The two things that pair best with books, in my opinion, are tea and chocolate. Dark chocolate, in particular. And black tea sweetened with honey. Whether I’m reading or writing, tea and chocolate (individually or together) always seem to heighten my bookish experience.
Earlier this summer, I had the chance to visit Victoria, British Columbia for a couple days on the way to drop off my daughter in Bellingham, WA for her summer internship with Faithlife, a Christian software company. Bethany and I had some wonderful memory-making time, saw some fabulous sites, and on our last day, we got to indulge in . . . you guessed it . . . tea and chocolate.
Our day started with a tour of Craigdarroch Castle (you can see pictures on another blog post here) where one of our guides gave us the best tip of the day. He recommended we make the short walk to Government House where there happened to be a tea shop in the repurposed stables. Utterly charmed, Bethany and I did just that. Taking high tea at the famous Empress Hotel downtown would cost $82. This quaint little shop gave us tea and a scone for $7. And it was fabulous!
The tea was lovely and warm, the perfect thing for a cold, rainy morning. The scones were delicious and filling enough that we skipped lunch. Bethany had the peppermint tea, and I opted for a dark black tea blend named for the Government House. It was delightful! I loved the delicate teacups and saucers. It seemed appropriate for me to have the one decorated with (Texas) yellow roses.
After our castle tour and late morning tea, we headed to the inner harbor of downtown Victoria. Thanks to the recommendation of a Facebook friend, we had two must-see places mapped out: Murchie’s Tea and Roger’s Chocolates, both of which have been staples in Victoria since the late 1800’s.
Murchie’s Tea was established in 1894, which of course means that most of my characters could have stopped there had they made the trip from Texas to Canada. I splurged on three sample teas, all with historical origins – The Queen Victoria, Murchie’s Afternoon Tea, and The 1894 Tea, the blend that has been around since – you guessed it – 1894. I’ve just about finished off all my sample teas, but I enjoyed them so much, I placed an online order for some more. Keeping the memories of Victoria alive!
I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of Bethany with this wonderful antique stove and tea set inside Murchie’s shop. She thought her mom crazy and embarrassing, but she dutifully smiled anyway.
Next door to Murchie’s Tea was a fabulous bookstore, so of course, Bethany and I had to spend 20-30 minutes there as well. Sadly, they did not have a Christian fiction section, or really much of a romance section, but they had a wonderful collection of my daughter’s favorite sci-fi and fantasy.
Down the street a ways, we found Roger’s Chocolates, a shop in operation since 1885. Another historic beauty filled with wooden display cases and ornately wrapped chocolate. We were greeted with the offer to try an Empress Square (kind of like a fancy Snickers), and it was delicious! I left there with a small package of the Empress Squares along with a bag of dark chocolate peanut butter creams. It was the most decadent peanut butter cup I’d ever tasted. I wish they made them in smaller sizes. It was almost too much, but I managed to eat the whole thing. Bethany bought some chocolate covered cashews and a chocolate honeycomb bar.
Here’s the stash I collected. I have to admit that I did very little sharing. I think I let my husband have one Empress Square.
Books, tea, and chocolate. My perfect trifecta.
What are your favorite treats to indulge in while reading?
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My go to for reading is a cup of hot coffee with French vanilla creamer, a quilt on my lap, and my dog in my chair with me. 🙂 But a milk chocolate Symphony bar with almonds would be the perfect addition!
What a cozy picture you paint, Chrystal! I’m ready to join you. 🙂
Tea and chocolate are absolutely the best friends for reading. For me, it’s got to be dark chocolate (like 70% cocoa) and a robust well flavoured tea. It takes an awesome activity (reading!) into the sublime.
We are definitely on the same page, Rachel. 🙂
Reading is generally a treat in and of itself for me. I do recall that one of my favorite New Year’s Eves was spent at home, alone, with a good book and a carton of ice cream!
Ooo – Ice cream. Another favorite of mine. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year, Ellie.
Hi Karen,
I didn’t realize you’d visited Victoria! I’m jealous! That’s the setting for my newest Bride Ship series and I’ve been wanting to go! Sounds like it was a wonderful trip!
Jody – I hadn’t even heard of Victoria until I happened to mention at work one day that I would be taking Bethany to Bellingham, WA. One of my co-workers told me about Butchart Gardens and, knowing my love for historical settings, he recommended we spend a couple days there exploring the city. I’m SOOOO glad he made that recommendation. We only had two days to explore, but it was fabulous! If you ever get the chance to visit, do it.
All of the things you ladies mentioned are lovely in Victoria but the other side of the island has forests and kayaking that should be experienced as well.
Thanks for sharing the photos and your stories from this amazing place.
Thanks for the tip, Jen. I hope I get to return on day, and being a lover of forests and streams, exploring the other side of the island sounds like a lovely plan.
Can I come and share with you? 🙂 It seems our tastes are very similar! I’m going to Victoria in about a month and am excited to visit some of these same places!! Thanks for the tips!!
Absolutely, Kathy! I hope you love Victoria as much as we did. We also really enjoyed Hatley Castle and Butchart Gardens. I would definitely love to go back.
I started reading your post and it was like I was writing it myself! Dark chocolate, check. Black tea with honey, check. With books. Check. And then even Victoria (headed there next week with my cousin) and Bellingham (attended Western WA University). LOL. I love your focus on tea and chocolate. And books of course. We are planning a high tea, but at our own hotel, for a much cheaper price. 🙂 There is also a place in Seattle, Queen Mary’s Tea Room (I think that’s the name). About $50 a person, but quite fun. A bunch of friends and I went once and the power went out…I’m quite envious of the cool, rainy weather it looks like you had. OH, and our tour (with my cousin) was also going to the castle. But since only 2 of us signed up for that day, it was cancelled. Rats.
How fun, Angie! We are sisters of the heart to be sure! I hope you have a wonderful time in Victoria next week. I imagine it would still feel cool to me up there since it’s over 100 here in Texas. 🙂
I’ve been to Monroe’s Books, and still have the fantasy novel I bought there (back in 2004?) when we were out visiting my cousins! I loved Victoria. And dark chocolate and black tea and books, of course.
I love that you still have the book and that it brings back memories of Victoria for you. 🙂
I’m a regular customer at the local chocolate/candy store in my town. They also have chocolate dipped pretzels, individual s’mores, graham crackers, etc.
I enjoy snacking on chocolate while I’m at work.
Back in May, I revisited the UK. Enjoying afternoon high tea with champagne in London and Edinburgh was one of the highlights of my trip.
OOooo – All of those sounds scrumptious, Elisa! And how wonderful to experience high tea in London. Lovely!
Books, chocolate, and tea.
What else is there?
We have your books in our church library.
🙂 It’s the little things that make life so enjoyable. And I love that your church library has my books, Janet! That’s wonderful.
How fabulous. Tea and dark chocolate DO pair so well with books! I LOVE that old stove. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Wasn’t that old stove great? Not only did it make the perfect display piece, but it harkened back to the shop’s origins. I loved it!