Victoria Home Exchange Adventure
 

Hello Everyone, Once again I will try to give a hint of our home exchange experiences, this time in Victoria. We will be here about 10 weeks, doing two exchanges. We arrived yesterday after a thankfully uneventful drive from Southern California. We drove up 101, did not plan our stops as well as we might have, driving long distances some days and shorter ones the next. Our worst haul was between Santa Rosa and Newport, Oregon, however I must say that the scenery was spectacular and made up for much of the discomfort in the car. The Oregon Coast is just gorgeous; we thought we had seen beautiful coast lines in Brittany and Australia, but this proved to us we did not have to travel so far to see such beauty. Also, all the lovely green trees were a pleasure to my Southern Californian eyes. I really am starved for the NW beauty. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

We arrived yesterday afternoon to (what we consider) fairly cool weather. The home is lovely, uncluttered and mid-century modern styling. It is very comfortable, but like all exchanges, we need to buy a few things to feel more at home. Yesterday, we walked around the inner harbor, it was pleasantly filled with tourists, but not uncomfortably crowded, just pleasant enough to people watch and enjoy. We ate an early meal at Ferris' Oyster Bar, an okay and pleasant meal. Then, did our first shopping expedition at the Market on Yates. We have our car, which is an unusual experience for us, since we usually use public transit on our holidays. Right now, I am waiting for my husband to shower, and he's all set to drive, but we need to get back to walking and busing and use the car for shopping and excursions. More later. . . .

Welcome Annetti.
You are hunkered down about a mile from where I live. I am just off Oak Bay ave between Richmond and Foul Bay.
For cheap household items, there is a Zellers and Sears in Hillside Mall at the junction of Hillside and Shelbourne.
You call 28C cool, while we are sweltering.

Thank you, Icthecat. We wandered a lot today, and I might add we did NOT drive, walked everywhere, now we are exhausted, but overall much pleasantner exercise than what I get on the treadmill at home. We really did not do very much, but those who have followed our experiences last year will remember that we are truly slooow travelers. We woke up late, unpacked, and had some cereal, could not find a microsafe bowl for oatmeal, so I cooked it in an oversized saucepan which meant continual observation to avoid burning and later scrubbing a pot. We had bought some blackberries yesterday at Yates, so sweet and delicious, much better than what we buy at our local farmers' market back home in So Calif. We then walked back to the Inner Harbor, the fifteen minute walk took us 25, but then we were of course, in no hurry. We had lunch at Re-bar's which I remember from previous recommendations on this Forum and in the Fodor's Guide Book. I liked it, I think more than my husband, but we both agreed that the food was clean and fresh tasting. I would return again. . . . to continue

After Re-bar's which by the way was very crowded from the moment we entered around 12:45pm, until we left an hr or so later. We then stopped at the tourist office to inquire about bus schedules and how to bus back to our home at the end of the day, not a much better choice than walking, so for now our feet will be our favorite non-polluting transportation option. A couple of guys who bicycle small taxis around the inner harbor tried very convincingly, but not successfully to drive us around the city. Sixty dollars aside, I just do not feel comfortable being transported by someone's bicycling. He knew every politically correct comment to make to get me on his side, from the non-pollution aspect, the money all goes to him, so he says, no corporate intervention (I wonder about that part!), they are often wearing t-shirts advertising different restaurants, however we still walked.

Thanks, Icthecat for the shopping suggestions. We could not find what we wanted at The Bay Store, Dollar Store or London Drugs, though we did settle for some pyrex dishes at LD, so if they don't work out, we now have another shopping idea.

We wandered into The Empress; the main dining room really feels like a foreign outpost, a perfect setting for a Masterpiece Theater Edwardian dining room. We checked out the English Tea (am I imagining it, but the $45 dollar tea seemed cheaper than when I checked a few months back?), however I doubt we will do it, since the overwhelming advice on this board does not recommend it, but will at some point try the Bengal Lounge buffet, which appears a popular choice here.

We stopped for some gelato, wish I could remember the name; I believe it was on Government street, owned by a German woman. Very good. Later we wandered over to the Parliment Bldg, but our stamina was wearing thin, we had our walk back and some household shopping to do. More later. . .

No, you're not imagining that the Empress tea was cheaper months ago. It's hard to get a read on what the price is as they change it so often, but it does go sky high in the summer.

