Sue Frause is an American writer and photographer. She's had a major crush on Canada ever since she visited British Columbia as a young girl. Even if your heart doesn't pitter patter over all things Canadian, read on. You'll find photos, travel tips, road notes and the latest news and thoughts about our friends north of the 49th parallel. Cool idea, eh?
Showing posts with label Vancouver Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver Island. Show all posts
Just in time for the spooky season (aka Halloween), Tourism Victoria has put together a TOP TEN HAUNTED PLACES IN VICTORIA list. I've been to eight of them; here are a few photos from my travels. For the complete list and descriptions, click on here.
And if you're ready to do a cool walking tour this Halloween season, John Adams' Discover the Past Walking Tours "weaves together Victoria’s ghosts and the stories behind them, bringing the dark history of our city to life." Book online at https://discoverthepast.com/.
What better way to see the sights and taste the delights of Victoria BC than on a culinary walking tour in December? Off the Eaten Track (love the name!) is offering a Cozy Christmas Self-Guided Food Tour this holiday season.
Included in the $45 passport are seven foodie stops along the 1.5 km downtown route plus a downloadable audio tour. Walking time is approximately two hours, but there's no time limit. Spend the day in BC's capital city while leisurely doing your tasting tour.
The tour begins at the CPR Steamship Terminal Building on Victoria's Inner Harbour, where you'll pick up your passport, GPS-triggered APP (they'll help you get started) and some savory Nuts & Bolts party mix. From there you'll walk along the Inner Harbour and up Government Street to Rogers' Chocolates for peppermint cream. The company was founded in Victoria in 1885.
The Festival of Trees at The Bay Centre features 70 decorated trees.
Then it's on to Bon Macaron Patisserie for holiday-flavored macarons, followed by a stop at nearby Artisan Wine for a festive glass of wine or soda. Pop inside The Bay Centre to take in the colorful Festival of Trees, followed by the Dutch Bakery & Diner for some traditional spiced shortbread. The last two stops include cheese from L'Apero Wine and Cheese Bistro, followed by the final stop at Chocolat & Co. for truffles.
BC Ferries' Mayne Queen will make its last official full-time run on Saturday, November 19, 2022. The ferry first entered service 57 years ago in 1965, and for the majority of that time served the same run through the Southern Gulf Islands.
Locals know it as Route 5, a tentacular connection between Vancouver Island, Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna Islands. According to BC Ferries, crew aboard the Mayne Queen are family and "quick to jump a car that won't start or return to work in emergency situations." Island legend suggests "the Mayne Queen may have even reversed course a time or two for a backpack, accidentally left behind by a child rushing to school."
FAREWELL TOUR SCHEDULE
The Mayne Queen will be at the following ports on Sunday, November 20. Community members are welcome to board the vessel as walk-ons for a short visit, but must disembark before it departs for its next stop. No passengers or vehicles will be carried from port to port.
Vancouver Island's annual Music by the Sea Festival returns for the first time since 2019, and will be held in two locations on BC's West Coast:
July 23-30 ~ Bamfield
Rix Centre for Ocean Discoveries
August 1-5 ~ Victoria
Victoria International Marina
The festival features 14 concerts spanning musical genres from classical and chamber to contemporary and jazz. Music by the Sea made its debut in 2006 in Bamfield, and has hosted professional musicians from around the world. The remote location has welcomed adventurous music lovers for 16 years, but festival organizers envisioned adding Victoria to the mix in order to attract a wider audience.
This year will be the debut of a series of five indoor concerts at Victoria International Marina on the Inner Harbour -- featuring the same company of artists performing in Bamfield. Sixteen artists will work together to create this year's unique program, remaining in residence during the duration of the festival. They hail from British Columbia (Victoria, Vancouver, Bowen Island, Nelson); Banff; Toronto; New York; The Netherlands and Barcelona.
Individual tickets and festival passes are available for purchase online or by phone at 250.728.3887.
