As
promised, I will write a blog post about my romantic weekend with James.
I
will simultaneously watch "Alien" because my brother bought it on
Bluray. You wish your Monday night is as exciting as mine.
So,
a few weekends ago--James and I traveled a whopping hour to the city of
Victoria. Growing up in the area, I have always realized that Victoria is
beautiful however I'm not sure I appreciate it 100% of the time. It is nice to
have a vacation in your own city as it essentially reminds you how lucky you
are. Or I am. Because we don't all live in Victoria.
Excuse
me while I pause, the man in the movie just had an alien extract itself from
his stomach.
James
is an author. I've mentioned this before, but it is worth bringing up again.
James being an author means that we like to find inspirational spots where he
can write. This means that a regular hotel room really doesn't float our boats.
I
love anything with a Victorian/Edwardian feel. Basically anything before the
1950's I enjoy. When James and I found the Beaconsfield Inn on
the Expedia, we fell in love. Built in 1905, on the website it says "Named after
a luxurious London Hotel frequented by King Edward VII in pre-World War I
England, the Beaconsfield Inn turns the clock back to a gentler
time". The inn was built as a gift from a daddy to his daughter. This
of course, played at my heart strings as I am a daddy's girl.
We arrived in Victoria and decided to go shopping downtown as to
try to get ahead of the Christmas chaos. James and I strolled near the harbour,
I drooled over books at the Russell Books (they have a whole new antique
section) and we accomplished quite a bit in the Bay Centre Mall.
At 3pm we checked into the hotel. Instead of napping (which is
usually my go to) we went into the library to have tea and freshly baked
cookies. James wrote while I read. It was a bibliophile's haven. We did this
until it was time to go see "Enders Game". James and I have both read
the book and in order to fully explain how I felt about that movie I need to
write another blog post.
Sigourney Weaver just made sure she saved the cat. Good woman.
After "Enders Game" we went to Il
Terrazzo by the inner harbour. Note to self, do not eat popcorn
before going to a five star restaurant. I had the most delicious food, which
is good because James spent more than I have ever spent on sustenance in one
seating. SCALLOPINI di MAIALE Panko breaded
scaloppini of pork tenderloin with pulled pork, smoked cheddar and tomato
chipotle sauce, served with three cheese fusilli.
Doesn't
that sound amazing? Because it was. I even drank wine. Like a friggin lady, I
had wine with dinner.
We
went "home" (because Beaconfield feels like home) and basically went
for a swim in the jacuzzi tub. Okay, it wasn't that big but I pretended to
swim. After that we watched an episode of Doctor Who in bed.
The
next morning we had a three course breakfast. It began with a warm, fresh
croissant. I had coffee and orange juice as that is how I roll. Then we had
cinnamon apple puree with lemon whipped cream. The final part of the breakfast
was french toast but it was so much more than french toast. It had cranberries
in the middle and strawberries on top. I'm not quite sure, but perhaps it was
a brûlée? I was too enrapt by the look of it to listen very well.
We
spent the rest of our morning at the inn, in the library. Where else? James wrote and I
read and took pictures. We met the owners little dog, Mindy. It was a
comfortable, romantic trip and I would recommend the inn and the restaurant.
Five stars, people. Any place full of books with delicious tea and food is good
by me. Plus I got to spend time with James, whom I love.
Please note the following pictures are from my cell phone and are therefore crappy by nature. Check out the website for far better quality.
