Victoria

We only had a few hours in Victoria thanks to the Jones Act.  But we enjoyed a quick walk along the wharf and through town.  Victoria is a darling town that is easy to fall in love with.  

Fishermans' Wharf was filled with precious little house boats and quite a few were available as B&B's and short term rentals.  

The float planes are bigger here...

 These water taxi's have to be the cutest things ever.

The seagulls had claimed this fountain as their own.  Honestly they seemed to have claimed the entire city.

 This ferry to Vancouver has an epic paint job.

This wasn't the only zany posting I saw...but it was the event I most wanted to attend.

 We stopped in for a quick pint.

This back alley looking joint gave me a very Total Recall vibe.  

Just keep on walking...

We found my Brother-in-Law's Pub

This lovely building is being converted into high-end condos.  If a price tag of one to ten million seems high to you.  

This historic building used to house Canadian Customs.  At least they are preserving the exterior.

I should mention that today we celebrated "D"s birthday with some late night Sushi.  Happy Birthday!

I'm glad we grabbed a cab and arrived back a bit early because the ship left the dock a full 40 minutes early.  I assume that is because everyone was on board. 

Our next big adventure is Public School.  I doubt I'll have a ton of photos from it though.  I am begging "J" for one "first day of school (ever)" photo.  I want something like this, which I think would be hilarious...she may not agree.

Sunset over Juneau

I forgot these.  We watched the sun set over Juneau as we sailed away.

Day at Sea

Our last two days of the trip were at sea.  And for almost 48 hours we were completely engulfed in fog.  Often it was so thick you couldn't see beyond the balcony railing.  And the ships horn sounded every few minutes, even through the night.  A few hours before we arrived in Victoria BC, we started moving in and out of fog banks. One minute it was sunny with blue skies and a few minutes later we were engulfed again.

The morning of our last day we were invited to go on a galley tour.  I have always wondered how cruise ships manage to feed so many people. I can tell you they are a well oiled machine.  Our ship had 11 or 12 galleys and we saw 2 of them. 

Here they are plating appetizers and salads for lunch in an hour.  

12 days worth of menus.  They only change them on holidays.  One crew member confided in us that the crew spends tons of money on food in ports because they are so tired of the ships food.  And I got the distinct feeling that Celebrity feeds its crew better than many cruise lines.

Our guide was the head chef of the suite only dining room, Luminae, where we were lucky enough to dine most nights.  I have to say their food was superb and I'm a tough critic.

We didn't see the dishwasher...machines or people.  I've run my fair share of Hobart loads and I would loved to have seen that operation.

That's the same mixer I have.  We saw them making everything from scratch. 

Fillet mignon and Crab Cakes were on the menu at Luminae for lunch so we decided we should visit one last time!