The waves broke against the bow of our ship and long gone were those glassy Alaskan waters. Even with the rough seas it was relaxing to spend a much-needed day at sea. We spent the day exploring the ship, winding down, catching up on work. Our ship was headed southbound, towards the town of Victoria on Vancouver Island, a part of British Colombia, Canada.
This was our last port-of-call and there was ample time to explore. We only had one tour booked and time to kill beforehand so we went to explore the breakwater. The boys had a lot of fun walking all the way to the end and back before boarding a double decker sightseeing bus. Once on the bus we rode around the city, passing Beacon Hill park, the World’s Tallest Totem pole, the British Colombia Legislature Building, The Fairmont Empress Hotel, Canada’s Narrowest Street (Fan Tan Alley), and many other points of interest. Rounding the corner near Uplands Golf Club, we slowed to view a Bald Eagle, perched above it’s nest in a tree. To finish the tour we rode around the coastal perimeter of the city, returning to our start point a couple of hours later.
It was only mid-day and the weather was beautiful. We grabbed a quick bite for lunch and made the 40 minute walk into town to get a better view of some of the sights we saw from the bus. The boys played at a local park. Søren napped for hours in the stroller, still not fully recovered from his fever at sea. We spent the rest of the day wandering the city, finally able to feel our travel legs.
Stopping in Vancouver Island was an emotional build up for me. This day I wore a very special necklace, purchased 20 years prior on one of the trips to Sydney with my Grandparents. I have so many fond memories of starfish on the rocks in the harbor and visiting the rock shop. I’m so happy to have been able to take our children to the very same island I visited so often as a child.
Do you have any questions about cruising? I plan to answer them in my Cruise Review post next week, ask away!
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