I am so far behind in my novel writing, I’m not sure when I’ll catch up. I promised myself that I would keep a good journal of my time in Alaska. It was the trip of a lifetime for us and I wanted to be sure I captured as many of the highlights as I could.

Dave did such a fabulous job with the pictures, which made it much easier for me to organize the 8 day blog I posted here on this site. But that has kept me so busy, there is no time to dig into my book.

I feel like I’ve completely lost the story so will likely be spending the next few days re-reading the entire manuscript. Isn’t that weird how fast you can get away from the flow? The characters are less clear to me now and I need to find at least two days to wake them up. I know they are patiently waiting for me to move them along. Poor things. I just left them hanging there…wherever they are. See? I can’t even remember where they are or what they were doing. I’m doomed. Ugh. I give myself until July 1 to get back in gear.

Day 7 on The Pearl: Victoria, BC

Today was our last day on The Pearl. Why does time fly so much more quickly when you’re not sitting in a 7 x 10 cubicle? Strange, how that is.

We slept in a little later than we had been – partly because we were up late (with the waves tossing the ship from side-to-side, it was tough to get to sleep!) — and partly JUST because we could. We have had a busy week and here we were : packing day.

The mood on “the last day” is always a little less jovial than the first day. Our fellow passengers were, like us, packing clothes back into suitcases, checking under bunks for the deodorant they lost on day 3, and basically preparing themselves for re-entry into the real world.

We had breakfast in the dining room with the boys and then Dave and I hit the spa for one last round of relaxation. We savored every last minute — soaked in the whirlpool, then lounged in the therapy pool, then back to the whirlpool. I gave the spa my tension, and as far as I was concerned, there was a “no return” policy, so I was leaving this ship before they tried to give it back.

We were back in calm waters, so we met the boys for a quick lunch and few games of shuffleboard. Nick and I teamed up against Dave and Dylan. I can’t remember who won, but it was a lot of fun.

Lunchtime!

Showtime
As we were arriving in Victoria, B.C. at 5 p.m., the traditional evening “Farewell” show was scheduled for early afternoon  in The Stardust Theatre. A return performance from the jugglers and some lively music by the Four Seasons cover band brought the audience to its feet.

After the show we spent the next hour packing and getting ready for our arrival in Victoria.

Victoria
We arrived at the port of Victoria a little early and we were on shore by 4:45.

Approaching the port of Victoria, British Columbia

What a beautiful city! The taxi driver took us to the downtown district and dropped us off in front of  The Empress Hotel — one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria.

The Empress Hotel

The hotel was built in 1904 and is well-known for its Edwardian afternoon tea service. During the summer months, the hotel serves tea, tea sandwiches, fresh scones and Jersey cream to hundreds of tourists and guests in its Tea Lobby.

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and has a well-earned reputation for its myriad of beautiful gardens. Over-flowing baskets of flowers hang from the classic antique lampposts that line the downtown streets. The distinctive architecture was charming and the city has an old-world feel to it.

Parliament Buildings

Even though many of the larger stores closed at 6, the downtown district was still buzzing. Street musicians and artists added the beauty of their music to the scenery. We came across one artist whose sidewalk art was breathtaking.

Sidewalk art

Bastion Square
The site of the original Fort Victoria, and said to be one of the most haunted areas of the city, Bastion square is home to many shops, arts and crafts venues, and restaurants and cafes that offer a scenic view of Inner Harbor.

Bastion Square

It was here that I finally found the perfect souvenir from my trip. Traditionally, I like to buy one small piece of jewelry — inexpensive but authentic to the region — on every vacation. I prefer for it to be made locally, or made from materials that are from that particular region. My find was a beautiful necklace, hand-crafted by a local artist. It was lovely and she was sweet, and I was glad that I was supporting a local artist.

The Harbor (Harbour, in Canadian…)
After my big “find,” we headed back to the harbor. We only had a few hours in Victoria, but when we arrived, I spotted a market across from The Empress hotel.

The Ship Point Market

View of the Empress from the market

We strolled through the market, listened to a band play, and Nick found the best Belgian waffle he said he’d ever had in his life. He also found a new friend on the Harbor, who gave him a little trouble.

