Not just a tiny bit of grandeur and elegance, The Empress Hotel and Miniature World – Victoria, British Columbia

Empress Hotel; image from flickr by brianholsclaw

What we did: 

She said: 

After our visit to the Craigdarroch Castle, we went into town and walked through the Empress Hotel. It is one of about 20 Fairmont Hotels, all of which recieve Gold Awards from Conde Nast’s Readers Choices. The Empress captures all the grandeur and elegance of a by gone era amid every modern travel convenience one might request.  Just our the door to the west is The Miniature World Museum.  I’m a miniature fanatic and thought I had entered nirvana! 

Miniature Fair at Miniature World; image from flickr by EverySpoon

These exhibits were among at least 80 at Miniature World.  Aren’t they incredible? 

More Miniatures from the Museum; image from flickr by Sir Mildred Pierce

All the scenes represent actual locations and aren’t just make believe. There is a write up that one can read about each display. 

Even More Miniatures; image from flickr by Sir Mildred Pierce

They look so real! I can’t imagine the patience and discipline the people have that create these. 

Miniature Circus coming to Town; image from flickr by EverySpoon

We then walked into town for a late lunch by the water.  There was so much going on by the water - a street fair, artists, entertainment – it is a very vibrant area. 

He said: 

I don’t remember where we had lunch, but I could hardly wait for the margarita to arrive! The hotel is very impressive, but I resisted the High Tea temptation. Besides, we needed a reservation. The miniatures were intriguing, so much so, that Marla got shutter finger taking shots of every display from every angle! She was taking them so fast the camera jammed and we lost not only the shots she was taking, but all the ones from the first half of our trip!! The good news here is that once the camera jammed, we breezed through the rest of the museum in about 30 seconds! These are not really guy type spots, but hey, it is our honeymoon and I did get to play golf at Bandon Dunes for two days, so give me a break!

Category: Canada, Outside the United States, Victoria, British Columbia, what we didTags: British Columbia, Empress Hotel, Miniature World, Victoria, British Columbia |