Category: Victoria,BC

Mr And Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 35: Victoria, BC – Day Trip To Sidney

Aug 28, 2021Aug 29, 2021 Kim & Curtis Hale

We woke up and slowly got ourselves ready. We didn’t sleep well at all last night, so it was a slow morning.

We had some breakfast after we showered and then we relaxed for the rest of the morning.

At 12:30, we left to drive up to Sidney. Linda wanted to go back there after not being there for a while, so we took her there for a wander.

We got a coffee and a treat from the bakery and enjoyed those before walking to the waterside and enjoying the weather and the sea.

We managed to see a beautiful seal, until someone scared it away!

We then sat for a couple of hours facing the water just enjoying the scenery and enjoying people watching. There were a lot of kids playing around us, so it was fun to watch them.

We eventually got hungry so we headed back to the car and got on our way to the place Linda had booked for dinner.

We had planned to meet Linda’s friends, Dee & Steve, there (we know they read the blog…Hello!) But they were unable to attend, so we just went with the three of us.

Kim got a chicken burger and Curtis got a burger and they were alright!

Kim had a chocolate brownie for dessert and then we drove back home.

Curtis was pretty tired as he didn’t sleep well at all last night, so he had a little lay down and Kim did a bit of research for some things.

We didn’t do too much for the rest of the evening, just relaxed and chatted, really!

Kim did go out and check out Ogden Point, which she likes to do when here.

Mr And Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 34: Victoria, BC – Hot Stone Massage & Mattick’s Farm

Aug 27, 2021Aug 27, 2021 Kim & Curtis Hale

Hot Stone Massage

We woke up after sleeping very early last night and felt very well rested.

We had some cereal for breakfast and Kim then went out for a hot stone massage! She really enjoyed it, actually. She felt like jelly!

Mattick’s Farm

Kim got back and we went out to Mattick’s Farm.

This was only about 20 minutes away and once we got there, it was coffee time!

They had a restaurant and tea room, so we went to the tea room and got ourselves coffee and snacks. Curtis got a cinnamon bun and Kim had a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich.

We left here and went to play mini golf! They had a mini golf place at the farm, so we took Linda to play her first round ever!

The game was pretty close, actually, with Curtis coming out with the win in the end.

We really enjoyed that, actually, and it wasn’t really in the sun either, which was good for us.

We drove back toward Victoria and on the way, we stopped at a supermarket which is known for really cheap fresh fruit and vegetables, so we got in there and got some produce there.

Delicious Dinner

We got back home and relaxed for an hour or so and then we went to a restaurant that Linda has been visiting for a long while.

Curtis and Linda shared a ceasar salad and Kim had a French onion soup, which was her first time trying! She really enjoyed it actually, though it was a lot for her!

Curtis had a steak which came with potatoes and veg and Kim had chicken marsala with mushrooms and veg, too.

We really enjoyed our dinner and were perfectly full.

We headed back home and had some strawberries which Linda bought at the veg store today.

Drinks With Another Friend

We went for drinks with a friend of Kim’s from work just down at the brown’s social house in Victoria.

Curtis hadn’t met her before and Kim hadn’t met her in person but we had a good chat and a drink before heading back home to Linda’s.

We’re heading out again tomorrow, so that should be fun!

Mr And Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 33: Victoria, BC – Beacon Drive In, Another Friend & Delicious Italian Food

Aug 26, 2021 Kim & Curtis Hale

Beacon Drive-In

We woke up around 08:30 and we got ready to go out for breakfast.

We both walked up to the Beacon Drive in, a staple for us when we come here, and got ourselves some nice breakfast and relaxed there for a bit.

Linda came and joined us and we chatted whilst Kim ate an ice cream and then we left for a walk.

A Nice Walk

We planned to go into the petting zoo that was in the nearby park, but unfortunately it was closed! We were able to see some goats and other animals through the fence though, which was really nice.

We did a bit more of a walk around the area and Linda pointed out a few new places and points of interest nearby that we’d not seen before.

