September 2, 2025

Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Good Morning y’all. The Royal Scot Hotel isn’t half bad. Its location is actually very nice. I got up this morning and walk to the Starbucks on Wharf Street. It is about 700 - 800 meters from the hotel. It is so incredibly peaceful at 06:30. The “Christmas” lights around the Parliament building are still on. The streets have been cleaned; it almost looks like it rained last night.

The Empress Hotel is all lite up and looks very regal. It is about 13°, or about 55°, which is prefect for a morning stroll. The sun is on the rise giving everything at early morning glow.

Believe it or not the Starbucks is a hopping place and it isn’t really even 06:30. For some reason I am unable to use my order ahead on the Starbucks app, so I have to go to the counter and order; a tall cappuccino and an egg, sausage and cheese muffin. I sit and enjoy these watching the people go by. There aren’t many of them. Some students, quite a few on bicycles, some with children in tow. There are a few joggers. Most importantly I am the only tourist.

After finishing my cappuccino and sandwich, I order an English breakfast tea to go. Double cup with a sleeve. I head out of Starbucks and walk to the corner of Wharf and Government Streets. Government Street is the main tourist shopping destination. I pass the Lugaro Jewelers where, on a previous trip here, we bought Mary an antique Rolex. Then there was Munro’s Books, a lovely large bookstore with lots of options. Will want to return here.

I walk all the way up to Fisgard Street where Chinatown intersects Government Street. Here I turn abound and walk down Government Street back to the Starbucks. Passing The famous and fabulous Rogers Chocolates. Back in 1885 Charles “Candy” Rogers was making candy in the back of his grocery store. He and his wife Leah expanded his chocolate operation to the company’s current heritage storefront on Government Street in 1903. All the chocolate they make is great, but the Victoria Creams are to die for. Fortunately, they don’t open until 10:00. They are definitely not on the Keto or any diet.

Back at the Starbucks about 7:30. Order a refill on my tea, and tall bold coffee in a grande cup and a sandwich for Mary. The I beeline it back to the hotel, so the coffee and sandwich don’t get cold. We don’t have any plans for today. Cosmos is offereing two different whale watching excursions, one this morning and one this afternoon. Our thing is Tea at the Empress at 13:45.

Showered, shaved and dressed we head out about 9:30 to walk about and get to The Empress at 11:45. We head up Government Street. We are walking past Out of Ireland Importers when Mary spots a lovely patchwork vest. In we go. We end up buying me not only the vest but a nice lined matching cap. I wear the vest and cap out of the store.

We continue walking a little further and stop in at Munro Books. I finished my last one and need another. We find a lovely book on Yorkshire pudding, maybe it can help us turn out a better product at Christmas time. On top of that we each got a book.

We then continued up Government Street, almost all the way to Chinatown, but turned around a block or two early. We walked down the other side of the street and stopped at Rogers. We went in a looked by the place was very crowded and it had already gone 11:00. We still need to stop at a bank and get money out of the ATM. We got to the Empress just after it has gone 11:30. Walked in the main lobby but couldn’t remember how to get to the lobby with the high tea. So we walked back outside and stopped at the hostess station of the Veranda. The Veranda is located on the Government Street side of the hotel in front of the lobby which hosts the tea.

The hostess told us the entrance for the high tea was the old or original hotel entrance at the opposite end of the building. So, we walked down there and into the original lobby of the hotel. It is beautiful old wood, and a very nice staircase. We then walked into the tea lobby and checked in. They were ready for us, and we were seated immediately.

This is maybe the fourth or fifth time we have had high tea at the Empress. The first time was memorial experience. Then things went down hill. The Fairmont is now running or managing the hotel and they have been able to bring back most of that high English tea experience.

Tea lasted almost two hours. It was a very nice experience. We then headed back to the hotel where we played a game of Canasta and rested. About 17:30 we walked down towards the harbor. At the foot on Menzies Street, there is the old steamship terminal. We spotted a restaurant with seating overlooking the harbor, The Steamship Bar & Grill.

We sat there and had dinner while watching the sun go down. After dinner we walked back up Government Street hoping to find Rogers  still open. Unfortunately, or perhaps not, it was closed for the night. The was our clue to call it a night, so we headed back to the hotel and did just that.

Buonanotte e Ciao,

Enrico e Maria