Ritual Nordic Spa has opened in Victoria, BC. Although it's the first Nordic Spa built on Vancouver Island, it's not BC's first Scandinavian focused spa. La Scandinave Spa opened in Whistler just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Inspired by the classic sauna tradition of Finland, Victoria's Ritual Nordic Spa reimagines the hot/cold/relax circuit -- creating a modern sauna experience in an urban setting. Located in Harris Green neighborhood just minutes from Victoria's Inner Harbour, Ritual Nordic Spa's features include:
Indoor cold plunge pool
Four saunas (including Finnish and infrared)
Steam room
Warm Himalayan salt lounge
Nordic showers
Outdoor patios
Lockers | Robes-Sandals | Showers | Towels
Other wellness offerings include massage services, a generous lounge and outdoor space and a cafe bar featuring beverages and apres spa snacks.
The newly-opened urban oasis is the vision of of Marci Hotsenpiller, Founder and CEO of Ritual Nordic Spa. "My first sauna experience was at age three at my grandmother's Muskoka cottage in Ontario, and I've been obsessed with the experience ever since," said Hotsenpiller. Growing up in a ski racing family who spent winters on the slopes of Austria and Switzerland, post-ski recovery in thermal baths and cold plunge pools was part of their program. "Ritual fulfills my dream of bringing all the amazing benefits of the hot sauna, cold plunge and massage under one roof in my hometown of Victoria," said Hotsenpiller. "With the opportunity for a cold beverage afterward."
In Scandinavian culture, the sauna is a place to rest and cleanse your mind and body. The heart of Nordic spa involves moving the body through a cycle of thermotherapy: Hot | Cold | Rest | Repeat. The cycle's goal is to achieve temperature contrasts that boost immunity, mood and overall wellbeing.
Ritual Nordic Spa was designed with the environment and sustainability in mind. Spaces were created to maximize natural light and utilize energy efficient water filtration, heating and energy recovery systems.
The Ritual Nordic Spa Circuit is a two-hour experience in a contemporary space. Guests move through the hot/cold/rest cycle offered by the spa's traditional Finish sauna, herbal-scented steam room, cold plunge pool, bucket showers and the chill-out zones of a Himalayan salt lounge and outdoor patios. The circuit may be completed on the guest's own time, independently or with others. Other offerings include massage services from a registered therapist in one of three treatment rooms and a unique Alpine dry-brush experience.
BC Ferries' fifth Island Class ferry as it departed Damen Shipyards in Galati, Romania bound for British Columbia. Photo Credit: BC Ferries
BC Ferries revealed the name of its latest Island Class ferry at a naming and hull christening ceremony at its fleet maintenance facility in Richmond, BC on December 14, 2021. Island Kwigwis is the newest vessel to join the fleet and begins service in the spring of 2022 -- allowing for two-ship operation on the Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola Island route.
The name Kwigwis, which means 'eagle of the sea', was selected with support from the 'Namgis First Nation and celebrates the beauty of the journey and connection to coastal communities.
In keeping with maritime tradition, BC Ferries selects sponsors for each of the ships, with each sponsor bestowing good luck on the ship and protection for those who travel on them. Each Island Class ship has a community sponsor and a sponsor from the BC Ferries family.
"Island Kwigwis represents a small step on the path to fostering our relationships with First Nations, embracing our environmental responsibilities, while maintaining our commitment to the communities we serve," said Mark Collins, BC Ferries President & CEO.
Island Class ferries have have a capacity to carry up to 47 vehicles and up to 450 passengers and crew. They are battery equipped ships designed for future full electric operation. The ships are fitted with hybrid technology that bridges the gap until shore charging infrastructure and funding becomes available in BC. The design of the new vessels, from the exterior details to the engines, reduces underwater radiated noise, lowers emission and improves customer service.
Earlier this year, BC Ferries and the First Peoples' Cultural Council revealed Coast Salish artwork for its newest Salish Class Ferry.
Artist Maynard Johnny Jr. with his Coast Salish artwork
BC Ferries and the First Peoples' Cultural Council have revealed the design for the Salish Heron. As the fourth vessel of the Salish Class ferries -- the first three were built in 2016 -- the Salish Heron will enter service in the spring of 2022 in the Southern Gulf Islands.