A Friend

We headed back to Linda’s place and then after a while, we both walked down to meet a friend of Kim’s for a coffee and we got to meet her child who is now nearly 1!

After a great long conversation, we walked back to Linda’s and got ready for dinner.

Delicious Italian Food

We met a couple of Linda’s friends at an Italian restaurant across the street which we had been to once before. It was AMAZING food! Kim had mushroom pasta and Curtis had lasagne. Both were phenomenal.

We got profiteroles to share for dessert and then we were truly stuffed!

Fisherman’s Wharf

We managed a nice evening walk to Fisherman’s Wharf just down the street, though it was pretty cold, so we came back to Linda’s and relaxed before heading to bed.

Mr And Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 32: Victoria, BC – Airport Pickup & Finally Seeing Linda!

Aug 25, 2021 Kim & Curtis Hale

We woke up at a good time, though Kim woke up early as a dog was barking constantly in the hotel and she heard that so she couldn’t get back to sleep.

We got up and ready around 10:00 and packed up the last few things, showered and then took our stuff down to the car.

After checking out, we went to grab some breakfast. We found a cafe and Curtis got a breakfast muffin and Kim got a pesto and brie toasted sandwich, along with a coffee each.

We ate our food whilst sat in the sun and then we got the car and drove to a car wash. We vacuumed the car and then tried to go to a car wash, but it was too busy so we had to head to the airport.

Somehow, Curtis managed to lose his mask during this time, so had to use a disposable one for the time being.

We met Linda in the airport as she was returning from Kelowna on a flight and we were very happy to see Linda again after what must be at least 2 years!

We had a great chat on the way home and once we got back to Linda’s place, we had more of a chat with her and then we went out to the mall to see if we could get Curtis a new mask.

We found a mask, but it wasn’t actually that great. Linda then remembered she had a perfect one lying around, so Curtis has that now instead!

We went out for dinner with Linda to a place down the road called the steamship grill, which is somewhere we had been a few times with Linda.

Curtis had a salmon burger and Kim had a Nashville chicken caesar salad. Unfortunately, Kim’s food tasted a little fishy, so she didn’t really eat much, but we did have a lot of bread and chips so she ate those!

We walked back to Linda’s and spent the remainder of the evening having a great conversation, as always with Linda!

We have some fun times planned, and lots of dinners, over the next few days.

Mr And Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 31: Victoria, BC – Brunch & Stockings!

Dec 22, 2019Dec 22, 2019 Kim & Curtis Hale

Brunch

We began the day by heading out to brunch!

Linda had heard about a place called Courtney’s Room so we went to check that out.

The service wasn’t great and the food was just alright, so we don’t think we’d go again.

Stockings!

We left here and waddled back to Linda’s apartment.

Linda was very kind and bought us both stockings full of gifts!

Curtis got some new gloves and Kim some slippers. We also got some gift cards, chocolate and some tree ornaments.

We were incredibly thankful of these gifts from Linda.

Travel Home

We relaxed with Linda for a couple of hours and then said our goodbyes to walk down to the bus station.

We were going to get pizza, but decided it was too far away, so we got a Starbucks coffee and a small McDonald’s burger instead.

We got on the bus which took us to the ferry. The whole journey was uneventful and the ferry was much less bumpy than Thursday’s trip!

We got to the stop in Vancouver and walked home, which was only about 15 minutes, but we did stop in at the supermarket to get a potato each for dinner.

Learning

Kim went out to see a friend as she will be looking after their cat whilst they’re away for Christmas.

Kim had to learn what to do, when and also get the apartment keys from them.

Dinner

We had baked potatoes for dinner with tuna. We watched some TV which took us to bedtime!

We both have work tomorrow, but Kim doesn’t have work on Tuesday!

Mr & Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 30: Victoria, BC – Dinner at The Empress

Dec 21, 2019Dec 21, 2019 Kim & Curtis Hale

Breakfast

We went for breakfast at Vista 18, which we went to the previous time we were here with Linda.

