For nearly one hundred years the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria has been a regal monument of elegance and luxury. The most popular activity at the historic hotel would have to be its world-famous Afternoon Tea, enjoyed by tourists, locals, globetrotters and celebrities alike.
Thanks to an invitation to tea by the Empress on Twitter, Keira and I made our way over to enjoy this legendary experience.
Mimosas featuring Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay Brut were delivered by our smiling server as we took our seats in wooden arm chairs near a majestic fireplace in the Empress Room. A 3-tiered serving tower followed with a layer of sandwiches (mushroom & truffle, egg salad, smoked salmon, carrot) topped with a tier of scones (with English preserves and heavy cream), and crowned with a plate of pastries, cookies, and cakes prepared by Chef D’Oyen Christie.
The Empress Blend tea was delicious and one couldn’t help but sit and marvel at the beauty of the room’s architecture and furnishings. Children sipped from china tea cups, couples indulged in cream-topped strawberries, and families posed for photos after handing cameras to their server. Tones were hushed, the fire crackled, and warmth from the rich fabrics, wood-carved ceilings, and hospitality of the staff surrounded us.
Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12:00pm and reservations are highly recommended. The dress code is “casual elegance” and there’s no need to fear any pretentiousness in this relaxed and comfortable environment. Starting at $44 (and including a box of tea) this has been on many “must do” lists for visitors to Victoria — and now I truly understand why.
Follow all posts from our Girls Getaway on Vancouver Island & check out Keira’s post about the Empress on her blog.
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Last Saturday the Westin Whistler hosted the annual Indulge Gala, benefitting the Whistler Health Foundation. Through a special arrangement, John and I were given a behind the scenes tour of gala preparations by Executive Chef Brad Cumming.
Chef Cumming paired up with chefs from four other Westins including Chef JP Fillion from the Westin Grand, Chef Robert Uy from the Westin Bayshore, Chef Iain Rennie of the Westin Bear Mountain, and Executive Chef Hamid Salimian from the Westin Wall Centre in Richmond. Each prepared one of the five courses with wine pairings for the 170 guests that evening.
Having seen one too many reality cooking shows, it was interesting to see how calm everyone was during the preparations. Eyes were focused, the meal was mapped out, and everyone from the restaurant manager to the events planner for the Westin was on hand to make sure everything went smoothly. Dietary restrictions were noted on whiteboards and menus were written in Sharpie on giant sheets of paper pinned up in the hallway behind the banquet room.
After sharing his kitchen with other Westin chefs for the event, Chef Cumming said that no matter how busy or hectic the preparation might be, all hard work is validated when a diner takes their very first bite and goes back for a second with a smile.
Last year $42,000 was raised for the Whistler Health Foundation and hopefully attendees were as generous this year, especially after enjoying colourful culinary creations such as these.
All photos in this post were taken by John Bollwitt for Miss604.com
The Rogers Santa Clause Parade has quickly become a holiday tradition in Vancouver. Now in its 7th year, this annual celebration will take over the streets of downtown Sunday December 5th at 1:00pm.
Xmas Square
From 11:00am until the parade starts at 1:00pm, the corner of Georgia and Howe will host “Xmas Square” festivities such as face painting, balloon twisting, live entertainment, a gingerbread tent and more. This is free for the public although be sure to stop by the Greater Vancouver Food Bank tent to make a donation.
Robson Square Ice Rink
According to UBC Robson Square’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, the ice rink will be open for the season starting December 5th, after the parade. This has yet to be fully confirmed but it would be a great way to end your morning after watching the parade. This post has full updates on the Robson Square construction.
Best Places to Watch
You will be able to view the parade all along its route however you can try the Vancouver Art Gallery steps for a higher view, or further along Howe since the Georgia side will most likely be more crowded.
Road Closures
The parade will begin at Georgia at Broughton and travel East to Howe, then turn onto Davie.