Maynard Johnny Jr. of the Penelakut First Nations created the artwork, which was selected from 36 submissions. Criteria for selection included artistic excellence; Coast Salish artistic style; and the ability to express the vessel's name through artwork while effective using the available vessel service.
"Herons and my people once inhabited the area in what is now known as the town of Chamainus," said Maynard Johnny Jr. "The majestic birds were once plentiful and provided the people guidance on where fish were in abundance." The BC artist explained that he created a Salish Heron using traditional Salish design with contemporary colors that have become his signature as a Coast Salish artist. "The design reflects the long beak and long neck of a Great Blue Heron and its wing, tail feathers and talon," he explained. His design will be displayed on both the exterior and interior of the vessel for travelers to view.
Salish Heron is the fourth Salish Class vessel to be bestowed with indigenous art. The name and artwork honors and recognizes the Coast Salish as the original mariners of the Salish Sea, representing both the land and culture of British Columbia. The name Salish Heron was selected during a public naming contest for the Salish Class ferries in 2015. The Salish Heron is identical to the three Salish Class ferries built for BC Ferries in 2016. The vessel has a capacity to carry at least 138 vehicles and up to 600 passengers and crew.
BC Ferries sixth Island Class ferry, pictured above departing Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on October 11, is on its way to British Columbia. Temporarily named Island 6, it is the last in the series of newly built battery hybrid electric vessels to join BC Ferries' fleet.
The transoceanic voyage will take approximately 60 days, depending on weather. The ship will sail under its own power for approximately 10,700 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast of North America. It is scheduled to arrive at Point Hope Maritime in Victoria, BC later this year.
Approximately one-third of the Island 6's journey is expected to be completed by using battery power, with the main engines stopped. During the voyage, the batteries will be charged by a diesel generator. But when in BC, the Island Class ferries will be able to operate as fully electric vessels once BC Ferries' terminals have plug-in recharging capabilities.
Video of the departure may be viewed here. The arrival of this new vessel will allow for the Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola Island route to be serviced by two Island Class vessels starting in 2022. Island Class ferries have the capacity to carry at least 47 vehicles and up to 400 passengers and crew, and will allow for fleet redeployments and retirements of existing diesel-fueled vessels.
I was a guest at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel several years after its opening in 2012. The 100-room luxury boutique property overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca and features the full-service Boathouse Spa and three heated outdoor mineral pools. Dining options include The Snug Pub for indoor/outdoor dining and the new FARO Handcrafted Pizza and Tasting Room.
Victoria BC's Fairmont Empress is reopening its signature restaurant, Q at the Empress, for dinner service beginning October 1, 2021. As Victoria's most storied dining room, the hotel is welcoming back locals and visitors alike to enjoy Pacific Northwest inspired cuisine.
Led by Executive Chef Morgan Wilson, Q at the Empress highlights the best of British Columbia's farmers and artisans -- utilizing locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. "The menu direction of Q at the Empress was developed with the goal to offer diners a creative approach to coastal fine dining," says Wilson. "Q is excited to reopen its doors."
Menu items include such popular starters as Farro & Flax Bread with Empress Honey Butter & Bee Pollen and Local Oysters with Blackberry Mignonette & Gojuchang. Main dishes for the fall season include Olive Oil Poached Chinook Salmon with Watercress Potato Gnocchi and Venison Osso Bucco with Malted Barlotta and Roasted Roots. Dessert items offered on the dinner menu include Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding and Caramelized Chestnut and Citrus Tort.
The restaurant's reopening comes on the heels of receiving its fourth consecutive Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, which Q at the Empress has received every year since it was reimagined in 2016.
Seatings are available daily from 5:30-9:30PM. Dinner reservations are recommended and may be booked online.
For accommodations and information about Victoria, BC:
Emily Carr, T’anuu ‘Llnagaay, Haida Gwaii. Carr painted T'anuu on her first trip to Haida Gwaii after her return from France. The Post-Impressionist influce may be seen in the cloud details.
Here is yet another reason why I'm missing my adventures in British Columbia and beyond during the global pandemic. Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing ~ French Modernism and the West Coast has opened at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. It's the last stop on the exhibition's cross-Canada tour, with the addition of paintings and archival materials from the museum's permanent collection. The exhibition captures the moment Carr revolutionized her painting style -- emerging as a Canadian modernist -- following her 16-month trip to France in 1911.
Picnic with Haida guides and old Billie dog, 1912
On her return from France, Emily Carr (center) travelled to Haida Gwaii with her dog, Billie. She was hosted by the Russ family (Clara Russ at right) and other Indigenous families who offered support and guidance.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Victoria to France and back to British Columbia as Carr immerses herself in the world of modernist art. Her paintings from this period are displayed chronologically, growing in size/scope/color that developed into the iconic style for which Carr is known internationally. Says co-curator Dr. Kathryn Bridge, "I honestly believe that without her time in France, Emily Carr would never have become the great artist we know today."
Emily Carr: Crecy-en-Brie
Carr visited Crecy-en-Brie while in France. This painting is part of the Royal BC Museum's permanent collection.
Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing includes 67 artworks by Carr and her compatriots in France, which chart Carr's transformation into an artist of the Canadian avant-garde. An additional exhibition, Everyday Emily Carr, features 22 examples of Carr's portraiture from the Royal BC Museum's own collections -- they range from sketches to small watercolors, along with one of Carr's hooked rugs.
Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing - French Modernism and the West Coast
Washington State Ferries is delaying the start of its international service between Anacortes, WA and Sidney, BC on Vancouver Island due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. The one-month delay in the start of the spring service means the ferries won't resume running until April 28, 2020. Note: This does not affect domestic service. WSF will continue to make its regularly scheduled domestic stops in the San Juan Islands. Reservations made on sailings to Sidney through April 28 will automatically be canceled. Customers may make new vehicle reservations for dates after April 28 -- but be advised this date is subject to change.
Shiver me timbers! A new version of Treasure Island is set to take over the fourth floor dance hall* at Victoria's Craigdarroch Castle with six performances in March. Actor Jason Stevens, known for his popular one-man productions at Craigdarroch of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, headlines the show. Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, which the author penned in 1883, is the fast-moving tale of buccaneers and gold, treasure maps and stowaways. As one of the most dramatized "coming of age" adventure stories, audiences will hear this classic tale as Stevens brings Long John Silver, Ben Gunn, Black Dog and other infamous characters to life. The one-hour production is storytelling in its traditional form, performed as it would have been in 1883. There are no special effects, props, lights or soundtrack. The performance is suitable for children aged 10 and above. Jason Stevens is a Victoria Critic's Choice nominee for best Actor. He has appeared on popular series including CTV's iZombie and Arrow and NBC's Timeless. *There are 87 steps to the fourth floor dance hall and no elevator in the castle
Actor Jason Stevens
Photo courtesy Craigdarroch Castle
If you're curious as to what happens behind the scenes at The Butchart Gardens, put Victoria BC on your destination list this autumn. Each weekend in November, the gardeners of The Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay will lead one-hour tours. The tours take place Saturdays and Sundays in November at 10AM, 12PM and 2PM. During the tour, topics you may learn about include:
Propagation methods used in seed production
Vegetative plant production
Over-wintering of plant material
Integrated Pest Management practices
Indoor growing environment challenges
Production of the diverse floral displays
Due to the uneven terrain and narrow spaces on the tour, wheelchairs and scooters can not be accommodated. And please, no children under the age of 12 or pets are permitted on the tour. Admission to The Butchart Gardens is required, but there is no additional charge for the tour.
Reservations Required
Reservations for the tour may be made starting October 21 at 9AM by calling 250.652.4422. Spots fill quickly, so book sooner than later!
Ballet Victoria, based on Vancouver Island, is including Whidbey Island, Washington in its tour schedule for 2018-2019. Now in its 16th season, the British Columbia ballet company is presenting Frankenstein at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts on Friday, November 2. The timing is fitting, as this is the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the story of young scientist Victor Frankenstein who creates a hideous, sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.
