Hola Bloggies:
I hope you are enjoying my Vancouver Island recaps. I honestly believe the Pacific Northwest is a special place. And I love sharing its beauty with my readers!
On Today’s post I thought I would give you a bit of a walking tour through beautiful Victoria.
Shall we!?!?
Question: When you travel do you like to have a pre-determined itinerary or do you just go with the flow?
Hola Bloggies:
Happy Monday!!! In the words of one of my good elementary school friends: “Be Great” this week!
Today, I’m excited to share with you one of my favourite places in Victoria (Vancouver Island, Canada). When I moved to Victoria, to start Law School, it was one of the very first places I discovered: Fisherman’s Wharf.
Unlike, the wharfs one finds in other tourist cities, this one is still a working wharf.
People live here.
In ridiculously cute arrangements.
People work here (fisherman still bring in the catch of the day).
People sail out of here.
And of course tourists congregate here.
The main draw for tourists (aside from all the ridiculous cuteness) is Barb’s Fish and Chips. A wonderful take-out restaurant floating in the wharf. And that my dears, is the reason I was at Fisherman’s Wharf.
The line-up was very long. In fact I think I waited twenty minutes in line and almost fifty minutes for my food. But the food at Barb’s is worth every minute.
Let me put it to you this way – my parents, who have visited Victoria twice, still wax poetic about the fish and chips at Barb’s. It’s all in the freshness of the catch.
Once I got to the front of the line, I didn’t hesitate. I ordered myself a one piece halibut dinner with salad instead of chips. It’s the kind of meal that dreams are made of.
While I waited for my meal I headed off to browse around the Wharf. It’s really grown since I started going there, years ago.
Eventually I was called to the window to pick-up my meal.
I took my precious loot and found a nearby bench. It had been much too long since I had some Barb’s.
The coleslaw at Barb’s is my favourite – bar none. And the salads are fantastic (I love me some beets).
And then there is the fish – halibut just doesn’t flake like this, away from the Coast.
I loved every moment of my Fisherman’s Wharf experience; and I can’t wait to go back.
Question: What is your favourite fish? I love salmon, red snapper, halibut, cod, and tuna – equally!
Hola Bloggies:
How is your weekend treating you? As you read this, I’m enjoying one last full day in Victoria before heading back to my Rocky Mountain casa. If all is going according to plan, I’m spending today hitting the gym, running along the Ocean, and taking in the vibe of this small but impressive city.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time at all, you know I’m a huge foodie! But did you know that one of my favourite things are soups!?! It’s true! Even in the dead of summer I love me a good bowl of yumminess!
Recently, I hit up the Noodle Box – a Victoria chain of restaurants that have now expanded to Vancouver. The whole premise of the Noodle Box is that everything is made to order, in an open kitchen, using fresh ingredients.
Tom Yum? Yes please!!!
This dish contained a wonderful blend of rice noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, chillies, prawns, and a spicy hot and sour style broth. It was so good I kind of wish I had some right now! Love!!
Question: Are you a soup in the dead of summer kind of person too?
Hola Bloggies:
We made it all the way to hump-day bloggies! From here on in it’s full speed into the weekend. This is the last of my two weeks here on Vancouver Island which means by this Sunday I’ll be reunited with the Fiancé and Daisy. Cue the happy dance!
In the meantime I’m doing my best to enjoy some of the things I love most about the Island. Of course, that meant I had to pay a visit to an old favourite of mine – Murchie’s.
Victoria is a city that prides itself not only on its beauty but also on its Englishness. From the double decker buses, to the Empress hotel, and amazing scones, it’s Canada’s most English city. And what could be more English than tea time?
My favourite place to have tea in Victoria is actually somewhat unorthodox in that it has a counter where you order you food. While it may not be the most traditional of settings it results in a decidedly more affordable experience. Since the food and tea are fabulous, I’m game!
My stand-by order at Murchie’s is a currant scone (served with Devonshire cream and jam) and tea. On this occasion, however, I strayed from the scone way of things and headed straight into the arms of three small French style macaroons (paired with a pot of tea and a sandwich).
Honestly, the sandwich was nothing short of spectacular. The bread was hearty and fresh and the fillings were delicious. As far as I could gather the fillings included lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, bacon, and an aioli. Simple enough ingredients but somehow they came together wonderfully.
For those not familiar with a French-style macaroon they bare no resemblance to their coconut based American cousins. A French macaroon is a confection made using egg whites and hazelnut flour. The mixture is then piped and baked before being sandwiched together with a filling of choice.
In my experience it’s nearly impossible to find macaroons in Canada so when I saw these lovelies in Murchie’s, I jumped at the chance to savour them once again (I hadn’t had a macaroon since my sister, who lives in Montreal, gave me some for Christmas). They really were better than I was expecting. Surprisingly, for my lemon loving self, the raspberry one was my favourite.
Before calling it a day I made sure to stop by the adjoining gift shop.
For a tea drinker this place is basically paradise. Full of a myriad of tea pots, trinkets, china, and of course, tea.
Somehow I managed to find a bit of self-restraint and bought only a box of Murchie’s Afternoon Blend (my fave!) as a present for the gentleman who often looks after Daisy when we’re away.
On the whole I think it’s safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Murchie’s. In fact it’s one of the places I most look forward to visiting when I’m in Victoria.
Question: Are you a coffee or tea drinker?
Hola Bloggies:
This Friday sees me traveling once again. This time, I will be boarding a plane and heading to spend the next 2+ weeks on beautiful Vancouver Island off of the West Coast of British Columbia.
I am no stranger to this area of the country. In fact, I spent four years living in Victoria.
I can honestly say that Victoria is a city that changed my life. The girl that arrived in that city was massively overweight, lacking in self-confidence, and in a bad relationship. The girl that left had taken charge of her life, lost a ton of weight, ran a 10K, ended that bad relationship, became a lawyer, and met her future husband. Not bad, eh!?
Clearly I have a soft spot for Van Isle.
And since I’m going to assume you’re curious – I took this picture from the patio of my very first place in Victoria. I was blessed enough to spend several years at the foot of Foul Bay Road with a glorious view of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains (Washington State) on the other side. This picture hasn’t been retouched in any way. It really was that glorious.
Question: What are your plans for this weekend?
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