Last day in Victoria we decided we would do the museum and then some shopping. TH had given me a mission to find him a Beefeater, so off we went to get him one. We were right by the Parliament building so I thought it would be pretty easy to find one, but ... well not so.
The first person we asked was at the hotel desk. She gave that blank eyed stare and said "eh?" Okay, she was young, we gave her permission to not know where the Beefeater might lie. (However, when we were trying to get transportation to the Butchart Gardens which we had tickets to through a Package with the hotel she sent us to another hotel for transportation and we found out they only sold package tickets, kind of defeated the purpose of the package deal with them don't you think?)
So off to the museum store. Asked if they had Beefeaters - again with the blank stare, then pawned off to another sales person who told us that they didn't carry that kind of tourist junk. Try the stores on Government street.
So we went to the first big tourist junk store and asked for Beefeaters, and the guy looked at us and said we don't sell alcohol here. When we explained to him what it was he said oh - did you try the museum store.
So on we went to the next store - again I asked for Beefeater, and again I got that stupid you mean the gin? Okay, maybe I am a little slow. The next one I asked for Beefeater toy soldiers. Oh wow man what are those.
Finally I looked it up on my handy dandy iphone and came up with two places, a toy store and a hobby store. The toy store we had to wait around for 15 minutes while he chatted up a customer who wasn't going to buy anything, but I guess she was more interesting then two middle age ladies. When he finally deemed to give us his attention he sent us to a pawn shop. He didn't know what it was, but he said that the pawn shop guy collected toy soldiers so he was sure they would have it.
The we went to the hobby store. We walked in and this girl of maybe 16 or 17 asked if she could help us. I wasn't sure if I wanted to waste my time asking her, and I thought I would just wait for the guy to finish talking, but I went ahead and asked do you have Beefeater toy soldiers? Knock me down with a feather, she said do you mean for collectors, and I said yes, and she said yes and walked us right to them. She knew what they were. This 16 year old girl knew what they were!!
Anyway we bought it, then we waited 20 minutes as she tried to bubble wrap the soldier, she couldn't quite figure out how to cut the bubble wrap so she put it on the glass counter top and started slicing away with a box cutter. Everyone in the store stopped what they were doing to watch this. If I had the guts I would have video taped it. Really it took her twenty minutes - ask T2. But no one stopped her. Both T2 and I were cringing as we heard the knife go screeching down the glass. Well worth the price.
We did get to the pawn shop and he did have over a 100 Beefeaters, he even told us all about them. Who would have thought to go to a pawn shop for a Beefeater?
The first person we asked was at the hotel desk. She gave that blank eyed stare and said "eh?" Okay, she was young, we gave her permission to not know where the Beefeater might lie. (However, when we were trying to get transportation to the Butchart Gardens which we had tickets to through a Package with the hotel she sent us to another hotel for transportation and we found out they only sold package tickets, kind of defeated the purpose of the package deal with them don't you think?)
So off to the museum store. Asked if they had Beefeaters - again with the blank stare, then pawned off to another sales person who told us that they didn't carry that kind of tourist junk. Try the stores on Government street.
So we went to the first big tourist junk store and asked for Beefeaters, and the guy looked at us and said we don't sell alcohol here. When we explained to him what it was he said oh - did you try the museum store.
So on we went to the next store - again I asked for Beefeater, and again I got that stupid you mean the gin? Okay, maybe I am a little slow. The next one I asked for Beefeater toy soldiers. Oh wow man what are those.
Finally I looked it up on my handy dandy iphone and came up with two places, a toy store and a hobby store. The toy store we had to wait around for 15 minutes while he chatted up a customer who wasn't going to buy anything, but I guess she was more interesting then two middle age ladies. When he finally deemed to give us his attention he sent us to a pawn shop. He didn't know what it was, but he said that the pawn shop guy collected toy soldiers so he was sure they would have it.
The we went to the hobby store. We walked in and this girl of maybe 16 or 17 asked if she could help us. I wasn't sure if I wanted to waste my time asking her, and I thought I would just wait for the guy to finish talking, but I went ahead and asked do you have Beefeater toy soldiers? Knock me down with a feather, she said do you mean for collectors, and I said yes, and she said yes and walked us right to them. She knew what they were. This 16 year old girl knew what they were!!
Anyway we bought it, then we waited 20 minutes as she tried to bubble wrap the soldier, she couldn't quite figure out how to cut the bubble wrap so she put it on the glass counter top and started slicing away with a box cutter. Everyone in the store stopped what they were doing to watch this. If I had the guts I would have video taped it. Really it took her twenty minutes - ask T2. But no one stopped her. Both T2 and I were cringing as we heard the knife go screeching down the glass. Well worth the price.
We did get to the pawn shop and he did have over a 100 Beefeaters, he even told us all about them. Who would have thought to go to a pawn shop for a Beefeater?
The pawn store beefeater was a BLACK one - the kind that take care of the ravens. It was 1/3rd the price of the hobby store & looked SUPER!!!!!! TSH scores again.
ReplyDeleteThe hobby store beefeater came through great & it was a RED beefeater with a "guard shack".
TSH now has two Beefeater toy soldiers to help guard the paperweights. The downstairs is guarded by Indian soldiers & lancers & elephants. The mid level by British Guards. The upper level by Romans/Vikings/Moors and now Beefeaters. I LOVE toy soldiers - particularly those that come with a story.
As an aside, our hallways are guarded by a large collection of WWII tanks plus our living, breathing attack dog.
Yay, Victoria!!!!! God Save the Queen!!!! Maybe I'll have a Beefeater & Tonic!
The cutting up of the bubble wrap had to be the best bit of entertainment I've had all year. I especially like the part where she put the soldier in the middle of the bubble wrap and then cut a millimeter off of each side.
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