Holland America reached Victoria, Canada about 2 pm on April 29th. There was a shuttle bus to take us into the city - $11 US round trip for about a 20 minute ride. Many people took the bus, but a lot of others walked.
Victoria is a beautiful city, based on it’s English history. The Parliament Buildings for the Province of British Columbia are located right downtown.
First, we walked to Fan Tan Alley, which is a narrow street located in Chinatown, about a 20 minute walk. It was starting to rain, so we walked back.
We stopped for coffee and cake at a coffee shop, and sat on their patio. Even though it was raining, it was quite warm out.
Then to the Empress Hotel – a magnificent hotel in a
perfect setting....
As it was raining even harder, we were back on the
ship by 5 o'clock, and for dinner that night, I had my favorite dessert,
Baked Alaska.
Holland America sailed across to Vancouver that night and on April 30th
at 8 am, I disembarked the Ship, and flew home to Jacksonville via
Houston. There was a few hours delay in
Houston because of high winds, and I arrived home about 1:30 that night.
A most interesting cruise – good tours and
entertainment, delicious food, and excellent company for dinner.
