Today’s port of call was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. At least we are here from 8am to 11pm, and not arriving at 7:30pm. What a change the weather took from two days ago. On Friday, there was sun, while today it is heavily overcast and drizzling. Luck of the draw, we guess.
Victoria is the capital of British Columbia with a population of 80,000 people. Decidedly British with tearooms, double-decker buses, and horse-drawn carriages, there is also another side to this area. Reminders of older cultures are reflected with the totem poles of the indigenous tribes. Victoria is nicknamed the city of gardens filled with prim English-style gardens. And being that we are visiting during the start of autumn, we have been treated to the changing of the colors of the landscape.
There were a few tours offered today starting from $40 to $130. Among them were city tours, a trip to Butchart Gardens, tearooms, and a whale watch zodiac ride. We did see the orca watch boat go by while we were taking an early morning walk around the promenade deck. The ten passengers looked pretty cold in their bright orange jackets and life vests.
One thing nice about not taking tours is the fact you never know what you might run into when you are on your own. That was what happened today. After breakfast, we left the ship for a walk to downtown. There was a shuttle service for the price of $12.95 if bought on the ship, or $13 purchased on the pier. The bus dropped you off at the Empress Hotel, then would provide you a return trip back at the latest, 10pm. Walking for us was easier. We did notice there was a display of military vehicles, as well as a naval vessel on the pier. Locals were touring through this display.
It was evident from the deep puddles in the streets that it had rained this morning. A steady drizzle kept us damp, but with our arctic jackets, we stayed warm and dry. Since the Eurodam was the only cruise ship in port, there seemed to be less of a crowd in town. The closer we got to the center of town, we could hear bagpipes and possible singing from a chorale group. Yes, something was happening at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, the seat of parliament. A group of uniform-clad men were singing the national anthem…..something that reminded us of a veteran’s group.
Over at the Inner Harbor, we saw that Government Street was cordoned off, and lined with police and fire vehicles. Something big was going to occur. Before it did, we ducked into the Empress Hotel for our usual stroll through there. Coming out the front entrance, we heard the bagpipes and drums as one group after another of police and the Royal Mounted Police marched down the street. Giant flags had been hung with cranes, adding color to the dismal skies. Although we could not find that today was a national holiday, we figured that was a parade dedicated to police and military veterans perhaps. Whatever the reason, we felt honored to have gotten a front row spot to watch it. All of the groups ended up at the Parliament Building where the ceremony continued.
We continued up Government Street to go to Earl’s for lunch. This restaurant is more like the sports bars we have in the US, but the best thing is that they serve a really good pizza. And we ordered a Margherita pizza of course, followed by a shared slice of pumpkin pie. All was delicious.
We did a little window shopping in the shops on the way back, and happened to catch the return of the parade men and women coming back from their ceremony. Every participant paid strict attention to their flag at half- mast as they passed by the pole and the bronze statue of a soldier in front of it.
On the way back, we followed the pathway that went around the water’s edge. Few tourists go this way, and as we passed by condos along the way, we could get a glimpse of life in Victoria. According to the ship’s info, many retirees come here to enjoy the mild and usually snow-free climate. Can’t say we blame them.
Back at the cruise terminal, we checked out the souvenirs in the compact store, but decided we needed nothing. Back onboard, we headed back to our room to continue watching the next episode of Game of Thrones. Downloading photos and working on today’s report took us to dinnertime.
The upper dining room was about full at 8pm fixed seating this evening. Everyone around us was new. We understand that many of these passengers will be leaving tomorrow in Vancouver. It has been a bit tricky trying to make our future specialty dinner reservations for this next voyage. At the front desk, we were told that they could not get into the next portion of the Hawaii cruise, since we were still in the middle of a 2 day cruise. That was not the case at the Pinnacle Grill, where the manager gladly took our list days requested days to get us booked. While on the subject of trying to arrange things on the phone, we are sorry to report that every time you attempt to call any department, you have a very long wait for someone to pick up your call. Ten minutes of waiting is not unusual.
Anyway, for dinner one of us ordered French onion soup, and the other had a peanut-cilantro salad, or more like Mexican tortilla salad. Mains were the honey mustard chicken with mashed potatoes. One dessert of tres leches cake, and a fruit plate made us both happy.
The one show in Mainstage was at 9:30pm, and featured the singers and dancers with “Off the Charts”.
Tomorrow, we will be in Vancouver, but the stay will be rather short, since we have to be onboard by 2:30pm in order to be seen by the US Border & Protection agents. We just hope it isn’t a rainy day.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, October 1, 2018
Report #10 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada September 30, 2018 Sunday Partly cloudy, light rain & partly cloudy