The food was great as it was before. Curtis had a standard breakfast with ham, eggs and home fries, as well as some cranberry sourdough which was the best part of the breakfast!

Linda had an omelette and Kim had a waffle with chocolate and banana.

Jumanji

We finished up with breakfast and then walked down to the cinema to watch Jumanji! We wanted a simple, easy to watch film, so that was what we chose.

We had a lot of space each, too, with recliner seating.Overall, the film was funny, but not as good as the first one.

Jumanji: The Next Level

Our Rating:- 7/10

Flowers

We went to Winners for a bit for Kim to get some tops and then we went back home.

Kim went to get ‘something’ and when she came back, it was the flowers we had bought for Linda from her favourite florist!

Linda really likes these, which we are glad about.

Curtis watched hockey for a bit before we left to go to dinner.

Dinner at The Empress

We went for dinner at The Q at The Empress. The Empress is an old beautiful (expensive!) hotel here in Victoria and we had always said we should go for food sometime.

Linda had been here for food recently and said it was very good, so we absolutely agreed when she mentioned going there!

The staff were incredibly kind and hospitable, which is the first thing we noticed.We got a drink each and then perused the menu.

Kim decided on a rack of lamb whilst Curtis went for white wine braised rabbit. Linda chose the beef tenderloin.

The rabbit (above)

Kim’s rack of lamb

Our meals were all terrific. Huge flavour, richness but perfectly balanced.We had dessert, too!

Curtis and Linda had the hazelnut and chocolate tart whilst Kim had a vanilla mille-feuille.

The meal overall was a 10/10, service included!

We had another terrific day, and we ended it with some more baileys…because it Christmas!

Mr & Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 29: Victoria, BC – Butchart Gardens at Christmas!

Dec 20, 2019Dec 20, 2019 Kim & Curtis Hale

Brunch

We slept in a little and got up around 09:30 to get ready.Linda had already been to the gym and back, but once we got ready we went down to a place called John’s Place, which we had seen before but not eaten at.

There are a lot of photos on the wall of many different things, from sports people to musicians to films.

It was a very unique place and somewhere where each wall is different and something interesting to talk about.We ordered our food and were glad as we were very hungry!

Curtis got eggs Benedict, Kim got waffles and Linda had a halibut burger.All of our food was delicious and helped out by the free, warm, bread we got, too!

We finished up there and were incredibly happy with our decision. The staff were wonderful and so was the food.

John’s Place | Victoria, BC

Our Rating:- 10/10

Once we left there, we went back to Linda’s place for a rest and Kim stopped off at Winners to buy some gloves…and she bought 2 pair.

Butchart Gardens

Linda had lovingly bought us some tickets to take the bus out to Butchart Gardens with her and see all of the Christmas lights on the plants and around the gardens which are meant to be really nice.

Whilst waiting for the bus, Curtis found out that his team won the hackathon! That means he wins an Oculus Rift and he was incredibly proud of his team.

We took the bus which took us around 40 minutes and once we got there, we met with Linda’s friend Dee and her husband, Steve.

It was raining, but it wasn’t too bad and didn’t spoil it at all.

We had dinner when we first got there. Curtis got a vegetable curry and Kim had a turkey dinner (again).

It was great to spend the time with Linda and we walked around looking at the terrific light displays they had.

This was much better than the one we went to in Vancouver with Linda.

Bailey’s!

We got back to Linda’s and warmed up after taking the bus back and then walking up to Linda’s.

We sat around and relaxed for a bit, but then had a Bailey’s to celebrate Christmas with Linda!

Mr & Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 28: Victoria, BC – Brunch & Incredible Foot Massage!

Aug 18, 2019Aug 18, 2019 Kim & Curtis Hale

Brunch

We were up at 09:00 to get ready for brunch/breakfast. By the time we both got ready it was around 10:30 and our brunch/breakfast time was at 11:00, so we all started the walk down.

