Monday, February 23, 2015

Victorian Idyll

Last weekend, David and I spent 5 delightful days in Victoria, our favorite Canadian city.   

It was a perfect romantic and refreshing Valentine's getaway.

Victoria is on the lush west coast, the only part of Canada that stays green all winter!  Enough said.  It was even warmer than usual when we visited, with hardly any winter rain.  Perfection!

First stop, Rook & Rose, my favorite flower shop downtown.  These girls are just great stylists, besides knowing their way around flowers:










After the flower shop, you must grab a coffee at Hey Happy (my favorite new coffee joint).  I will admit, I am a discriminating coffee enthusiast (ahem, not snob).  THIS is the place for a great cup:

After your coffee, drop by Munro's (our favorite bookstore) for a marathon visit.  It will take you at least an hour to look around here (maybe two).  They have lovely greeting cards and a great collection of foreign magazines.  I always pick up the very English House & Garden here:




Next stop, Oak Bay Village for lunch and shopping!

Our first stop is always at Faith Grant Antiques (they aren't on Instagram, sorry kids), where we love to visit with our friend Forrest, who owns the business with his sister Heather.  These two are the real McCoy and seriously know their antiques (their grandmother started the business).  They love to know the provenance of all their pieces so stop by for a look and a great conversation (you need at least an hour).

I just grabbed only one photo this time, of these great Chippendale chairs (a set of four for $1200).  The back is classic Chippendale, but the leg is very plain, so these pieces would adapt beautifully to a modern room.  If I had a better house, I would have bought these:

Next stop...A French Touch, on Oak Bay Ave.  The proprietor Debra Boeyenga, is a wonderful stylist and a lovely person.  You can tell, as her shop is inviting and warm, like her:




 

moi

We also like to visit Cook Street Village.  Maybe grab a slice of pizza at Prima Strada, and then peruse the charming vintage and antique finds at Surroundings, where I always covet something like this fabulous little inlaid wood chair:



And last but not least, we come back home to our little apartment!  

Lately we've been renting little apartments downtown, this time in an old house.  We want to get a feel for living here, as we plan to retire here eventually.

Here was the view from our living room, overlooking a charming private garden:

I bought some tulips and pussy willows for our living room, and displayed some finds including this this blue candy tin (identical to one my grandmother kept her buttons in), a white vase and a little candle holder:


And lest you think Victoria is all about shopping, we also spend lots of time with family and visiting our beloved friend, the ocean.

Here's a view for my American friends, of Mount Baker in Washington state, visible across the ocean on a clear day in Victoria:


A panorama of David, sitting in our favorite spot, watching the world (fish, birds) go by:

Have a great week ahead!

14 comments:

  1. Was this before you were on Instagram? It looks beautiful, especially the part about no snow. The spot by the ocean alone did it for me!

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  2. so much great stuff - the flowers are beautiful - you're looking good in that mirror shot! Those chairs are SO beautiful if a bit pricey ( but deservedly I suppose). Don't wait for a better house to buy things you love though!!! I know you don't live by that as you have many lovely things -but you only live once so make it the life you want :-) At the end of the day they're just all 'things' though.

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  3. What a fun trip! I've never been to that part of Canada, but hope to visit. You'll have to share more favorite shops with me :) And welcome to Instagram, Terri. So thrilled to see you on IG. xoxo

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  4. Looks like the perfect spot in so many ways for the newlyweds!
    By the way you are just glowing and I can see how very happy you are!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  5. Lovely! Looks like you had a fabulous time and good weather. My friend in Seattle said their weather has been unusually mild this winter. She has been to Victoria too and speaks highly of it. I'd love to visit there one day ... maybe I'll stay with you when you're retired!! So glad you and David enjoyed your trip. The ocean is so soothing.
    Claudia

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  6. Teri your photos are amazing. What an adventure! Love it. And you look so pretty. Hope your feeling well.
    Lisa

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  7. Teri did you stay at Fairholme? That's our fave place - so charming. We're planning on retirement in Victoria too! Maybe I'll finally meet you there instead of in Calgary. Take care.

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  8. What beautifully inspiring foto's, and so Nice to make your Holiday trip a Romantic one'
    Love the beauty here that i spires all things romantic.

    Xx
    Dore

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  9. Your photos are really beautiful. I've never traveled to Canada, but it's always been a dream of mine to visit. Thank you for the lovely tour.

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  10. Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your weblog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing on your feed and I am hoping you write again very soon!

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  11. Anonymous10:20 am

    Oh, my goodness, I own a dresser that is the exact match to that inlaid wood dresser, just beneath your shot of the chair. It was the first antique I ever bought (at the tender age of 20!) (mine has an east-west cheval mirror attached to the top back). What a fun thing to see - thank you for sharing all the beautiful things you find. Yours is one of the few blogs I always come back to, you have such an eye and a talent for capturing what captures you! ~Elizabeth

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  12. This is just a fantastic post. Your trip looks awesome. I am delighted to see these pictures. Great share! At one of best event venues in Chicago we are going to attend a destination engagement and will be staying there for a couple of days to explore Chicago.

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  13. I remember I had a similar experience, so I know your mood well, good luck, By the way,I like custom leopard print swimsuit

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