Couple of Coffees

Mmm, flowers and tea

We had an excellent day of exploration, starting with the stunning Butchart Gardens and ending with high tea at the Empress Hotel. Those two bookended of the rest of our day, which included exploring more of the area.

The funky photo at the top of this post is from a photo area in the gardens, which are outside Victoria by about 20 or 30 minutes. Yes, that's us, in the center, with people wavering all around, because it's a reflection. I took the chance for an artsy shot at the photo viewing wall. Photographers are supposed to take turns at an open window to shoot inside a lush, flowery area, but I spotted the opportunity to use the glass windows that were still closed.

I'll post more garden photos later. The colors and smells swept us away for the whole morning. My parents and their friends wandered their own ways, as we took off to do the full garden circuit. The site was a former rock quarry, and there were magestic blooms and dazzling fountains everywhere. You can learn more about it here.

And tea at the Empress. Six of us attended, the three women in hats, of course, and yes, they were all my hats, brought up from Oregon at the mention of the possibility of doing tea. To do tea, one must wear the proper hat, if one happens to be passionate about such things, as I am.

We started at the lower level of our three-tiered platter with delectable sandwiches. The ginger and carrot one was special in particular, but they all were delicious. We moved to the middle tray for fresh scones with clotted cream and imported British strawberry jam, each of us with our own private jam jar. The green tea cream puffs were divine, as was the chunk of moist amaretto cake.

By the top tier of our tea cake stand, we were soaked in Empress blend tea and stuffed with yummies. And yet, we all found room in our stomachs and our hearts to adore the strawberry tarts, dark chocolate truffles and shortbread cookies sparkling with sugar. Our server Paul was delightful, as were the ladies sitting near us who asked to take our picture because of our colorful hats.

Of course, the tradition of tea is as much about conversation and enjoying each other's company as anything. My parents, Jonathan and I and my parents' friends Ginny and Knowles has a blast chatting and exclaiming over the fine food. I recommend this experience to anyone headed up to Victoria. It's well worth the rather formidable price for a top-notch experience, especially if you're with people you love.

posted by Laura the Writer @ 9:20 PM