BC's Capital
Yesterday was a very nice, long day spent in our provinces Capital city. We were up at the crack of dawn for the 8 o'clock sailing and back on the 9pm one. It was a long day full of shopping, sightseeing, moving Derek into his new house, and cute little coffee shops.
Besides the Parliament buildings and the beautiful harbour I'd have to say my favourite thing about Victoria is it's cute little coffee shops, with abstract paintings hanging on the walls, the smell of fresh brewed coffee and such a welcoming atmosphere the minute you step in.
Here are some pictures from the west coast Capital:
This is the cute coffee shop that we had lunch in.
While we were downtown there was a Public Market taking place in China Town.
There was all the typical market-like stuff: jam, hats, scarves, local produce, blankets, puppets, jewelery and art work, but what I was excited to see was a tent called "Freeset"
Freeset is a fair trade business that "offers freedom through employment to women trapped in India's sex trade." This unique bag-making company's slogan is "In Business for Freedom" which I thought was a really powerful message. This company is not a business to make a ton of money or to sell the best products, but their main focus is to give women in India a job that doesn't include selling their bodies. Freeset hires women not for their sewing skills, but on the basis of their need for freedom. Included in this job are things unheard of in India such as health benefits, pension funds, literacy classes and day care for their children. And most importantly these women are given the opportunity to have a job they can be proud of, and have the right to freedom. Not only are these women being free of prostitution, but they are now making a very fair wage rather than 50 cents a day which is hardly enough for one simple meal.
This tent was probably the busiest in the whole market; not only were people in love with the bags, but everyone was gathered around to read about the business too. It brought a smile to my face to see all those people who truly do care.
Besides the Parliament buildings and the beautiful harbour I'd have to say my favourite thing about Victoria is it's cute little coffee shops, with abstract paintings hanging on the walls, the smell of fresh brewed coffee and such a welcoming atmosphere the minute you step in.
Here are some pictures from the west coast Capital:
This is the cute coffee shop that we had lunch in.While we were downtown there was a Public Market taking place in China Town.
There was all the typical market-like stuff: jam, hats, scarves, local produce, blankets, puppets, jewelery and art work, but what I was excited to see was a tent called "Freeset"
Freeset is a fair trade business that "offers freedom through employment to women trapped in India's sex trade." This unique bag-making company's slogan is "In Business for Freedom" which I thought was a really powerful message. This company is not a business to make a ton of money or to sell the best products, but their main focus is to give women in India a job that doesn't include selling their bodies. Freeset hires women not for their sewing skills, but on the basis of their need for freedom. Included in this job are things unheard of in India such as health benefits, pension funds, literacy classes and day care for their children. And most importantly these women are given the opportunity to have a job they can be proud of, and have the right to freedom. Not only are these women being free of prostitution, but they are now making a very fair wage rather than 50 cents a day which is hardly enough for one simple meal.
This tent was probably the busiest in the whole market; not only were people in love with the bags, but everyone was gathered around to read about the business too. It brought a smile to my face to see all those people who truly do care.
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