Nothing opens your eyes to the subtle charms and uncharted sights of your city like the realization that everything you take for granted will be no longer accessible to you in a very short time. Once I leave, I don’t know when I’ll ever come back here.
So how do I make the best of my time?
If all goes according to plan, this time next year I will be standing in a flat in Toronto with my meager possessions, not having a panic attack as I prepare to undertake a Master’s degree at University there.
If part goes according to plan, this time next year I will perhaps be in Montreal or Vancouver.
Regardless, unless there is a catastrophic intervention of the Fates against my aims, this time next year I will no longer call the city in which I have dwelt for the past fifteen years my home. So it’s time to say a thorough goodbye.
That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed Victoria, haven’t appreciated it – on the contrary, I’m simply, suddenly, acutely aware that I have not explored nor exploited this city’s avenues and charms to their fullest.
Oh, I’ve been to the Wax Museum, the Undersea Gardens, Butchart Gardens, and many of those things tourists enjoy here. I’ve sampled much of the local cuisine, and patronized many local stores that only Victorians know or care about. Markets, events, public squares, I’ve dabbled in.
But I know there are gems not yet on my radar, turf unconquered. I’m opening my Farewell Victoria List to suggestions, and I’ll be updating and crossing off my “tasks” as the year progresses. Don’t hesitate to propose something to me, either in comment here, or through one of the ways you can contact me. Places to go, things to do, I want it all. Help me build my list.
The “Farewell, Victoria!” List
- Eat at the Brasserie L’Ecole
- Eat at Konpira
- Spend an afternoon shopping and snacking along Cook St. (Noted shops to investigate: “Pretty,” “The Little Piggy,” that tea store I forget the name of…)
- Go kayaking in the inner harbour
