Afternoon Tea at The Empress

When I was little, I always used to love to pretend that I was having a tea party. This time I got to have a real Afternoon Tea at a fancy hotel, at The Empress. The Empress is one of the oldest hotels in Canada. The hotel is located in Victoria, British Columbia, built between 1904 to 1908. The Fairmont Hotels have a chateauesque style. They look like castles with elaborate towers and steeply-pitched roofs.

Here’s a little history: Canada is the second largest country in the world by land mass. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean from the east to Pacific Ocean in the west. It used to be connected by trains from east to west, built by Canadian Pacific Railway. By 1885, Canadians could travel from coast to coast. The same company built Fairmont Hotels along the train route for the passengers coming off the train. Canada used to be a British colony, so the Royal Family always comes to Canada for a visit. In 1919, Edward, Prince of Wales attended a gala in the Crystal Ballroom. Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and King George VI hosted a dinner for two hundred fifty guests at The Empress’ ballroom in 1939 when they were touring Canada.

The Empress is one of the Fairmont hotels. I’ve been to some Fairmont Hotels all across the world. I’ve gone to the ones in Singapore, and the one in Monaco outside Canada. I’ve stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in Quebec City, La Malbaie, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Calgary. I’ve visited the hotel in Banff and had lunch at the Fairmont Lake Louise. While we sat there I could see the snow capped peaks of the breathtaking Canadian Rockies and the turquoise colored water of Lake Louise. I spent my Christmas vacation at Chateau Montebello, it’s the world’s largest log cabin. It was amazing!

The first time I had Afternoon Tea was at Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. I was only three, I don’t remember much about my experience, but I remembered that I did not want to drink tea or Shirley Temple. I just wanted to drink milk! The second time was at The Empress. Our waitress suggested I try the Flora’s Berry Garden, my mom had an oolong tea and dad had an orange pekoe tea. My tea tasted and smelled like berries and, came with a three tiered rack of sweet treats.

My rack was different from my parents’. Mine had cookies with chocolate and sprinkles, chocolate dipped marshmallows, cupcakes, mini sandwiches, chocolate dipped strawberries and scones. It was delicious! I ate it all, and I was full! The tea was great too, and my mom bought a tea cup as a souvenir, it had a special pattern chosen by the Queen and the King when they had dinner in 1939. We had a great time in the west coast visiting Victoria, Kelowna,Whistler, and Vancouver. I hope to do it again soon. That’s all for this post, stay tuned for more! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish my cup of tea.