Click map to enlarge
6:00am to 5:00pm
Alberni from Cardero to Jervis
Nicola and Broughton from Georgia to Robson
7:00am to 5:00pm
Hornby from Davie to Pacific
Drake from Howe to Burrard
10:30am to 5:00pm (approximately)
Georgia from Pender to Seymour
All streets crossing Georgia will be diverted
Howe from Dunsmiur to Drake
All streets crossing Howe will be diverted
The 2010 Grand Marshals are John Furlong, CEO, VANOC, The Honourable Mary McNeil, Minister of Citizens’ Services and past Minister of State for the Olympics, and more than two hundred 2010 Winter Games volunteers. You can watch a broadcast of the parade on CityTV Saturday December 11th and Sunday December 12th.
Donate to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank online or bring non-perishable items on parade day. Collections will be made by volunteers moving along with the pace of the parade or at the Xmas Square.
As the month known as Movember comes to a close, moustached faces across the city are preparing for the shaving of a lifetime. It was more evident this year than any other, from Vancouver to Whistler and Victoria, that men in BC really do care about a cause (and aren’t afraid to look a little different to prove it). For the last month thousands of Canadian men have been growing moustaches (not goatees or beards) to promote their own fundraising campaigns, bringing awareness to prostate cancer research, programs, and awareness. Through two events this week, they will be able to celebrate the hard work of their follicles.
Movember Tweetup & Stache-Off
The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe is hosting a Tweetup on Tuesday, November 30th from 5:00pm-7:00pm complete with a moustache-judging contest or “Stache-Off”. The event will be judged by three female Twitter users from Vancouver and all are invited to attend. Prizes and giveaways include hot shaves for participating men for the end of the month. This is a free event but there is a capacity limit so RSVP is required.
Official Movember Gala Parté
The official Movember Gala Parté will be December 2nd at Fortune Sound Lounge from 8:00pm until late. This will include a moustache contest, fundraising totals, and the awarding of Man of Movember and Miss Movember. Gala Partés will be held in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.
Movember 2009 Mo Sistas – Photo credit:
Invoke on Flickr
Canada’s current fundraising total is the most of any participating country in the world with $16,290,731 raised to date by 117,870 “Mo Bros”. Leading company teams include CIBC World Markets Inc., PricewaterhouseCoopers, and KPMG LLP.
Having spent more time in Whistler during the spring and summer months, I’m familiar with its many activities outside of carving up the snow-covered slopes. Even when the mountain opens up for its world-famous winter season you can still find plenty to do if you’re not a skiier or snowboarder. From ziplining to snowshoeing, the possibilities for adventure are seemingly endless and this weekend we discovered how much fun a morning snowmobile expedition can be as well.
Canadian Snowmobile is centrally located under the Longhorn, gondola and main rental building for Whistler Blackcomb. After signing up for our session, we met our group outside in the village as morning snowflakes tumbled down.
Our guide, Daniel, arrived promptly and we piled into the tour company’s van parked near the main Whistler bus loop. About 20 minutes later we arrived at the Canadian Snowmobile cabin in the Callaghan Valley, ready to suit up.
The wood-burning stove in the cabin crackled while those who needed gear loaded up with boots, helmets, snow-pants and jackets. Waiting outside was a queue of Yamaha snowmobiles and after a quick lesson, we were on our way.
Members of our tour group either paired up or hopped on their own machines for the ride. The snowmobiles were top of the line with hand-warmers in the handles and very simple instructions to stop and start.
Daniel used hand signals to communicate with our caravan and hopped off to dig out any member who got stuck in the thick powder lining our route.
Reaching exhilarating speeds and surrounded by picturesque scenery, I almost let out an audible “Whee!” while we carved our own paths and danced around corners.
The clouds parted, the sky went from navy blue to azure, and a blanket of fog rolled in and out like a tide through the trees.
Twisting between frozen creek beds and old-growth evergreens on the back of Sproat Mountain, I had a flashback to snowshoeing in the Ancient Forest last winter near Prince George.
Canadian Snowmobile offers a variety of snowmobiling adventures including our 3-hour beginner/family-friendly “Callaghan Cruiser” tour. Our experience was extremely positive and while riding the gas-powered beasts through the hills was fun, I’d love to check out their snowshoe, dogsled or fondue tours in the future.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2
