Visiting Victoria

We arrived before dawn in Victoria. No surprise there as the distance from Seattle is a mere 66 nautical miles. I'm sure the ship did circles in the ocean for much of the night. I truly appreciated having the balcony for the early mornings. No need to get dressed before I headed out for the sunrise photos!

After we were cleared to disembark, I stayed onboard until later in the morning. My plan was to walk to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch at Barb's Fish and Chips - yes, please for halibut. Since I had time, I went to the Knitter's and Knatters group. There were six of us that morning; Diane, Catherine, Carol, Helen, Bree, and myself. We were set up in the Doubledown bar next to the casino and the stale smoke was evident. Diane took charge and got permission for us to move to the Symphony dining room - more space and a large table to set out our supplies.

Carol had no plans for the morning, and asked if she might join me in Victoria. Of course, and we made arrangements to meet at the gangway after dropping our projects in our staterooms. Well, best laid plans and all, there are two gangways so we missed each other. I had waited about 15-20 minutes when I decided to head out on my own. She did catch up with me after I'd arrived at Fisherman's Wharf.  Funny story, I mentioned my destination to another, non-Canadian passenger and was informed that Fisherman's Wharf is in San Francisco. :) 

The wharf was a short walk from the port, winding along Dallas Road. At the wharf are the private houseboats, as well as several businesses; mostly restaurants and a couple of gift shops. 

There are public walkways between the length of the houseboats, but these are private homes. 

One can, and I did, walk towards the inner harbour where I could watch the floatplanes start their journeys. It's been over 40 years since I left Northern Saskatchewan, but I still find great joy in seeing and listening to the sound of small aircraft.

Back on the board walk, we spotted these manniquens on a balcony keeping watch over the tourists below.

Another favorite was this sign: beware of log!

Carol had caught up to me and when I was finished with photos we headed to the order window for Barb's Fish and Chips. We both ordered the one piece fish and chips, along with a drink and were handed a pager. It wasn't a long wait before our food was ready, and we carried our trays over to a picnic table close to the water to eat. Oh, it was a good as I hoped, the batter crispy, the fish fresh, and so very tasty. We did have a few pigeons keeping an eye out for fallen bits of chips, but neither of us shared.

Carol is from Ohio and recently retired, an enthusiastic and prolific knitter, and was also travelling solo. I invited her to join the group for dinner, but she had other plans for the evening. We parted ways back at the ship, and after a short nap, I took my knitting to the aft deck for a cup of tea.

Next to us in port was this National Geographic cruise ship. I took a quick look at their website and while the itineraries look amazing the cost is way beyond my means. On the other hand, a smaller ship would allow the passengers views and opportunities to explore that are not available with the large cruiseliners. Perhaps I need to start buying lottery tickets.

Sail-away happened late that evening, after dinner so I have no photos. I met with eight of the solo/singles group that evening for drinks and dinner. No photos of my food this night, but I did try vegan ice cream for dessert; blueberry and it was good.

Next up - Day 4 - San Francisco