LAND! GLORIOUS LAND!!!

While indeed I am steeped in the culture of the sea, there was nothing more exciting than seeing land on our third day.

Land. Sweet, beautiful land. Woke up early, dawned my swimming gear in hopes to dive into the pool that was sure to be open now that the waters were calm, and hopped up to the Lido deck. The first thing I saw when windows reached my view was the tree lined landscape of the great North West.

Trees. Soooo many sky reaching evergreens. After the seas we'd been enduring, I was extremely grateful to see terra firma once more.

We girls were so excited to see something other than the white and blue chop. It was glorious. With eyes wide we watched the hills and coast roll by. The pool was FINALLY open, so Maggie went for a swim and I eventually hopped into the warmish Jacuzzi. It wasn't quite as warm as a hot tub should be, but it was the principle of being on a vacation getting in the Jacuzzi on my vacation. 

I may have enjoyed three rounds of breakfast that day, made my fellow Hobbits proud. 

Once all of our breakfasts were consumed, Carolyn and I strolled the great out doors.

Canadian Pilot!

The sea was calm, so we were able to go outside, which was also glorious. We went to the bow on the 10th floor platform and watched the Canadian Pilot boat lead us to our dock. Felt giddy to watch the Canadian Pilot with my connections to San Diego's 101 year old Pilot boat (that's an entirely different story.) 

While we watched our cruise boat dock, Carolyn and I spoke with a charming couple who lived in Victoria, our first port of call. They told us of their adventures and they gave us tips on things to do in Victoria. 

Once we were docked we went back to our rooms to gather our excursion gear. We met at "our table" on the Lido deck (yes, we had staked territory) to graze on lunch prior to leaving the ship. We packed sandwiches for the day, so that we wouldn't have to purchase lunch out and about.

Then it was we were land bound. The captain gave the okay for us to disembark, so we and 2,000 of our closest friends headed off into Victoria. Felicia and I felt compelled to kiss the ground after our trip up when we touched foot on the black asphalt, but we managed to resist the temptation. 

Maggie and I went off on our own adventure while Carolyn and Felicia hopped on a bus to go view the famous gardens. Throughout the day we saw our fellow cruisers, which was rather entertaining. You wouldn't think 2,000 strangers would become familiar, but we were all coupled up together for so long, maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. 

If you aren't aware, let me tell you - Victoria is beautiful. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Maggie and I walked through the neighborhood suburb to the downtown area. The Parliament building was breathtaking. It looked too European to be on the American Continent, even in Canada. I was really impressed.

There were horse drawn carriages (of course).

A house boat village, and slips galore with a variety of schooners and clippers. To quote Felicia, "I could do this."

Maggie and Me

I imagine when cruise ships aren't in that Victoria is rather quiet, which would suit me just fine. (You know, I'm currently in the market for a house and the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar...hmm....)

Anyway, Maggie and I went to the British Columbia Royal Museum. They put to shame almost every indoor museum I have yet seen. They have an ENORMOUS in depth Native Peoples exhibit and I spent a TON of time in that area. Did you know that British Columbia has the most languages of Natives in the World? I didn't know that. It was fantastic to learn of the efforts from the Natives to preserve their language. I must have read almost every plaque in the Native area and the Natural History exhibits.

The museum had a full size cannery, a gold mine, a dock and a SHIP on exhibit, INSIDE!!!!!! It was incredibly impressive.

There was one room that was particularly striking - it was like being inside a research submarine much like Captain Nemo's Nautilus. The port holes looked out to living kelp. There were all sorts of nautical 1800s artifacts, which were a lot of fun.

At the helm!

My favorite exhibit was of Native masks that told different stories from the Native Peoples. I am fascinated by cultural legends and tales. Be they Japanese, Irish, Russian, American, they are the stories that spark imagination, tradition and faith.

After we saw all there was to see in the museum, Maggie and I regrouped and crossed the street to look at the Empress, a famous Victorian hotel.

Unfortunately, she was undergoing MASSIVE renovations, so we were unable to enjoy her full grandeur. Carolyn told us later that the empress was originally built without bathrooms. Kinda nuts to think that a hotel that impressive would be lacking toilet amenities (yes, there are toilets now). But talk about a trivia topic!

We walked to a tea shop called Murchies where we used their WIFI and bought a ton of delightful goodies. We regrouped with Felicia and Carolyn at the little tea shoppe. We stayed there until closing time - 5pm - and walked into the tobacco shop next door to look at the interesting column in the center of the store. This proved to be an unexpected entertaining sideshow, rather, WE became a rather entertaining sideshow. Carolyn had told us that on their bus tour they were told that this tobacco shop had the oldest lighter in the world, so we had to investigate. Sure enough, there was the flames burning from a Mexican white Onyx pillar. The piece is priceless as it so happens as white onyx has been completely depleted.

One of our colleagues was a brand new daddy, so we purchased him a cigar that is difficult to purchase in the U.S. of A. Our adventure within this store was one of no-shame and we had the attendant Alex laughing like crazy right along with us. I had to ask the gentlemen working there if we were the most entertaining customers that had ever strolled through and they all agreed that we were "without doubt." And we ended up going back in a second time, which only further proved that claim.

We wandered in through a few other shops and we supported the First People (Canadian Natives) with our purchases. 

The walk back to the ship was gorgeous, but gusty. Maggie and Felicia were freezing, so they bolted back to the ship. Carolyn and I stopped to admire the flora and fauna along the way while fighting the intense wind that had picked up dramatically. It had been warm throughout the day until the sun began to go down and in came the wind. We all ended up with light wind burns on our cheeks.  

The sun setting behind the cruise boat was beautiful. Took some fun photos prior to going back on board, not before taking the a-typical tourist shots.

Once we were on our floating hotel, we freshened up and ate again. We ended up ordering an extra dessert because on a cruise boat there is no shame. 

After dinner, Maggie led us to the bow where we watched a sweet movie entitled, "Brooklyn." The film was wonderful and I proudly stayed awake through the whole thing. Luckily enough, just after, it was time to go to sleep. We had to get ready for the next day when we would see Seattle. And my Aunties!!!!

It was time for us to return to the sea. 

Speaking of the sea - if you haven't noticed, being on or around the water is a passion of mine. One may even call it a lifestyle. Even though I have light crew experience on tall ships, I've recently signed up for a basic sailing class. I hope to be a captain someday and am well on my way, but sailing is a bit of a mystery that I'd like to better understand. 

If anyone knows what it's like to have a dream of doing what you love, you know how it feels. If you'd like to help sponsor my dream, all you have to do is put down $4.99 towards my book, which you may purchase here or here. Already bought it? Not interested in reading it? E-books make great gifts and it's the same price as a cup of Starbucks. (On second thought, it's less than most drinks at Starbucks.) It may not seem like much, but these clicks add up! 

Thank you for reading as always, my dear Readers, and thank you for helping me pursue my dreams. Until next week when we go together to Seattle!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon