...the excursion...

Every year at this time, I like to go into the city and have a look at the lights and shop windows...This time I took my 2 nieces and 2 nephews along with me for the ride....and what a ride it was!

First was a trip through the busy streets in a horse drawn wagon...

...and then a browse through my favorite bookstore, Munros...it used to be a bank in the early 1900's and now houses the most wonderful collection of books...the childrens book area is full of treasures and the kids would have spent all afternoon there if we could...they all  love to read and I encourage this anytime I can...

Next stop was the beautiful Rogers Chocolate House...

 

...this is another gem from the past and of course we HAD to get some chocolate!

They are still all handmade and sickly sweet!

No trip into town would be complete without a performace by DarthVader on the fiddle...

The kids thought he was pretty spectacular...

Since it was raining so hard, we decided to take a break in the Bay Centre with its glass elevator and many floors with escalators leading up and down....the kids loved these and we must have looked like a right bunch of country bumpkins getting our big thrills trying to jump on and off and laughing all the way!

I really wanted to take the kids to the grand old Empress Hotel...An old Canadian Pacific relic that is the showpiece of the inner harbor. Every year, a  bunch of buisness' each decorate a Christmas tree and they are displayed throughout the halls of the hotel...

It gives you a good chance to walk around on the creaky old floors and have a look at all the beautiful antiques...

 

...and maybe find an odd little friend!

The two trees out front, stand like giant, furry creatures, gaurding the old dame...

And of course you have to take a stroll through Chinatown anytime you go to Victoria..

So with eight tired legs and sleepy eyes we made the trip home...

...with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads....