Victoria and Vancouver

Himalayan Blue Poppy / Butchart Gardens

Frequent rain showers keep things green in the Pacific Northwest. No worries. We’ve visited Ireland too often to let weather interfere with a trip. Along with our rain gear, we packed sunscreen and visored hats (my husband's Red Sox baseball cap generated some interesting conversations with Vancouver hockey fans). For our first stop, we were glad we did.

We spent our first full day on the Crystal Symphony at sea, a relaxing cruise that ended in the lavish Captain’s Welcome Dinner. The next morning, we docked at Vancouver Island’s Ogden Point Pier in Victoria, the capital of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Captain James Cook discovered the island in the late 1700's. The British traders who settled there named the sparsely settled island after Queen Victoria. In 1858, the gold rush brought a population boom. Victoria, now a popular destination for tourists, is nicknamed the "City of Gardens," and with good reason.

Delighted to have a sunny day, we visited the renowned Butchart Gardens. Our tour began with high tea in the house that cement mogul Robert Butchart built around the turn of the twentieth century for Jennie, his dynamic bride. When Robert’s cement business tapped out the property’s limestone quarry, Jennie transformed the place into a spectacular sunken garden. The Butchart family still supervises the estate and have added hundreds of exotic plantings over the years. Now a 55-acre paradise, it includes Japanese, Italian, and Rose gardens. Our June 4th visit was too early for the roses, but the rhododendrons were in full bloom and surrounded us with rainbows of color.

We sailed off that evening and docked the next day in Vancouver City. Sunshine graced us again as we headed to the waterfront for a stroll through the historic Gastown district, Vancouver's first downtown section. Gastown was named after steamboat captain and saloon keeper "Gassy" Jack Deighton, who arrived in 1867 and opened the area's first saloon. His rough, tough customers hailed from the ranks of loggers, sailors, trappers, and fishermen.

"Gassy" Jack Deighton

Gastown’s most famous landmark, the Gastown Steam Clock, covers a steam grate that is part of Vancouver's steam-heat system. The clock not only works by harnessing the steam beneath it, it prevents vagrants from sleeping on the spot in cold weather.

The sun still shone when we returned to the ship, and we relaxed in the top deck’s open air hot tub. Vancouver surrounded us, as did other cruise ships. Seaplanes, a common sight in the area, buzzed in and out of the water.

Vancouver

The Crystal Symphony spent another day at sea on her way to Alaska, and the crew had plans to keep us busy.

North to Alaska

My husband and I have always wanted to visit Alaska. We decided we'd cruise to The Last Frontier to celebrate a major wedding anniversary. Two years ago, we thoroughly enjoyed sailing around the British Isles with Crystal Cruises (see Cruising Into History), and we didn't hesitate to book our Alaskan adventure with them.

Before we departed from San Francisco, we enjoyed a brief visit with my intrepid aunt and uncle, who live in northern California’s idyllic Sonoma County. John and Diane would be cruising with us, and though they were busy packing, they found time for a daytrip to the Alexander Valley.

We visited Geyserville, where, set in the midst of acres of vineyards, Francis Ford Coppola added a park and Movie Gallery to his outstanding winery. Displays of props and memorabilia that include Don Corleone's desk from "The Godfather" and costumes from "Dracula" delighted us. Mr. Coppola’s countless awards had a showcase of their own. After touring the sunny grounds, which included a swimming pool and bocce ball court, we enjoyed a delicious lunch in Rustic, the winery’s restaurant, whose menu ranged from burgers and fries to classic Italian cuisine. And delicious wine, of course.

A Few of Francis Ford Coppola's Awards

Godfather Don Corleone's Desk

Various Movie Costumes

Mike, Me, Diane, and John Outside the
Francis Ford Coppola Winery Guest Reception Area

Our departure date arrived. My husband and uncle did a stellar job of fitting luggage for four into Diane’s car. We drove to San Francisco and boarded the gorgeous Crystal Symphony, which had taken the four of us around the British Isles.
 

The Crystal Symphony

The crew led us to the main dining room for a pre-departure lunch that included complimentary champagne. It all came back to me: the waiter holds my chair, and after he seats me, he unfolds the napkin and sets it in my lap. Oh, yes. We’re going to have a wonderful time, and I'm going to get lots of writing done!

The Golden Gate Bridge

Once we’d settled into our small but well-appointed staterooms, we made our way to the top deck to watch the Symphony sail from San Francisco Bay. We glided under the Golden Gate Bridge to Crystal’s signature departure song, a recording of Louie Armstrong warbling "What a Wonderful World." Our Alaskan adventure had begun.

♪ Oh, yeah! ♫