Today’s port was quite a lovely one…..the city of Victoria, situated on the southeastern end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Victoria was the original trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1843. The gold rush hit here in the 1860’s, and this company was the main supplier of the equipment needed to find it. Now the city is the provincial capital for British Columbia.
Today Victoria is a thriving haven for tourists and the retirement community, mostly due to the mild climate. There is much to see and do here, especially the Victorian-style Parliament buildings and the Empress Hotel – all within walking distance of the pier.
Shore excursions offered nine tours today. Sightseeing of the city either by walking, a horse-drawn carriage ride, or by bus took up four of them. The hours ran from 1 to 2 ½ hours for $40 to $75. Food-based tours were royal tea time or craft beer tasting for $75 to $129. Whale-watching for orcas was 3 hours for $130, and two tours went to Butchart Gardens, the 55 acres of spring blooming plants and trees. They ran $95 to $105 for 5 hours.
Originally, we were supposed to be docking here at 1pm and leaving at 11pm. But last week, that had changed to an arrival time of 10am, leaving at 6pm. And that was fine with us as it gave us time to enjoy the city during the daylight hours. The Amsterdam was docked at Ogden Point by 10am, and we were off by 10:30am. Even though the forecast said 65 degrees, we think it was much warmer than that once we reached the city center.
There was a shuttle service which would depart from the pier to downtown and back for $16, but it was such a beautiful day, walking was by far the better choice. And besides it was fun watching the helicopter and float planes taking off for commuting or sightseeing. Following the signs, we made our way to town passing some Victorian tea houses and hotels along the way. This area has many condos and apartments over-looking the bay as well.
We walked past Fisherman’s Wharf, a small version of the one in SF, but full of good views and good eats. Staying on the main drive, we came across Coho Ferry and the Steamship Terminal where you can catch ferries to Port Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver. Also a good place to book whale-watching tours.
We began to see the horse-drawn carriages that offered rides for 15 to 90 minutes for $60 to $295. These carriages hold six people and the price is for the carriage for up to six. These rides were right next to the Provincial Legislature and the Parliament, probably the most impressive Victorian buildings in the city. Then adjacent to this, was the Empress Hotel, now owned by Fairmont. It faces the Inner Harbor, that has a life of its own. Besides the ferries, there are fishing boats and yachts to watch from the Harbor Walkway down below the street level. There are eateries and vendors that line this walkway that are most entertaining. There were street artists today, one dressed totally in pink, like a mime, and one balloon-making fellow. Arts and crafts of the area were the most common souvenirs to buy here.
Our destination was lunch…anywhere there was pizza and beer. This time we were able to research local pizzerias online. Now with the new internet system on the ship, we have the freedom to research anything we like. That was not always possible when using the “by the minute” plan. Anyway, we located a possible restaurant on Johnson Street, close to Chinatown. Taking our time walking, we easily found it, and it was perfect. And we were lucky it was not too crowded yet, since today was a Saturday, and a very busy weekend.
We ordered a Margherita pizza (like that is a surprise?), with side Caesar salads. The beer was a local pale ale on draft. Dessert was a Nutella pizza calzone, something totally new for us to try. And of course, we liked it. We had a window seat with a view of the Esquimalt Road Bridge, and were surprised at the amount of traffic coming into town.
Taking our time walking back, we window-shopped, picking up one novelty t-shirt. This shop did not accept the credit card we were using, so we paid cash in US dollars. Guess they can adjust the rate, since they quoted $1.10 Canadian to $1 USD. We were told it was $1.35 to the dollar, however, they take the fee for using US into account. Using a credit card really does get you the better rate, but then the store has to accept it. And, of course, no other store sold this special t-shirt. It will be treasured.
We usually walk around the waterside of the road back, but there was a renewal project taking place there, so we went back the way we came. Getting back to the ship by 4pm, we had time to catch up on photo-sorting, before going to the sailing out of the harbor. While we were doing this, another ship pulled in across from us….the Oosterdam, another HAL vessel. Up to now, we had been the only cruise ship here. But soon to follow was the Star Princess, and even bigger, the NCL Bliss. With those huge ships, the town will be inundated. Good for business.
By now, the wind had come up, and it was really cold on the aft deck. Going down to deck seven aft was a little better, but still cold. We lasted outside, getting all the photos we needed, then went back inside to warm up by 6:30pm. We know we were close to Vancouver, our next port, but checking the TV, we found we only had about 85 nautical miles to get there. No wonder we were going at 6 to 8 knots, because our arrival time in Vancouver is 7am. If we have as nice as a day as today, we will be most lucky.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, ordering the wedge salad, lamb chops, and a steak. Fries, rice, and carrots were the sides, as well as one order of the delicious bacon. Who knew you could mix smoked peppered bacon with maple syrup, lemon juice and a slice of pickle, and it would be so tasty? Dessert was small servings of sorbet and ice cream.
Bill & Mary Ann
