** First things first... I found out the night before that my orca watching tour had been cancelled due to the foul weather that held us up on the way to Victoria, needless to say, I was very disappointed... so I didn't feel like choosing from the few excursions left so I was content to just wander when I got to Victoria.
It was a leisurely start to the day as predicted. I had breakfast in the Lido… I never did get to the La Fontaine for more than two meals…. I just couldn’t stand how it took over two hours for the meal to be over. I like to eat as much as the next guy but I just want to get in, get fed and get on with stuff…. Maybe if I weren’t on my own it would be a different story, I’m not sure… I suspect though that it might be just the same…
Anyway, after doing the line up thang and eating way too much as usual - its hard to resist those strawberry pancakes or the waffles or the pain du chocolat ( chocolate chunks baked into croissants) so I just figure the easiest course of action is just … don’t resist.
I should have spent some of today packing seeing as we have to have our cases out by 1am tomorrow morning at the latest… but I just couldn’t bring myself to think about it.
I needed a nana nap and took that option instead… followed by aimless wandering around the ship trying to memorise every detail of a place that has been my home for a week. And I know how odd that sounds, but a week on a ship is like months on land I think. Its insular and you get to know the inhabitants on speed dial. Within a couple of days you are saying hi to familiar faces and catching up on their experiences at ports or chatting to the same familiar crew members that you see on your daily rounds of the ship.
So it was going to be very hard walking down that gangway in the morning knowing that I won’t be back onboard for a very long time or perhaps ever.
So with that in mind I wandered… soaking it all in. Looking in the shop windows… looking out of the glass that separated us from the elements of the open sea and trying to identify things that I might have missed and wish later that I hadn’t.
Eventually, I met up with Steve and Sherri again ( they’d been good and packed their cases in the afternoon)… and we indulged in a couple of DOD’s in readiness for the port.
Before we knew it, we were all heading to our cabins to get out stuff for Victoria ( yep, Steve and Sherri still pointing the way cos I keep losing mine) And to coin a phrase that Evelyn used to describe both herself and Sherri’s ability to turn around and not be able to find the way back ( and now I am in that bunch as well) ‘ Bread crumbs….. We need a trail of breadcrumbs to make our way home’… now that is not verbatim but pretty close. And I certainly needed bread crumbs….
My very patient room steward pointed out my room for me on countless ( and I mean countless) occasions… I would sail right past it, having in my head it was one way when it clearly was the other. Sadly not even the numbers on the walls helped… I don’t think I’d ever get used to those interminable corridors…
It got to the point where if he were nearby he’d stop what he was doing and put his skeleton key card into my lock and open the door for me so I didn’t just waltz right by it. Which I did do… embarrassingly - a million times….
Anyway, with camera in hand and backpack on, I met up with the others a deck or two down and we disembarked in a new country.
On the other side of the customs fence, we jumped in a cab which turned out to be cheaper than catching the shuttle bus, and we were there well before any of the other passengers made it to the downtown area - thankfully because we were able to take some awesome shots of the wonderful architecture that Victoria had. Beautifully ornate buildings ( not unlike the ones in the early maritime centres in Australia with a distinct British feel)
All overlooking the most beautiful harbour.
I have to say, I was very very taken with Canada. I am really keen to go back there one day. It had a wonderful vibrancy to it as compared to the more laid back stance of the folk in Alaska.
Victoria just pulsed with street performers and wonderful bars ( one of which we tested out) and the most amazing chocolate shop of the trip in the main shopping district.
We walked around the harbour a bit, just looking around and taking photos and then went in to a bar/restaurant called ’sauce’, out of the sprinkles of rain for a quick drink on our way back to the downtown area. Their cocktails were amazing.
Back in the shopping precinct, we hit the shops briefly - and yep… I bought maple syrup… go figure right?
I also bought a gorgeous little moose fluffy for my bed dressed as a mountie. Absolutely adorable. Ok.. I better explain this ….
I developed a rather amusing attachment to anything with a moose on it almost immediately we left port in Seattle. If it had a moose on it, I was guaranteed to consider buying it. Almost everything came in either the moose version, the bear version or the eagle version. I always opted for the moose option.
The first thing I bought was a t-shirt from the gift shop onboard with a moose made out of crystals on it. Enough said.
It was all downhill from there.
But I didn’t ever see a moose toy that quite grabbed me. Not until I got to Canada and the little dickens had that irresistible Mounties uniform on. It might as well have had my name embroidered on it cos I was not leaving Victoria without it.
I didn’t really buy that much there, but I loved every second of being there.
And the last moose that came into my possession was the seriously cute moose Christmas decoration dressed in bubba overalls given to me by Steve and Sherri which I will treasure…. And it’s going to take pride of place on my tree this season.
In between those two points a number of moose inspired moments ensued… be they purchases, photo ops or jokes.
I really embraced the moose-ism of Alaska.
So after we had done our shopping, we wandered along the streets enjoying the street performers - there were bands, jugglers, fire breathers and any amount of rickshaws that were hilarious to watch - especially when they were double decker and had rather large folk aboard. Those blokes really earned their money.
Another thing that was a little disconcerting were the few beggars that we encountered on and off just outside of the main drag. Very sad.
On our way back, we stopped to take some photos of the Parliament building all lit up like a Christmas tree. It was really quite a sight. From there we went back to the port, it was getting cold and we didn’t want to be late. As we stepped out of the taxi, the wind whistling down between our ship and another one docked parallel - creating one almighty wind tunnel - was gale force. I was sure my earrings were going to blow out of my ears. And it was icy cold. And I mean ICY.
Seriously, I was hanging onto my bag and leaning into the wind to make it back to the ship.
Inside, we warmed up with a DOD and sat in the Ocean bar and watched as the ship backed out of its park and we were on our way back to our final destination.
And it was with much sadness that goodnights were said as there was no guarantee that we’d be meeting up the next morning if somewhere along the line any of us got caught up. As it turns out, we did.
I made myself start packing about 12am - one whole hour to get an enormous weeks worth of stuff packed. And let me say… that given my time again, I’d have done it a bit earlier because I just made it - and that includes locking myself out of my cabin - IN MY PAJAMAS! And yep…. I know that a fair few of you are laughing right now.
Mercifully they weren’t the skimpy ones….
Back in my cabin ( after I flagged down the nearest person that might feasibly have one of those handy dandy key cards that opens everyones doors) I proceeded to hurl stuff into my case with wild abandon knowing it was going to be touch and go to get the cases out of my door in time.
And then my worst fears were realised… I had not a hope in hell of getting it all back into my cases with the added shopping that I had indulged in.
So …. What to do….
The rules are strict… two cases and one carry on wheelie and a handbag. That’s it.
I really had way way more than that.
So it was pull it all out and think outside the square.
After rearranging the contents again - and deciding to chance taking a extra carry on bag full of ‘breakables’ I sat on my cases and prayed that the zips held at least to LA where I intend to ship home all my winter clothes. Which I will do nearer the time to going home in case I need any of it.
Success… I got it all in and one ‘flimsy shopping bag extra carry on’ later… it was all sorted… now … all I had to do was bluff my way out of one terminal on the Seattle docks… through another at Seattle airport and then out another in LA.
Piece of cake, right….
As it turns out…. Yep…. It was.
Oh… and what time did the cases hit the carpet outside my room not to be seen again by me until LA? 12:53am….
See… what were you worried about….
I was always going to make it… right?
Then one very relieved girl flaked it within about 3 seconds of my head hitting the pillow.
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