Victorian Food

Victoria, BC is known for it's beautiful gardens, Old English charm, and it's relaxed way of life.  Who would've thought the thing that amazed us the most was the food!  One of the places we ate at was called Pagliacci's.  (http://www.pagliaccis.ca/)  It was a charming little Italian Restaurant with a long line out the front door.  Not only did we have an amazing dinner, but the band playing that evening played the theme song from Harry Potter, and The Andy Griffith Show!  Such a great reminder of home being this far away.

Robert at Pagliaccis

Another great place we at at was Red Fish, Blue Fish. (http://www.redfish-bluefish.com/) RFBF is a cute little food shack located off one the piers of Victoria's Inner Harbour.  RFBF is known for their fresh fish tacones, fish and chips, and it's long line of customers.  Hands down best grilled fish taco I've EVER had!  Totally worth the wait!!

Robert's Fish and Chips

My Grilled Salmon Tacone and Pacific Rim Chowder

Matt's Tempera Cod Tacones

Lovely view while eating too!

Victoria Day 1

The Schultz family is in town visiting and we decided to take a trip on the ferry and go explore Victoria this weekend!

We visited Victoria's Inner Harbor.

Ate lunch at Murchie's Tea and Coffee.

Toured the Parliament Building.

Saw the famous Empress Hotel.

Enjoyed all the BEAUTIFUL flowers that were everywhere.

Such a lovely city and a great start to our time in Victoria, BC!!! 

Di Visits Vancouver Part 2

Before taking Diane back to the airport, we drove down the scenic Chuckanut Drive and made quick stop in Seattle.  We visited the Public Market (although it was closed) and got Macchiatos and Mochas at the First Starbucks!

Home Sweet Home!

Chuckanut Drive

View from Chuckanut Drive

Chuckanut Drive

First Starbucks

Macchiatos and Mochas even taste better here!

Pike Place Market at sunset

Hoping the pig turns into a prince!

Di Visits Vancouver Part 1

On Sunday, we took Diane down to Granville Island the 2nd most visited tourist attraction in Canada.  Here are some pictures from our outing!

Iced Chai Tea Lattes

Rosemary Sea Salt Bagels

Fancy chocolates

Doughnut Soap

More soap

Cement Factory on Granville Island

Houseboats

The Erikson Building

Sushi at Jun's

Spanish Banks Beach

Lynn Canyon and Suspension Bridge

What a whirlwind of a weekend!  My friend Diane (since elementary school) came for a visit over the weekend.  Over 2 days we packed in as much of the Pacific Northwest as we could!  We went on a hike, ate sushi, visited Granville Island and enjoyed catching up on life and reminiscing the past.  Here are some pictures of our hike in Lynn Canyon with some friends.

The group (minus Miao our camera woman!)

30 Foot Pool

Liz and Miao...great way to carry a picnic basket!

Picnic by the lake

Ladybug Matt

Rice Lake

Suspension Bridge

Celebration of Lights

The Celebration of Light is a firework competition that is held every year in Vancouver. The fireworks are launched off a barge in English Bay, so you can see them from many places in the city. The contest takes place over three different nights. This year, the countries competing in the competition were Vietnam, Brazil and Italy!  We first saw Vietnam with some friends while celebrating our friend Jeremy's Birthday!  Vietnam really wasn't all that great,  but at least we had fun with our friends.  A few days later, I (Liz) went down to Kits Beach with our Carolina friends Molly and Alex. Matt was studying Greek that evening, so he missed out. (but did well on his exam!!)  Brazil was definitely my favorite out of the three!  Here is a video clip of the evening.  It's long, but worth watching!

The contest ended with Italy.  We watched the fireworks from the deck of the Darou's house. (A couple we know from church)  Such a great night of appetizers, wine and friends! Here's a picture from the evening. 

In case you're curious...ITALY was the winner! (You can watch Italy below) Next time Brazil...you had my vote!

The Richmond Night Market

Asian-style summer night markets are a summer tradition in Vancouver.  They are known for their food and booths selling cheap products. We thought we'd check one out!

Dim Sum

Kung-FUsion Burger with potatoes and gravy

Mango Peach Smoothie

Squid!!!!

Wishing Trees