Do go to the Bengal Lounge for their curry buffet - it's fantastic. I was there for lunch last month and I was so full, I didn't eat again until the next morning. If you want a nice tea experience, try The White Heather on Oak Bay Avenue but you must make reservations. Of, if you're going out to Butchart Gardens, they also have a lovely tea in the main dining room, but again make a reservation.

I don't know about other places, but the tea at Buchart Gardens was lovely. We went last month and sat in the Garden/atrium room (don't know what they call it). Reservations are needed.

Thank you, April. I was not imagining the changes.

Cruiserryyc, tell me is the food at the Bengal Lounge particularly spicy? Spicy is fine with me, alas not with my darling husband.

SusieQQ:Thanks. Others have echoed your commment about tea at Buchart Gardens. Thank you, too.

Well, today did not go as planned, not that it was in any way a terrible day, in fact it was a very pleasant, though not very exciting one. We planned to conquer the bus system today, however Victoria transit (VT)does not have a computer program to figure out routes, so we had to telephone. Our goal was to explore Oak Bay Village, have lunch, see the Marina and just have a pleasant, easy day. After getting through to a very pleasant clerk at VT, we were given a set of directions on how to bus to Oak Bay Village. We walked 2 blocks over to Fernwood and waited for the bus. They run every 30 minutes. We would then have needed to transfer at Yates. There was no shade and after 20 minutes or so, we reluctantly agreed to drive. So we set up our GPS (I don't think we could manage without it; neither of us can read a map) and about 5-6 minutes later we were at Oak Bay Village, hoping that we were parking on a non-ticketable street. We were! Everyone we asked pleasantly agreed.

We chose Octavio's for lunch, primarily since it was crowded. We had two pleasant, but unexceptional salads there.

We then walked down the street towards the beach and Marina. It was so quiet and hardly a person about. The houses are pretty and such lovely color combinations. How our Californian neighbors would blanch to see all the bright colors. I painted ours shades of green and maroon last September and everyone has been very quiet. Earthtones are the accepted colors in my neighborhood!! The neighborhood reminds me of where we stayed in Dunbar last summer, lots of flowers all in bloom, how that is managed I don't know, and lots of shrubs and trees. To put it in context for Southern Californians it looks much like Hancock Park or Bixby Knolls.

The Marina was very pretty with lots of different shades of blues. There was no wind stirring and we took a couple pictures with our new camera. About two minutes ago, I heard an exclamation, I think our new camera was just dropped. My husband will be very disappointed.

We spent a couple minutes admiring the GlenLyon Norfolk School and ended up speaking for a few moments to someone standing in the garden. She had been staring at an eagle in a tree and she pointed it out to us. Too bad, one of our more nature oriented friends was not with us, it would have made his day. She told us that the school was designed by Rattenberry(spelling?); this had been his home and of course, he was the architect for the Empress Hotel.

Icthecat: We made it to Zellers this evening. Thanks. We now have enough supplies for a few weeks at least.

BTW, we think it is pretty warm during the day, too, but it does cool off at night, thankfully, I might add. Is this typical weather or can we expect it to be like this throughout the summer?

If you do have to cook Oatmeal the <i>'old fashioned way</i>' then filling the empty pot with <u>cold</u> water means no sticking-trust me I've never owned a microwave and most likely never will.

"<i>I just do not feel comfortable being transported by someone's bicycling.</i>"

You're not the only one-maybe in a country where people are desperately poor and everyone uses them but $60.00!!=;

This is not normal weather for Victoria. We're having an unusually great summer!

You should be able to get a bus schedule from a bus driver.

The White Heather tea room has new owners but they say they will keep it the same. I hope so.

Hi again - The curry buffet in the Bengel Room has both really hot and more milder spice dishes. If your husband isn't into curry and/or spicy food; he can order from their menu. Something else you might like to do is take the Harbour Ferry Tour; also a great way to get across the Inner Harbour. Stop at Barb's Fish & Chips for lunch.
http://www.victoriaharbourferry.com/

Welcome to Victoria!!

If you want info re the Victoria Buses, check out www.bctransit.com/regions/vic and I think you will find out everything you need to know. It is a very user friendly website.

Thank you, April. The weather was perfect today, sunny and with a breeze that made you feel like you were in an air-conditioned room. We were able to get a bus schedule from the bus driver. That makes using a bus much easier.

Thank you, amygirl. Bc transit has been patient with us and we are slowly getting the knack of using it. Unfortunately, it does not have an interactive website where you can punch in your address and final destination. And an hello to SamSalomon.