Our brunch was in a hotel in the restaurant called Vista 18.

We got some coffee as well as a hot chocolate for Kim. This place was called Vista 18 due to being on the 18th floor, therefore it had some great views!

Curtis had eggs benedict with bacon & homemade breakfast potatoes, which were basically just potato chips.

Kim had a breakfast with bacon,eggs, pancakes and the same homemade potatoes.

Linda had the french toast which looked great! All of the portions were huge and it was an incredibly reasonable price.

Vista 18 | Victoria, BC

Rating:- 7/10

We were very full after breakfast and so we went for a walk downtown to burn it off.

We walked around a few shops to pass time and Kim also managed to buy some exercise gear she needed.

Foot Massage

Kim and Linda went for a foot massage at 13:00. The original booked time was 13:30, but they couldn’t wait so changed it to 13:00.

Whilst they did this, Curtis went back to the apartment and relaxed.

Time To Go

Once we were all back in the same room, we didn’t have long before we had to say goodbye to Linda and walk down to catch the bus.

We said our goodbyes and wandered to the bus station.Once at the station, we waited for a little bit and then boarded. The bus was very busy and very hot!

Once we arrived at the ferry port, everyone was way too hot so temporarily disembarked the bus to get some fresh air.

There was a small delay on the boat bring offloaded as the police were waiting for a car to speak to the driver, so we had to wait for that to be dealt with before we could board.

Ferry Ride

We got on the boat and sat charging our phones. We were able fully charge our phones, which was a result!

It was incredibly loud and busy on the boat, but it went quite fast.We loaded back onto the bus and headed towards home.We got back home and it was nice to be back, but we already miss spending time with Linda!

We stopped in at the supermarket for a bit to do a small weekly shop and to get some food for dinner.

We ate our dinner and caught up on some TV and YouTube videos before we went to bed, ready for work tomorrow.

Mr & Mrs Hale

Place 70 – Day 27: Victoria,BC – Surprise Birthday Breakfast!

Aug 17, 2019Aug 17, 2019 Kim & Curtis Hale

Surprise Birthday Breakfast

We were up nice and early at 08:00 to get ourselves ready.We were having breakfast at the hotel next door with one of Linda’s friends, who arrived to the apartment around 09:00.

We walked across to the hotel and when we got there, all of Linda’s friends were there as a surprise! We knew about this, but Linda did not so it was a good surprise.

We had some big, delicious breakfasts and chatted for a long while.

We eventually walked back home and relaxed for a bit.

Coffee & Shopping

We got out of the house by getting a coffee and doing some shopping.

We stopped in at a really nice coffee shop we had been to before and people watched for a while whilst drinking some great coffee.

We went for a bit of shopping, nothing crazy but mostly just looking around. Nice to get out for a bit.

Handy People

We got back and had a couple of hours to kill.

We relaxed and then helped Linda with a couple of things.

We put up some curtains, which was pretty simple, but then we moved onto the next task which was to change a bulb, which was simple enough.

Shortly after this, we went back out again, this time down to the Steamship to get some dinner.

SteamShip Dinner

We have been here a few times, so Curtis wanted to try something else. He had the garlic mussels along with some bread and fries. They were pretty delicious, though needed more broth.

Kim and Linda both had a filet steak, which were also great.

We topped it off with dessert, Curtis and Linda having a key lime pie each and Kim had a chocolate torte.

Street Performer

We went to see if there were any street performers and there was someone that we had all seen before (who had been doing it for 25 years!).

We stayed and watched it all anyway as it was good fun and something to see and do after dinner.

Kim was saying how she was never chosen for helping at street shows, but she got thrown a hat to collect money around where we were stood, so she was over the moon that she got to help out.

Old Photos

We finished with the show and came back home to relax.

Kim looked through some photo albums of Kim and her family, as well as Linda and other photos. She had a great time doing this!

We sat and got a great view of the sun setting, which was great to see.