Tea at the Empress and Visiting Sydney

This is the view we awoke to on Tuesday morning, the sun coming up from behind the hotel and shining over the harbor.  We took the elevator down one floor to the continental breakfast lounge and got some coffee and sampled some sausage and a scone and they had a big pot of hot oatmeal that Dayle loved.  

Our Tea was at 1:30 pm, so I put on my pearls and Dayle wore some slacks.. I vetoed his idea of wearing shorts.  After we were seated our server told us how the tea worked and handed us this interesting tea menu to choose what we'd like.  Click HERE for details of the tea menu.

The china was pretty with a crown on them.

The room was lovely, Dayle's first tea.  :-)

They brought in the tower and oh it was so pretty!

Our server offered to take our photo, how nice of her.

The bottom of the tower had fresh baked scones, butter and jam.

Tea sandwiches included egg salad, a little classic bacon quiche, cucumber on rye and lox and cream cheese.

And then the desserts, a cinnamon shortbread, white chocolate mousse in a white chocolate cup with a bordeaux cherry on top sprinkled with coconut, a pear bread with cream cheese and a candied ginger the chocolate spear, chocolate cake and a little tart.  We had to take some back to the room as we could not finish it all.  :-)

I could not think of a more memorable way to celebrate my 69th birthday!  :-)

All during the tea we enjoyed the piano played by this nice gentleman.

We began to hear cannon fire so I went out onto the veranda to see it - now, how did they know it was my birthday?  :-)  We found out it was in celebration of a new governor or something.  Again I was locked out but some nice ladies let me back in.

We went back to our room and Dayle got to put his shorts back on.. lol.. and we had our car brought around so we could go adventuring.  We drove out along the waterfront and pulled into a viewpoint to look at some maps to try to figure out how to get to Sydney BC.  A nice looking couple were walking by so I called out and asked them if they could tell us how to get to Hwy 17.. we had such a nice chat and they asked if we planned to go to Butchart Gardens and we said we would like to.. and the nice woman said she had a free ticket to get into the garden that she'd be happy to give us.  I jotted down our name and room number at the Empress and that evening a card with the ticket was pushed under our door!!  Thank you, Sandi!  Wasn't that the nicest thing for her to do?  So, following their directions we wend out way to Sydney, half hour north and found the little restaurant that Travis and Kristi had chanced upon on their visit here last year.  He raved about the fish and chips they served.

It was a small place with the most incredible view of the Salish Sea.

I must say the ambience, the view and the fish and chips were worth the trip!  :-)

It seems so different to use this money.  :-)

Isn't this a cute place?

Back in our room relaxing.. I had opened the window when we got "home" for some fresh air and look who came to visit?

It was so fun to hear a military band through the open window.  We also heard a bagpiper playing each day.  Also the sound of the ferry horn blowing as it came into port, and the sound of the seaplanes propellers revving up to take off.

I tried to get a GOOD photo of the Parliament building all lit up but no matter how many tries they were all a bit fuzzy.  But you get the idea!  :-)

The view of the sunset was lovely each night.

The end of our first full day in this beautiful city on such an amazing island.

My next post will be about our trip to Butchart Gardens!  We arrived home at 10 pm last night after a long day of packing up to return home, getting our car loaded up, waiting for the ferry, the crossing and the long LONG drive home.  It's nice to be home and our own bed and the lilacs are in full bloom so I have to cut a bouquet.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)