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GAL-LIVANTING
VICTORIA |
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Expect the royal treatment when visiting B.C.’s enchanting capital.
Story by Jane Cassie
Every year i escape with two of my best buds for a weekend of gal-palling. We always try to intertwine our girl time with tourist attractions, pampering, and, of course, lots of shopping. This year, we decide to do it with a royal flair and, as we discover, British Columbia’s colonial capital of Victoria is the next best place to jolly old England.
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TEA FOR THREE
We want to make the best of every regal second, so we start with the legendary afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress. Rays of afternoon sun filter through century-old glass panes onto the exquisite Edwardian decor. They wash over gleaming hardwood, Corinthian pillars, and handcrafted tapestries. Portraits of Queen Mary and King George V preside over the scene. And as classical favorites flow melodiously from the baby grand, we feel as if we’ve been magically zapped back to the early 1900s. But we work hard at staying in the moment.
“The hotel has honored the beloved British ritual since 1908,” our server informs while graciously directing us to a formally set table topped with polished silver and Royal Doulton china.
Both the exquisitely restored Tea Lobby and Library Lounge embody the era, and like the princesses who have preceded our visit, we dine on delectable dainties, sensational pastries, and traditional scones topped with thick clotted cream. While sipping the secret Empress blend, we gaze at the inner harbor where all the action is. (250-384-8111; www.fairmont.com/Empress) |
“The hotel has honored the beloved British ritual since
1908,” our server informs while graciously directing
us to a formally set table topped with polished silver
and Royal Doulton china. |
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WHERE THE ACTION IS
The city is designed on a grid pattern, and fanning out from the bustling hub is a shopping spree waiting to happen. Being three ladies on the loose, we look forward to wandering the specialty shops that line Government Street, rummaging through antiques along Fort, and exploring the oldest Chinatown in Canada where Fan Tan Alley was once home to opium dens and gambling parlors.
Cinderella horse-drawn carriages, Kabuki Kabs, and double-decker buses whisk time-rich vacationers to the hot spots, while Zodiacs and kayaks do an about-face toward the ocean. Sandwiched in between is a scenic promenade that hosts magicians, musicians, and more. In spite of crowds, people seem friendly and courteous. The pace seems unhurried, relaxed.
Many imperial icons remain as Victoria’s tourist treasures, and though we’re well on the road to royalty after sipping tea like three duchesses, we head out to discover a couple of women who have claimed their fame in other ways.
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A CASTLE LOOMS
A steep gothic roofline soars above the residential thicket of opulent homes. Turrets, towers, dormers, and Elizabethan chimneys contrast sharply with glossy red slate to create an illusion that the Victorian castle is more immense than it is.
“Any queen would love to live in this place,” comments a nearby tourist while taking a photo moment. “So would the Addams Family,” another responds.
Although the impressive structure could easily be a set for a Hollywood movie, the Craigdarroch Castle and former home of Joan Dunsmuir is a real McCoy. The 39-room mansion sprawling over 20,000 square feet is decked out with imported white oak and one of Canada’s finest collections of stained and leaded glass. Rooms are lavishly decorated with period pieces, coiffed ceilings flaunt paintings of birds and bouquets, and 47 stairs track the four and a half stories.
We huff and puff our way to the top and the tower where Joan once sipped tea while reveling in her 28 acres. “Quite the lifestyle,” I mutter in awe while gazing upon the panorama of Victoria.
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Turrets, towers, dormers, and Elizabethan chimneys contrast sharply with glossy red slate to create an illusion that the Victorian castle is more immense than it is. |
| But unlike most fairy tales, this one doesn’t have the happiest ending. Joan’s husband, wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, died a year before the castle was completed. Although he had promised to leave the estate in the hands of his two sons, Joan’s name just happened to be on the will. The idea of a woman managing a $20 million estate in this era was preposterous, and she was persuaded to hand over most of the dealings to her boys. In 1900, one of them died. The other fought for his brother’s share of the estate, and after a major family riff, Joan sued him and won. |
She died in 1908, leaving the entire estate to her five daughters and three other heirs. The son was left totally out of the picture.
Since then the castle has served as a military hospital, a college, school board office, and a music conservatory. In 1979 it was finally opened as a museum and, as they say, the rest is history.
