If you are looking for different flavours for your next meal out, I can suggest Delara on 4th Avenue in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano. The restaurant specializes in Iranian/Persian food. I am unfamiliar with it so some willingness to take a chance was required. The appetizer of Grilled Sourdough Flatbread and Seasonal Dips is a good way to orient the tastebuds. They chef varies this all the time so make sure to ask what’s what. I tried the Grilled Beef Short Rib Gheymeh, which was very good and filling. My wife had the Mushrooms, Saffron and Pistachios and enjoyed […]

Read more

It was Canada Day and I did my patriotic duty by sleeping in and then invited my wife to brunch.  Juliet’s Café in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano (Kits for short) is at Cornwall and Cypress.  It’s a large place with a dine-in service.  You head to the counter, order, pay and then take a seat.  It’s hugely informal and always seems like the place is just not quite finished in terms of decoration. I like their lamb club sandwich and my wife is fond of the warm goat cheese salad.  I am slightly addicted to the blueberry muffins.  They […]

Read more

By the time you read this, you will most likely be out of luck for seeing the 3rd Floor of the BC Museum the way it’s depicted below.  I thought I’d heard of this news during 2021, but a relative of mine pointed out that we had scant days to see the First Peoples displays and the very popular Old Town replica with presentations on the logging and fishery industries as well as Captain George Vancouver’s ship Discovery. The article below gives the broad strokes of the plan. Royal BC Museum Closing Third Floor However, the plan is not without […]

Read more

I don’t know if it’s the name of the shop, but after I spent time in this true antiquarian bookshop in Sidney BC, I had the sensation I was in a used bookshop in the 1980s.  Perhaps this was because the first thing I chanced on was a collection of novels by Anthony Burgess.  I also quickly came across books that fall into the category Books I Should Have Read in University but Didn’t.  They also have antique maps, engravings, antique postcards, and more. For me, this kind of bookstore transcends time in more ways than one. When I stepped […]

Read more

On Fort Street in Victoria, there’s a two-level large independent bookstore called Russell Books.  If you’re a book nut, this is a required stop in Victoria. Our annual preference is to visit when Russell Books’ calendar collection is on sale.  They have a ton of stuff and the 50% off the calendars is a great way to decorate your walls.  The variety is quite stunning.  The other aspect of the store is that they shelve their used, slightly used, and new with equality.  They also keep them all in their database.  My daughter tested this theory by looking up three […]

Read more

Travelling during a pandemic is tough, so when you have a good surprise, it’s wonderful. We were in Sidney, BC between Christmas and New Year’s when a new COVID-19 variant was wreaking havoc Canada-wide. We had done what we could to limit contacts (obviously without full cancellation of the trip). To make things better, a bitter cold snap with snowfall had occurred. The onsite restaurant at our hotel was under renovation. Beckoning across the snowy street was a sign with “all day breakfast” and I was in. It was also close. The restaurant has classic diner décor, but with the […]

Read more

A couple of days before Christmas, my wife and I had the sheer pleasure of free time, together, at the same time.  A series of accidents led us to a date at the Secret Garden Tea Company. This is in the formerly very Anglo neighbourhood of Kerrisdale, which has what the English would call a high street (41st Ave) with shops, bakeries and restaurants.  A block north and right off West Boulevard, the other main street of the neighbourhood. They off a fixed price High Tea, but we opted for the lunch menu.  But tea was the first choice.  We, […]

Read more

The Butchart Gardens is likely one of the most famous Victoria, BC attractions, even though it’s down the highway in Brentwood Bay. The lesson from this trip is not to hesitate to go on an overcast day.  With cooler temperatures and a neutral grey colour all around, photos were easier due to the lack of harsh shadows.  This wasn’t my first time to the Gardens, but the first time during the pandemic.  The staff were super well organized and made sure our group of four were sorted out and on the right paths. We were provided with handouts that helped […]

Read more

The Errington Farmers’ Market is held every Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM.  It is about a 10-minute drive from downtown Parksville.  Errington is a spot in the woods away from the main Island Highway.  The market itself was a quiet affair due to the pandemic.  If you are wanting really fresh produce, and you are at the beginning of your self-catering trip, this would be a good place to start. The fair is held in a playing field, next to a walking trail.  I imagine parking is interesting at busier times, so keep your wits about you. There […]

Read more

It you are planning on dining out in Parksville-Qualicum during a pandemic with its accompanying labour shortage, plan early.  We had a couple of failed attempts at Lefty’s in both Parksville and Qualicum Beach.  In Qualicum Beach we found Giovanni’s Ristorante and Lounge and lucked out with a table for our party of six.  They were working hard in hot temperatures and the demand of being one of the few sit-down restaurants open that hot Thursday nights.  At lot of these places close at 7 PM.  For example, in Coombs, we dined at Cuckoo’s and managed to arrive for 4:30 […]

Read more