Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Craigdarroch Castle at Christmas-A Must See During the Holidays

Christmas at Craigdarroch Castle
Every December Craigdarroch Castle provides visitors with more to see and hear on a self-guided tour.   Decorating the Castle for the Christmas season takes many hours and involves a number of staff and volunteers. Local businesses and individuals financially assist the Society with this endeavor and with their support we’re able to bring the many wonderful room displays you’ll see on your visit to the Castle.
To see the Castle decked out in traditional Victorian Christmas is a must see “thing to do” during the holiday season in Victoria. The details are exquisite!

Come on our short 3 minute tour of the Castle and wet your appetite for a real visit.  Be sure to spend time reading the self-guided signage so you can learn how they lived when the castle was lived in.  If you run into staff, be sure to ask all those questions you have!  You will be amazed.  Enjoy our tour!

Saturday, November 29, 2014

UGLY STORM BLASTS VICTORIA!



I know you are going to feel really bad for us because we rarely get snow. Of the snows we do get, this is the best kind, no shoveling required! This was taken at 8 am this morning.Hopefully by mid-afternoon it will all be melted. The predictions however are not good. Today we are celebrating our granddaughter Madison's birthday outdoors at Goldstream Park (burrrr). So, hardships aside on we go. Enjoy winter in Victoria, it won't be around long. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and move on...today is one of those days.  See you at Goldstream.  Those poor salmon, swimming upstream in this mess!


Thursday, November 27, 2014

Mai Mai's Bistro Downtown Victoria


Last night VGSN members experienced the latest addition to the Victoria restaurant and night life scene, "mai mai's downtown".  Located at 525 Fort Street in the iconic Temple Building, mai mai's offers up sushi and west coast fusion cuisine in a newly renovated space with a contemporary coastal/surf theme.  The room features a bright turquoise back-lit glass bar where bar manager Megan serves up special house cocktails, including our favorite, the Raspberry Herb.  Open just three weeks, mai mai's serves food and beverages until 2 am, Wednesday through Sunday.  Plans include an open concept sushi bar, and Sunday "Down by the Fire" industry nights featuring local acoustic musicians in the near future. 

Owner Chef Jo Jo prepared and served a feast for the eyes and taste buds.  You won't find a speck of cumin in his kitchen (overused in so many Victoria eateries), instead he uses fresh seasonings to highlight the local ingredients he so lovingly creates with.  We sampled several menu items, including his Signature Sushi Roll with local crab, Pepper Crusted Tuna Tataki (the tuna is fished in Sooke waters), Pork Belly Skewers, both Beef and Salmon Tacos folded in corn tortillas, Kimchi and Edamame pizzas, Three Little Pigs (ground pork sliders) and Fanny Bay Oysters, smoked in-house.  Dishes were accompanied by a mild mango papaya slaw and fresh lime wedges for squeezing.  For a finale, Jo Jo brought out samples of his delicious and unique house made desserts, a rarity in restaurants these days.  Food and beverage prices are extremely reasonable, especially given the downtown location on the corner of Fort and Langley Streets.  Whether you are looking for a unique menu for dinner, a late night snack or dessert with a night-cap, mai mai's can provide.  Reservations at 250 590-8848.  The original mai mai's is located at 6676 Sooke Road, in Sooke, call 778 425-3763.
For more photos please go to our facebook wall.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Bridgeman's Bistro Mill Bay



Thanks to a recommendation from good friends Edith and Darrel we set out to discover a great place to have lunch in Mill Bay. Mill Bay is just 25 minutes north of Victoria and the food at the Bistro as well as the ambiance and views were well worth the trip. It was a nice fall day and we could only imagine how beautiful it would be out on the deck in the summer. So if your looking for an exploratory venture from Victoria or Nanaimo or any point in between, we suggest that you give Bridgeman's Bistro a try. Enjoy, we sure did.
For more pictures, please go to our facebook page.

Friday, August 29, 2014

We've Got Whales


Victoria is one od the best places in the world to see whales.  Our waters have 3 resident pods (over 80), lots of transient killer whales, lots of Humpback whales and some Minke whales and some Grey Whales.  In addition we have lots of sea lion colonies most of the year and a whole lot more.

Thursday, August 28, 2014