Have Celiac, Will Travel

In February of 2010, we took our first real trip as a family since our teen daughter had been diagnosed as a Celiac. She was apprehensive, but I assured her that we'd make sure she didn't starve. We packed various gluten free snack bars (as a back up plan) and boarded the plane bound for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Being that it was a short trip over the mountains from Alberta to BC, there was no need to worry about an in flight gluten free friendly meal.

Arriving in Victoria that February, began a culinary adventure for my daughter that was full of pleasant unexpected surprises. The weather on top of it all was superb, with an early spring that had trees and bulbs in bloom. The whole trip was magical and has my teen daughter and preteen son begging to go back.
http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/RegionsCities/Victoria.htm

The first couple of days we stayed locally in Victoria, soaking in museums and shops. Here my daughter discovered The Old Spaghetti Factory and The Joint.
http://www.victoriaentertainment.ca/business/Old%20Spaghetti%20Factory/326
http://www.eatatthejoint.com/html/
The Old Spaghetti Factory offers a gluten free menu that includes pasta dishes that my daughter was happy to devour. The Joint is a pizzeria that offers a gluten free crust that didn't scream gf in it's taste or texture- it was just good as my daughter put it. We soon became regulars at both restaurants though our stay was short.

Our next leg in our adventure on Vancouver Island was a drive to Botanical Beach. Well worth going! The mini hike from parking lot to the beach is a trek though a temperate coastal rain forest- simply breath taking. Once the beach is reached it is a treasure trove of nature- a new micro ecosystem in each of the tidal pools just awaits discovery... My children were constantly calling out- "Hey, come here- you have to see this!"
http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Botanical-Beach-Botany-Bay-Loop-Trail-near-Victoria-BC-647
Of course all this discovery works up an appetite. The nearest town, Port Renfrew, is small and quaint, but had my daughter worried about it's ability to feed her a gluten free meal. Because it was off season for tourism, there was only one restaurant open- this heightened her anxiety. The Coastal Kitchen Cafe was it. As soon as I mentioned that our daughter was a Celiac, they offered a dizzying array of choices that they could make for her. They knew all about being a Celiac- were very knowledgeable, and accommodating. When her meal came, my daughter was not disappointed. In fact, all the food was very good! http://www.discoverportrenfrew.com/activities-dining.htm

Next stop, was a ferry trip to Salt Spring Island. I visited this magical place as a child and it did not fail to wow me once again. My family too was counting the days when we could all go back again, by the end of our day trip to Salt Spring. http://saltspringtourism.com/ Though my daughter was by now feeling more confident that she could find gluten free food in remote places, she still had the nagging worry and a gf snack bar ready. We arrived at Fulford Harbor, investigated a bit, and made our way to The Fulford Inn for a bite of lunch. Again, upon the mention of the word Celiac, the staff were more than eager to accommodate my daughter's gf needs. They have a staff member who has Celiac Disease, so they were well versed in gf cooking. After giving her various options to consider, they came back shortly from the kitchen- and offered to make her fries... They had just cleaned the deep fryer that morning, and it had not yet been used. Of course my daughter jumped at the offer of fries, to go along with her pan fried chicken breast. She was pleased, and her meal was delicious.

The important thing to remember, is that though being a Celiac can be stressful when travelling, be prepared for pleasant surprises too. Sometimes even when a restaurant is out of the way, and/or not on any recommended Celiac lists, that they can be surprisingly accommodating and knowledgeable. Do your best to let the destination guide you and not the food. You will discover new places as well as new restaurants that would have remained unnoticed travelling as a Celiac versus being an explorer who is also a Celiac, wherever that may take you.

Note: Here is another resource we used while staying in Victoria. It is how we discovered The Joint. The Celiac Scene is a fabulous resource!http://www.theceliacscene.com/map5-British-Columbia-Victoria-and-Area-Inner-Harbour.html