert Beyoncé gif> 😊

The Empress

In addition to perusing many, many vintage shops (love), we wandered the historic Empress Hotel. First opened in 1908, the hotel is the iconic landmark of Victoria, boasting over 400 rooms, three restaurants, and famed guests including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (though, to be honest, it was Shirley Temple's visit in the 1930s that excited me most).

Food & Brews

On the last full day of our trip, Mom had her first dim sum experience, I enjoyed some mediocre sangria, we perhaps made a mistake by not ordering poutine, and we unintentionally stumbled upon on our favorite meal after having just finished dinner at another location.

While on a search for good beer to cheers our last night in Victoria, we entered Smith's, an Irish-looking bar with a "snug pub atmosphere." Mom ordered the local Blue Buck and I customized a regional beer flight, which turned out to be very photogenic (and delicious). As we read the beer list, we also peeked at the menu (typical), and ended up ordering their $3 homemade currie chips along with something I never order: the soup of the day. The combination of red pepper, chorizo, and goat cheese just happened to sound amazing, plus the wind had picked up outside and the two of us were pretty chilly walking around in shorts and t-shirts. Quite certain that next time I'm in Victoria, I'll stop by here again.

The Seaplane

At last! After cancelled flights and extended stays, on Thursday we tucked in to an early breakfast at a local diner while the majority of Victoria still slept, and confirmed via phone call that our flight was still on-time. We savored our morning coffees before returning to our Airbnb to pack up and check out. Not much later, with bags in hand, we walked the couple blocks to the Inner Harbour, where we discovered the seaplane floating patiently where land kissed sea. Soon after, we were lifted off, heading back to home.