Nick's new friend

Back on board — last night of our Alaskan voyage
We were back on board around 9 p.m.. The boys headed up to the teen room so they could spend some time with new friends on the last night. Dave and I spent the evening in the lobby bar, listening to music, dancing and trying to savor every last minute of our last night aboard The Pearl.

Waiter dances for us

At 12:30, we finally called it a night. Our Alaskan voyage had come to an end. It was heavenly. Perfection. Beautiful. Even better than I imagined. Lots of laughs. Dancing and dining. Scenery that took my breath away.

And Sex at Sunset (the drink…of course).

Photo credit: Dave Morrison

Day 6 on The Pearl: Ketchikan, Alaska

Arrived in Ketchikan early, and got off the ship right after breakfast as we only had a short time on shore. All aboard was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Just enough time to do a little shopping, and tour the “Red Light District” of Creek Street.

Ketchikan –known as the salmon capital of the world — is five hundred miles north of Seattle, is Alaska’s “first city,” with a historic downtown area that welcomes cruise passengers daily.  Nestled between water and forested mountains, Ketchikan is not built into steep hills. Steep wooden staircases, boardwalks and totem poles are dotted throughout the city.

Ketchikan, Alaska

Downtown Ketchikan

Steep steps

Shopping in Ketchikan
We hopped on shuttle (free!) from the dock to downtown and poked through the numerous shops and galleries in search of the perfect gift for Nick’s girlfriend. The day was cold. Colder than any of the other ports we’d stopped along the way.

We found some interesting shops and were greeted at several of the shops by large Ketchikan wildlife.

The boys and a Ketchikan bear

We spotted a moose in Ketchikan

Some of our favorite finds at the souvenir shops were the hats. Not just any hat. If you’re in Ketchikan, you have to get yourself a warm hat. We tried on a few.

Does this hat make my head look fat?

It's Nick the Moose

"Wear the Fox Hat?"

Creek Street
Creek Street is located just a short walk from the dock. We strolled down the rustic boardwalk and popped in and out of the  rows of wooden buildings perched over the water on pilings. The brightly painted boutiques and shops once catered to gentlemen seeking the company of “sporting women.”

Creek Street

Dave and I sporting our new ear muffs

The red-light district – shut down in 1953 — draws cruise passengers all summer long. Most are there to see Dolly’s house. Dolly Arthur opened up her brothel in 1919 to provide local men with alcohol and girls. Today, the museum at Dolly’s house gives you a peek into the bawdy ways of frontier life.

Dolly's House

All Aboard
Back on board, we had lunch at The Blue Lagoon. Good burgers and bar food here and it’s open 24 hours for hungry cruisers who may have missed their midnight snack.

After lunch, the boys disappeared into the teen room, and we hid out in the spa. It was around 5 o’clock that we noticed that the ship wasn’t sailing as smoothly as it had been the day before. And it got much, much worse. After a quick shower, we headed to the Star Bar for our half price martini (Sex at Sunset, baby!), and by then the ship was really rocking.

The Star Bar is on Deck 13, overlooking the pool deck, and is surrounded by windows. We could see the staff outside on the deck furiously trying to tie down the chairs and take the tables off the deck. The wind was so strong, they were having some trouble — and when they turned their back, two of the small tables flew up and over the railing. Incredible.

Trying to tie down the chairs

We met the boys for dinner and then they were off again.

Dave and I spent the evening trying our luck at the casino. I found a pretty decent slot machine that kept me busy for at least an hour, before taking my $20.

We headed to the Spinnaker lounge, thinking we’d take in the show before bed, but the the lounge is at the front of the ship and we’d had about enough “rocking” for the day, so we called it a night.

It turned out that the waves we were watching out the porthole of the window at the casino were 27 feet high! No wonder we felt like we were on a roller-coaster!

Photo credit: Dave Morrison

Getting ready for the trip today. Worked the “day job” in the morning, and then packed and got on the plane. Our flight was delayed due to weather so we left the gate after 7:30 p.m. — arriving at the hotel in Seattle close to midnight. The city was still bustling and we were able to convince room service to send us up burgers — to the tune of $20 per burger — as we hadn’t eaten since lunch. Complimentary pretzels and half a glass of diet Coke does not a dinner make.

No writing today — though I do intend to journal daily (on paper, of course), and then plug it into this blog when I return. Hope to have some stunning photos to include with my posts.

Alaska, here I come!