Victoria, British Columbia and Astoria, Oregon

We're right now headed down the Oregon/California Coasts toward San Francisco. It's our last day aboard the Celebrity Century. The trip has passed by so quickly, which I suppose means it was a good vacation. But you need a recap of the past couple of days before I sign off.

On Saturday, we docked in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada which is a lovely city. We started the day with an excursion to the Butchart Gardens. These gardens were created by the Butchart family out of their quarry and are absolutely gorgeous. The picture that starts this post is of the sunken garden, one of the first gardens we came upon. There was also the rose garden, the Japanese garden, the Italian garden, and large areas of flowers and plants to just stroll among. It really is one of the prettiest places I've ever been. If you find yourself at the farthest western edge of Canada, I recommend a visit.

We wandered around Victoria's downtown which is a lovely city. It's quite English in many ways and a very friendly city. We only ate a light lunch (at a diner/bakery that harkened back to an era about 50 years earlier) because in the afternoon we had reservations for high tea at the Empress Hotel, a place that is as grand as it sounds. It sits right across from the harbor (or harbour as they would spell it) and the tea is very high. We each had a pot of tea, of course, along with a tray of goodies that were very tasty, starting with little sandwiches, sequeing to scones, and finally ending up with sweets. It was a splendid way to spend an afternoon.

On Sunday, we docked in Astoria, Oregon. Astoria sits at the mouth of the Columbia River, the border between Oregon and Washington. It's not a really big town but is the oldest European settlement on the US west coast, founded in 1811. Lewis and Clark spent the winter here and departed for their return journey the following spring. Early on, Astoria was a fur trading post. But it grew when it became a salmon processing center at the end of the 19th century. A couple who owns a home that was built in 1890 but someone who made their fortune in the salmon industry opens their home for free. All you have to do to see the house is climb the hill, which is exactly what we did. It was a very nice home that one of the owners toured us through. Following lunch at a local restaurant, Allen & I took a bus up the hill to the Astoria Column, a tall column (just as it's named) commemorating the history of Astoria. The views from the top. You can climb the 164 steps to the top of the column, though we chose not to do so. It was a very warm and sunny day which led to nice views but didn't induce us to make the trek to the top.

In the evening, we attended the entertainment performance of Reva Rice, a Broadway/Las Vegas performer who gave a very spirited show that included her roller skating on the stage of a ship.  Very brave indeed! But a great evening. After the show, if you remember, we were being treated to a meal in the "specialty restaurant" onboard, the Murano. The food and service there is extraordinary and we truly enjoyed our meal. I had lobster tale, which was prepared at the table. It was delicious. It was a special evening at a venue that usually costs quite a bit extra.  (If you recall, we were being treated to this experience because of the leak in our ceiling.)

Today is indeed our last day on the ship. So we'll have to fit everything in that we haven't done yet, which really isn't much. There has been a wonderful series of science lectures by a presenter whose name is Milos. He really brings science to life in a humorous way. He's presented on aquatic mammals, Alaskan wildlife, the night sky, as well as other topics. Today his lecture in on the weather. I'm sure he'll make it quite interesting. And tonight is a final performance by the ship's own singers and dancers. It should be fun.

As a sort of farewell, at least to Oregon, since we're just about to cross the border into California, we've been watching a pod of whales frolicking off our starboard. These are the first whales I've seen on this trip. Some of them have been quite close to the ship. Others, we only see the spouts off in the distance. But they've been surfacing and diving and splashing their tails. It's really been quite a show.

Well, we are packed and ready for disembarkation, at least in that way, which happens early tomorrow morning. Then it's back to real life.  But what a wonderful experience this has been. We've seen and done a lot over the 12 days of this trip and are really looking forward to our next adventure.