Living La Vida Loca

We were lucky to be able to set up a second home exchange right after our stay in Banff – in Victoria, BC. Andrew and I hadn’t been to Victoria since Ari was a tiny baby and other than the Empress Hotel I had little recollection of the city. It has no doubt grown over the past decades, and we were thrilled that our friends, Kathy Kline and Louis Holtzman, were able to drive up from Seattle and rediscover it with us. The home we stayed in was perfect for us…in a quiet residential neighborhood, walking distance from the beach and to some of the enclaves with restaurants and coffee shops, and biking or short driving distance to some of the main attractions. We really love doing home exchanges because we not only get to know local people (if only via email, Zoom, and text), and have the comforts of being able to cook, do laundry, and have quiet downtime without the hubbub (and cost) of being in a hotel. And most of all, we get to do all the fun stuff with friends and family we love so dearly!

The highlights of our time in Victoria – aside from being with our dear friends – included Butchart Gardens, the Government House grounds, a bike excursion that toured us through many neighborhoods, and some yummy Greek and Indian dinners. Here’s a little detail on these…

Butchart Gardens: If you have never been here, there is no way to accurately describe the incredible scope and beauty of this expansive and tenderly manicured garden paradise. We were told that up to 70 gardeners are needed to maintain this wonderland of species, textures, cultures, and visual overload of color. We took 3 – 4 hours wandering through this paradise of sites and smells (oh, the roses!) and it felt like we could have spent even more time if we had the energy. What really hit me as I walked around was how much the impact of each of the stylized gardens depended on the design creativity that blended color, texture, height, and growth pattern to literally “paint” canvases of flowers, shrubs, trees, grasses, and statuary (in some cases) in such variety. A true melding of heavenly and human artistry. Even the trash receptacles were gorgeous!

The Government House: Government House is the office and official residence of the Lieutenant Governor and the ceremonial home of all British Columbians. The house is located on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, and the grounds that surround the actual residence are open to the public 365 days a year. The gardens there could not compare to Butchart but the ability to wander the grounds and learn a bit about BC history through two small museums on site was fun. I loved an exhibit of historic dresses of British royalty as well as examples of military garb through the decades – especially as women were added to the ranks.

No Schorr adventure would be complete without us getting lost at least once – this time on our bike ride around the city. We rented bikes to take the “scenic route” recommended by the rental agent. We did that tour, but took a wrong turn about two-thirds through the ride and ended up testing our meddle on some uphills we didn’t expect. Not to be discouraged, we persisted and did get back to our start – maybe an hour and a few miles longer than planned – but topping it off with margueritas at a local cafe made it all worth it.

One touching thing we experienced in the neighborhood we stayed in was the presence of beautiful deer who found peaceful respite in the shade of trees that graced the local cemetery. We walked the lovely pathways through this centuries old burial ground that sits on a bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and found these lovely creatures keeping the souls there company.

In all, the time in Victoria was mostly about spending quality time with friends we dearly love, and love to travel with. Mission accomplished!