Horror, romance and science fiction are galvanized into this new ballet driven by the music of Verdi, Shostakovich, Dukas, Catalani and Adam. As the program notes state: "Mary Shelley's original gothic novel meets Caralli and Perrot's timeless ballet Giselle in an alchemy brought to life." Ballet Victoria is a boutique professional ballet company with four yearly productions. As the website states: "Our performances are dramatic, technically demanding and often laced with humour." The ballet company has produced more than 73 new works since its inception.
Ballet Victoria's Artistic & Executive Director Paul Destrooper has an impressive dance background. He joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1993, and was also a principal dancer with Alberta Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Destrooper has choreographed more than 30 works and nine full-length ballets, and his international dance career included working with renowned directors, dancers and choreographers and has been with Ballet Victoria since 2007. About Frankenstein, he states: "Very few people are still creating 'story ballets' -- to reach across not just to different cultures but to different generations, it has to make sense."
Victoria's Craigdarroch Castle is getting into the Halloween spirit with the launch of Classics at Craigdarroch Movie Series running Thursday and Saturday evenings throughout October. This is the perfect time to see some of the scariest classic movies -- in a castle! Below is the schedule for the six films. Showtime is 6PM (doors open at 5:45 PM) in the Castle's Dance Hall -- located on the fourth floor (87 steps, no elevator).
THURSDAYS
Oct 4 - Dracula (1931)
Oct 11 - Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
Oct 18 - House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Oct 25 - Frankenstein (1931)
SATURDAYS*
Oct 6 - Frankenstein (1931)
Oct 13 - Nosferatu (1922) *SOLD OUT*
Oct 20 - Bride of Frankenstein (1935
Oct 27 - Dracula (1931)
*Moon Under Water Brewery products will be featured at the cash bar during Saturday night showings.
The Royal BC Museum's Indigenous Advisory and Advocacy Committee (IAAC) has announced that funding will be granted to 21 First Nations communities across British Columbia to support their work in repatriation.
The grants will be used to support a host of repatriation activities, from establishing planning committees to facilitating the return of ancestral remains to home communities. A total of $586,160 will be distributed among the 21 First Nations communities, cultural societies and associations and museum societies.
"Museums around the world, including the Royal BC Museum, have a moral obligation to support indigenous communities engaged in repatriation," said Prof. Jack Lohman, CEO of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria.
Examples include the K'omoks First Nation, which is using their funding to build a community grave house, build a database for repatriated items, construct cedar burial boxes, establish a repatriation committee and conduct cultural ceremonies. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation is using its funds to develop a Repatriation Policy and repatriate Ancestral remains (the "Little Lady" from Simon Fraser University).
The repatriation grant program is a first in Canada, part of an ongoing collaboration between the Royal BC Museum and Indigenous communities throughout BC. The program addresses the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the direction provided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The repatriation grant program was made possible through the Province of BC's investment of $2M to the Royal BC Museum in 2016 to develop a First Nations department and repatriation program.
More information about the program, including a list of recipients and their projects goals, is available on the Royal BC Museum's website.
Victoria's Royal BC Museum opened the international ancient Egypt exhibit Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs in May and it will be on view until December 31, 2018. Artifacts were selected from four key ancient Egyptian collections, including three German museums: Egyptian Museum in Berlin; Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum in Hildesheim; Gustav-Lubcke-Museum in Hamm; and the University Museum of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Pictured above is a sculpture of the head of Hatshepsut, a female Pharaoh, from her temple complex at Deir el-Bahari that is located on the west bank of the Nile, across from Luxor. It's one of more than 300 original Egyptian artifacts dating back 4,500 years.
The exhibition showcases the most impressive and intriguing Pharaohs, along with information about the scribes and writing that enabled their empires.
The exhibition is family-friendly, with lots to touch, play with and learn. Scale-model replicas of famous pyramid complexes are included, along with games and cutting-edge multimedia. A complementary film, Mysteries of Egypt, is playing at the IMAX Victoria Theatre for the duration of the exhibition.
Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs Royal BC Museum 675 Belleville Street Victoria, BC | Vancouver Island royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Photos courtesy Royal BC Museum Inn at Laurel Point's 'Time of Pharaohs ' package
