Tag: victoria

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

Vancouver, BC

Place 72 – Day 959: Vancouver, BC – Booking Exciting Things?

Jul 10, 2021 Kim & Curtis Hale

We woke up and Curtis went to get croissants for breakfast. We ate those and then had a chat with Curtis’ family. It was his little sister’s birthday today, so we chatted with her for a while and then Curtis’ parents after.

We then got ourselves ready and went out to do a bit of shopping!

We both needed new shoes and Kim needed to exchange some clothes and get some new ones.

Curtis managed to get 2 pairs of shoes as well as some flip flops, which was a huge win! Curtis got a pair for daily use and a pair to be worn occasionally, if he’s going out or something, so he’s set to go now!

Kim got herself some new daily shoes and managed to get herself some really good clothes.

Whilst we were out, we went to Waves and got a coffee and a Thai chicken wrap to share which was phenomenal!

Once we got home, we were very tired so we relaxed for a bit (and had a little nap) before we heated up some leftovers from yesterday for dinner and watched a little TV.

We then managed to start booking a fun trip for late August, which is VERY exciting! We should be fully vaccinated for about a month by then, so we’re hoping we can explore BC a little and visit some awesome people!

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

Vancouver, BC

Place 72 – Day 130: Vancouver, BC – Missed Ferry!

Dec 19, 2019Dec 19, 2019 Kim & Curtis Hale

Curtis’ Day

Curtis went to work about 45 minutes earlier today as he was leaving early.

All of the day was working on the application, which does a lot more now and is really starting to take shape.

Curtis got a lot of that done and then it was 14:30 already, which was when Curtis was leaving for the day.

Kim’s Day

Kim didn’t have to work today, so she slept for a while, waking up early afternoon.

Kim cleaned the apartment from top to bottom and then packed the remainder of our items so we were ready to go.

Victoria Again!

We left the apartment to catch the bus which will take us to the ferry.

We had to wait for a long time for the bus, around 40 minutes, but it made it much worse that it was raining…A lot…The whole time.

We found shelter nearby and stood under that as we were very wet and very cold.

Eventually, the bus arrived, but we then got stuck in traffic for a lot of the journey, meaning we missed the ferry and had to wait 2 hours for the next one!

We eventually got onto the ferry and had the buffet food as we were so hungry! It was a Turkey dinner, but we also had salad to start and some dessert.

The ferry arrived in Victoria and we walked up to Linda’s apartment and it is so nice to see her again, even though it’s only been a couple of weeks!

We are here until Sunday afternoon, so plenty of time to spend time with her.

We hunkered down for the evening and were quite tired! Linda seems to have some plans, so we’ll wait to see what we do!