Today started out in our usual slow manner. I doubt we were out of the house before 11:30am. That is an early start for us. We called BCtransit and found an easier way to get downtown without transferring and just doing a bit more walking. The bus still arrives once every 30 minutes, but we did a better job of timing it and were more patient. Our goal was to have fish and chips at Barb's as suggested by Cruiseryyc above, but I admit it, we were tricked by the long line at One Fish, Two Fish and ate there instead. It was fine, but not spectacular fish and chips, so we went back to the tourist bureau and NOW we know where Barb's is!

We then walked over to the Parliment Bldg and took the free tour of the building. (They depart every 20 minutes, so timing is not essential, at least not at this time of the year.) Unbelievably, Rattenbury (I, now know how to spell it), was only 25 and inexperienced when he beat out 65 experienced architects for the commission. It was a nice tour, only 35-40 minutes long and not filled with the usual statistics about how high the ceilings are or how many stones were used, etc, but with small bits of information that one can actually remember, such as the info above or that most of the materials are from British Columbia. Unfortunately, you only get to see a very small part of a very beautiful building. Around 4:30 or so we stopped on Johnson Street for some tea and pastry, and then searched for our bus stop. Not a very eventful day, but with uncrowded streets, relatively speaking from a Southern Californian perspective, perfect weather and a leisured style, we enjoyed another day in Victoria.

I do sometimes forget that I am on an island. Later, we returned by car to Zellers for some more odds and ends, and as we drove the streets, I admired again the beautiful arts and crafts homes, some so beautifully maintained and vibrantly painted. I am sure LA once had neighborhoods filled with these lovely period homes, but so much there has been razed. I am glad to see a strong preservation feeling here.

Used the bus again, this time to explore Chinatown. We took the "Hidden City" walking tour; it is a small pamplet put out by the Tourist Office. Prior to the walk, we went to J&J Wonton Noodle House for lunch, a recommendation in one of our guide bks. Not a beautiful place by any means, fairly functional and clean feeling, we had noodle soup and a noodle dish. It was fine, but nothing out of the way special, however everyone was pleasant and there were people coming and going all the time. It appears quite popular. We had to walk a bit out of our way, since the restaurant is on 1012 Fort and our walking tour began at Market Square. I may infuriate a few people for this, but I did not find the walking tour very exciting. The few details that were interesting were written on the brochure, the visuals did not add much. You really needed to use your imagination. I think wandering the streets probably would prove more interesting.

Afterwards, we were cold, we were not prepared for the drop in temperature from yesterday and had some musroom and barley soup (pretty good)at Green Cuisine, a vegan restaurant in Market Square. Also, had some vegan pastries, which were quite good, especially considering there were no eggs or butter in them. I liked the carob bar and my husband had a raspberry, ginger muffin which was quite good. The prices are very reasonable, too.

I was looking over a former thread and there was a suggestion to visit the Saanich Market/Peninsula Market on Saturday. How late does it stay open? Do we just take the main road toward Sooke and are there markers for the market? Any hints would be appreciated? Thanks.

I googled the Saanich Market and I came up with the Saanich Fairgrounds. Is the market held on the Fairgrounds? Does this address sound correct: 1528 Stellys Cross Rd.? Thank you.

The Peninsula Market runs from 9:00 - 1:00 every Saturday. You have the correct address, but may I make a suggestion...
The market at the fairgrounds used to be the only one on the peninsula so it was lots of fun. I went a few weeks ago and was hugely disappointed as there were not the usual many tables to peruse. I think this market has been outdone by the Sidney Market on Thursday evenings 5:00 - 9:00 on Beacon Avenue. It is lots of fun with most if not all the participants at the Peninsula Market in attendance. Fresh produce from the local farmers is available as well as lots of arts and crafts. (a good place to start your Christmas shopping) Alot of the shops in Sidney stay open late to participate in the goings on so there is LOTS to look at. There is street food of Lamb Sausage on a bun and I think Philipino food along with the usual hot dogs, hamburger, pizza, waffles etc.
I live near Sidney, so if you want to have a restaurant meal instead, here are some of my recommendations....but you should probably make a reservation:
Fish on Fifth for wonderful fish and chips -250-656-4022
Carlos Cantina for yummy mexican -250-656-3833
Sabhai Thai Restaurant for excellent Thai- 250-655-4085
Taste of Tokyo- Japanese- 250-656-6862 (if you are ever near Sidney on a Saturday evening, this Japanese restaurant does an amazing all you can eat buffet....probably a good idea to reserve for this too)
Bistro Suisse- 250-656-5353 yummy schnitzel, fondue etc