The Inside Passage and Victoria BC
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The Inside Passage travels from Alaska through to British Columbia, Canada and ends in the northwestern Washington State. It is
called The Inside Passage as it is a protected stretch of waterway through many islands which cruise ships, cargo vessels and marine craft
use to avoid the open sea. The scenery is amazing and when we sailed it, the snow was still visible on the mountains. The water was like glass
and we were lucky to have a pod of dolphins swim with us for some distance! No whales in the water or bears on the shoreline but still a
fabulous voyage! Gary was relaxing on the deck taking in the wonderful view and enjoying every minute!
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The Celebrity Millennium docked at a cruise terminal within walking distance to Victoria itself. A beautiful day for a harbourside
walk and soon we were at Fisherman's Wharf. What a delightful introduction to this beautiful city. It was originally a fort for the Hudson's Bay
Company and there are still many reminders of those days long gone. Traditions of British settlement give it a flavour of its own. Horse and
Carriage rides, double decker buses, beautiful formal gardens especially Butchart Gardens and the many wonderful restaurants and quaint shops. The
Empress Hotel is a landmark and was designed by Francis Rattenbury, for Canadian Pacific Steamship Line as a terminus. It was built between 1904
and 1908 and has been a famous tourist destination. The breweries and pubs are very much part of this city's fabric and we so enjoyed many Guinesses
on our travels as well as local beer.
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After a fabulous day exploring time to make our way back to the ship. We came to Fisherman's Wharf again and had to stop for another visit!
It is located near the Inner Harbour and has whale watching tours and lots to see here especially walking the boardwalk to get a closer glimpse of
the residential floating homes. Looking out into the harbour we could see many small water taxis buzzing around and picking up or dropping off passengers!
Bright yellow and like little buzz machines. they take off and spirit customers to wherever they need to go around the harbour. They are officially called H20 Water Taxis and from May to September perform a water ballet much to the entertainment of visiting tourists!!! There is still time to see if any of the Sea Lions have come into closed area for something to eat. As luck had it there were a couple and they sure were hungry! Gary almost had his finger bitten off!! Brilliant end to another marvellous port and so off again for the last port of our journey!!
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