This was our shortest time in port. We arrived at 7 am and left at 2 pm. Kevin and I both wished we had more time here. It is a beautiful city and we barely scratched the surface of what there was to experience. We passed a Worldmark resort (our timeshare company) on the way back to the ship. At least we have an inexpensive place to stay when we come back.
We started off at the information center to decide what we needed to do first and plan our strategy for maximum benefit of time. We determined we could squeeze in two breweries while we were here. There are about 7 or so to choose from. Because it was still so early, and we aren't lushes, we did the sight seeing thing first.
Did I mention this was the first day we had that started out sunny? Makes for lovely washed out photos. Anyhoo....we strolled around the Empress and then went in to check it out. Very cool place. It's celebrating it's 100 anniversary this year. I picked up a tea mug with the hotel's signature pattern, a tin of their signature tea and a couple of other souvenirs.
Next we headed across the street to the RC Museum. We didn't go in, because there simply wasn't time to do it justice. This was on the outside, however....
I love Native American crafted works. The Canadians call them First Nations. I think I like that title better. This is a place I have to come back to and spend some time. There was a house totem inside the museum that was representative of Raven- the beak was 30 feet long! It was over 100 years old and absolutely amazing.
We next stopped at the Legislature
and actually sat in on a live session for a bit. They were speaking of ethanol and the pro's and con's of production and how it impacted food supply. It was very interesting. I wish I had the opportunity to sit in on a session of Congress when I was in DC all those years ago. Next time.
It was 11 am by this point and we had to get back on the bus at 1 pm to get back to the ship in time. We ran off to find the beer. Our first stop was Swan's Inn and Pub.
We split 7 tasters here. Why do I have a pen in my hand? Because I am taking notes of what we are having - so we'll remember. Finished these off and then headed to Canoe's Brewing Company.
For ambiance, this place was great. We sat at the bar, had 5 more tasters and some peanuts. Of the two, we liked this one better overall and the beer was more to our liking here.
Last stop was Beehive Wool Shop. Now, you wouldn't think that my only yarn purchase would be in Seattle, would you?
This is half of the shop - that I spent maybe 15 minutes in. We had 20 minutes to get to the bus, and we were 14 or so blocks away. I don't walk fast and my feet hurt from days of walking. At least I can say I bought Fleece Artist in Canada. Yes, pictures will be up soon. I didn't take pictures of the swag yet.
We sailed away from Victoria shortly after 2pm. Kevin and I had a nice lunch on board the ship, since we really hadn't had the time to eat in town.
Next post I will cover what we did on the ship and a bit about the evening dining mates and the staff.
No comments:
Post a Comment