Markey Writes

VICTORIA

Originally the plan was to do a California wine tasting trip, and although this is still very much a goal for the future,  we decided on a Pacific Northwest Trip instead. Two factors came to play – my parents live in Victoria and invited us to visit them, and we held a wine tasting with our little group in Ottawa that featured Pacific Northwest wines that were unique and delicious. Although there isn’t a huge selection available in Ottawa, the tasting opened our eyes to the variety and quality of wines being produced in Washington and Oregon. On top of all this, I had watched every episode of Portlandia and was dying to visit Portland. So, off we went for a 7 day trip to the other side of the country. We did and saw so much while we were away, that I have split this post up into three parts: Victoria, Seattle/Columbia Valley Wines and Portland/Wilamette Valley Wines.

First things first; coffee in Victoria is amazing. We had so many delicious lattes and coffees and wouldn’t you know it, even the construction workers  drink Starbucks. We didn’t see one Tim Hortons in downtown Victoria; it is a city where coffee is key and no one skimps for the cheap stuff. One of our favourties was Cafe Umbria a coffee shop that is also combined with Casabia Bakery on Government St. just before you hit Chinatown.

We visited the new Robert Bateman Centre right on the harbour in Victoria located in the old Steamship Terminal. The newly reconstructed building is beautiful and the exhibit definitely worth seeing. batemancentre.org

Also on the harbour, we sampled one of the local specialities: Fish and Chips @ Red Fish Blue Fish. We had read in a blog while researching our trip that this was the place to go and although we don’t generally like going to really ‘touristy’ places, we wanted to get REALLY good Fish and Chips. We had to wait about 45mins to get our meal, but when it came, it was worth the wait. Sitting in the harbour looking out on the boats in the wharf, under the glowing mountains in the distance, and enjoying the amazing battered, deep-fried halibut was totally worth the wait.

Chinatown in Victoria is very interesting. It’s an amalgamation of Asian restaurants and stores with trendy boutiques, restaurants and cafes. One gem we came across was the “Dragon’s Alley” pathway that wound itself across a number of downtown streets. In behind these bustling rues, there was a quiet pathway with little art galleries and shops.

Another memorable outing was to Royal Roads University. This new-ish University has a rich history and 269 acres of land. They write:

Our campus has a story and it starts with the original inhabitants, the Coast Salish people, when they discovered the area and made it their home. The area was ideal for building a community, providing herbs for medicine, a beach and lagoon for fishing, and an immense forest for building materials. You can still see where the First Nations people stripped long strands of cedar bark from the old-growth forest. We’ve worked hard to build a positive relationship with the local First Nations community, learning from their rich history and ageless knowledge.

The Dunsmuir Family purchased the land and built a the memorable Hatley Castle that still stands today. It was later purchased by Royal Roads Military College and eventually became Royal Roads University. It is famously known as the building that was used in the X-Men movies. You may recognize it…

 

Finally, on our return to Victoria before flying home, we got to go for a beautiful sail off the coast of Sydney, BC. The weather was spectacular and we even saw a few friendly seals and a porpoise. The west coast may have a reputation for rainy weather and grey skies, but our visit showed us that the lifestyle is easy and peaceful and surrounded by natural beauty.