(250-592-5323; www.craigdarrochcastle.com) |
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SMALL WONDERS
Being fully immersed in the Victorian era, we’re lured a short distance away to where another famous female laid her roots. Instead of being rich or royal though, this lover of Mother Earth was considered to be more of a rebel in her time.
The yellow clapboard home is no competition for the mansion we just left, but the messages on the posted placards convey the sensitive feelings of their world-renowned creator, Emily Carr. The Canadian icon of the arts had five older sisters and during her childhood she had nicknamed herself “Small.” Excerpts from The Book of Small and her other manuscripts capture her early years in this home that was built in 1864. (250-383-5843; www.emilycarr.com)
Carr’s life journey is also revealed in vivid landscapes hung at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. We discover that Carr was inspired during her visits to remote B.C. native villages, and though she started painting at an early age, she wasn’t truly recognized until she was 57 years old. (250-
384-4101;www.aggv.bc.ca)
“There’s hope for us yet,” I affirm to my friends while we absorb the life of this incredible woman.
After tracing the footsteps of time, we realize just how liberated women have become over the past century. And though none of us has a drop of royal blood in our veins, we all declare that we’ve been treated like queens while gal-livanting Victoria.
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WHEN YOU GO
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GETTING STARTED
Contact Tourism Victoria and the Visitor Information Centre for more information.
(250-953-2033; www.tourismvictoria.com)
HOW TO GET TO VICTORIA
A passport is now required to enter Canada by air. Travel to Victoria by ferry requires two forms of identification, such as a driver’s license and proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or passport. Check with the U.S. Department of State for current border-crossing requirements. (877-487-2778; www.travel.state.gov/travel)
BC Ferries has up to 29 departures daily between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. (250-386-3431; 888-223-3779; www.bcferries.com)
Washington State Ferries offers service between Anacortes, Washington, and Sidney, British Columbia. (206-464-6400; 888-808-7977; www.wsdot.wa
.gov/ferries)
Victoria Clipper is a first-class cruise service between Seattle and Victoria and runs daily, year-round. (250-382-8100; 800-888-2535; www.victoriaclipper.com)
Black Ball Transport offers ferry service between Port Angeles and Victoria. (206-283-4400; www.cohoferry.com)
Don’t forget to stop at the Royal BC Museum, with a First Nations Gallery full of ornate
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ceremonial masks. On April 14, 2007, which happens to be exactly 95 years after the famed Titanic sunk, the museum opens a six-month exhibit of the famed ship. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition features more than 275 artifacts recovered from the ocean floor. (888-447-7977; www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca)
DINING
Treat yourself and your buddies to the finest in Vancouver Island cuisine at The Pacific Restaurant, located within the Hotel Grand Pacific. Entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays features Bill Mulley, a jazz pianist who has performed for former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and entertainer Bob Hope. (250-380-4458; www.pacificrestaurant.com)
For a night of pure food fun with the ladies, try Nautical Nellies. The oyster bar features several fresh local favorites that vary seasonally and regionally. (250-380-2260; www.nauticalnelliesrestaurant.com)
GARDEN EXTRAVAGANZA
The Abkhazi Garden was created by Prince and Princess Abkhazi in 1946 and represents the fairytale devotion they had to each other. Endangered Garry oaks, rhododendrons, ornamental conifers, rock and alpine
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plants can be enjoyed with a cup of tea from the tearoom. Open March 1 to September 30 or by appointment. (250-598-8096; www.abkhazi.com)
Butchart Gardens, in nearby Brentwood Bay, has 55 acres filled with world-famous floral displays and manicured shrubs and trees. (866-652-4422; www.butchart
gardens.com)
More than 3000 free-flying butterflies adorn the Victoria Butterfly Gardens, along with lush displays of tropical plants, including an orchid exhibit. (877-722-0272; www.butterflygardens.com)
You and the girls can’t help but feel like royalty after visiting Hatley Park. This 565-acre Edwardian estate features a rose, Italian, and a Japanese garden, an old-growth forest, a wildlife sanctuary, and a castle all set along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
(866-241-0674; www.hatleypark.ca)
Northwest Travel March/April 2007 |
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