This morning we arrived in Victoria, British Columbia around 8:30 AM.
We soon found ourselves with a visitor on the deck.
He paced back and forth looking for a tidbit, but unfortunately for him, he found none.
We were off the boat early as we planned to attend mass at St. Andrew's Cathedral, and it was about 1.6 miles from the port. So, was made our way off the boat and followed the flowered path to exit the terminal area. Isn't that amazing?
We had plenty of time to meander a bit, so we took the long route, and headed towards Fisherman's Wharf.
Barb's Fish & chips....who knew?
This area is quite unique as it has several banks of floating houses.
Every where I turned there seemed to be yet another unique floating house to admire.
I found them to be quite charming. Don't you agree?
A water taxi was transporting someone back to their floating house. How cool was that?
As we walked along, it seemed as if floral beauty abounded at every corner.
But there were some entertaining as well as interesting sites to see as well.
This is a Lithuanian Memorial statue.
The parliament building
with Queen Victoria standing in front.
and scads of more flowers
and even gardens adorning a totem pole in a plaza.
Finally, we were seated inside the cathedral with 15 minutes to spare! It was difficult to capture an outside shot as the church is very large and stands on a street corner.
But here you can see the brilliance of the stained glass windows.
By the time Mass was scheduled to begin, the place was packed with people! We were very surprised to see so many people attending mass...all ages and nationalities. The priest was exceptionally welcoming and very well spoken. It was easy to see why the congregation would flock to his service.
After mass, we headed back down the street to the Royal British Museum, where our cruise friends decided to join us, opting to tag along. Soon we found ourselves amidst some very creative displays.
a wooly Mammoth
a bear grasping salmon
sea lions growling
and an ocean sunfish.
There was a fascinating exhibit devoted to fabrics made in India. Behind glass stood this French Style dress made in the 1770's. The garment itself was made in France, but the fabric was woven and painted in India. I was really surprised to learn that people in India were responsible for weaving, dying and decorating these ornate fabrics which were then sent to the upper class in Europe to sew into these detailed dresses.
Here is a woman's jacket whose fabric was made in India and sent to the Netherlands for completion of the garment, in the 1700s.
The fabric for this dress was made in 1780, then shipped to Europe and constructed in Great Britain.
The fabric for this cape, made in 1789 for an Armenian Church was designed and printed in 1789.
And this piece of fabric was made in 1400-1450.
I found this all to be quite fascinating. When thinking about women's fashions from the 1700's, I never gave much thought as to just where the ornate fabrics originated. This was certainly an enlightening experience.
In an adjacent area of the museum, and entire floor was made up to look like a street from the early 1900's.
It featured stores, houses, a ship and gold mining dioramas.
and there was even this cute car
and a diorama of Fort Victoria.
Among the town was a small, old fashioned looking theater, complete with red velvet cushioned chairs, where we sat back and watched a movie that discussed photographic plates that were discovered in the 1980's. They featured Japanese families who had set up a community not far from here. The photos were certainly an unexpected treasure to the family members who had been unaware of their existence. It was fascinating to hear of the stories of these people living among Alaskans and quite interesting to see the photos that ranged from school groups, to families.
Outside the museum stands a totem pole next to this building.
And more in other various location.
As you might have noted, the air was a bit cloudy. We had been told that it was the result of wild fires that are burning somewhere in the vicinity. But within short time, the air cleared and offered a brilliant blue sky.
Once we left the museum, our friends went on to check out some local sites while Marty and I headed to Beacon Hill park which is south of the city and stands adjacent to the harbor where our ship was docked. They had toured this area while we were at mass, so we went off on our own. I will admit that I did lose my bearings a few times. The signage wasn't the best, and the map we were given was of little help. Luckily, people in the park were happy to steer us in the right direction.
There was outstanding beauty nearly everywhere. I'm just going to post photos here for you to get an idea.
While we were in the park, we stumbled upon a tribal dance being performed by Songhee, a local tribe. Two women banged on drums and sang while several of their children performed traditional dance movements. It really was quite fascinating to watch.
Here you see the tallest totem pole in the world.
Our walk back to the ship was along the shore and offered stunning vistas.
Getting back on the ship was quite uneventful and soon we were sitting on a deck with our friends, enjoying the view.
Marty took one last photo of us on the ship.
We have already departed for our final destination which is Seattle. It is late, and we have to be out of here by 8:00 AM, so I'm signing off for now.
I hope you enjoyed our Alaskan adventure. Thanks for following along!
Until next time...
