May 1-2 - Home Again

 It's taken a couple of days to get to this, the last entry.  We woke early on Wednesday morning and were out of the cabin by 7:30.  Rather than greet the crowds at the buffet, we just got a quick breakfast yogurt and nuts at Coffee Connection and watched the morning bustle.  We saw Jan/Tom and Sarah and a few other passengers and crew and were able to say one last goodbye.  We never saw Phil/Carol, which was surprising, but we had said goodbye last night.  They were a bit late getting started, but eventually, we were called off.  Our luggage was waiting for us as promised so we collected it and headed to our transfer bus to the airport. 

It was a beautiful ride through Vancouver streets to the airport where check-in went without a hitch.  Both TSA and US Immigration and Customs are there, so you get all of that out of the way before even getting to the gate.  After Customs, there is a sign welcoming you to the USA.  That was nice, but they still wanted Canadian currency at the concession stands.  I bought a breakfast sandwich meal (including coffee/tea and a doughnut) at Tim Horton's which seemed fitting.  

We sat in a lovely large waiting area at our gate while the flight before us boarded.  Soon after that, they closed that area and we had to move.  Some poor fellow was in the restroom when they closed the doors and he set off an alarm when he tried to leave the area.  Eventually, his wife arrived with a cleaning person who let him out.  We had a long wait for our flight which boarded at 1:00 pm, but it was a comfortable wait.  

The flight to Chicago went smoothly as did the next flight to Washington DC.  With my status on United (earned by buying timeshares at Marriott!) we got seats in Economy Plus which helped a little bit.  Arrival at Dulles Airport was not until midnight, so we took the shuttle bus to the Courtyard at Herndon.  We started to board the Courtyard at Chantilly bus, but fortunately, the driver asked us to confirm which of the 4 Courtyard hotels we were heading to.  Lesson learned.

After a mostly sleepless night, we got breakfast at the Starbucks in the lobby and caught a Lyft home. The last time we took an Uber from the airport, they charged us $8 for tolls on the Express Lanes on I-66 which we hadn't even used.  Our Lyft driver assured us they don't do that, and he was right, so Lyft it is from now on.

All was well with the house and the yard is in full bloom so it looks beautiful.  We got the water turned on and heated and by late afternoon had all our laundry done (I wash everything whether it's dirty or not), the mail dealt with and grocery shopping done.  Had a light dinner of salmon and salad, watched a few TV shows and hit the sack.  Of course, I still had trouble sleeping, so I got up to finish this blog.

And one last thing:  our next cruise in in early June where we will join my sister, Sue; brother Phil; and Jan/Tom for a Princess cruise from San Francisco to Alaska roundtrip on the Crown Princess.  While waiting to depart Wednesday morning, what do we see on the next pier:

Right above the brown bit is the name of the ship.

So, I'll end here with thanks that we had such a wonderful trip with family and good friends and learned so much more about the world we live in.  Until next time, safe travels and keep smiling!

April 30 - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

 Today was our last day of the cruise.  We didn't dock until 10 am so we had a leisurely morning before our 10:30 tour "Grand Victoria and High Tea at the Empress Hotel."  We had a very nice double-decker bus and since Michael and I went out as soon as we got our bus ticket, we got the front seats on top.  Jan/Tom came out in short order (following our scofflaw ways) and sat next to us just before Phil/Carol took the seats behind.  It's interesting that without consulting each other, and with 15 tours to choose from, we all picked the same one.  I guess that's why we all get along so well.

We took a short tour of Victoria and it is a beautiful place.  The weather started a little cloudy with light showers, but it cleared up pretty quickly.

This was on the roof of a pier building next to our ship.  It looks like the skeleton of a bird's nest, but it's tied down.  Maybe it is reused by the bird pair each year.

Mile 0.  This is the Western starting point of the Trans Canada Highway which goes all the way across Canado to Newfoundland.  Our guide told a funny story that he and his girlfriend drove the whole thing over many days right up to the very last bit which is a 14 hour ferry ride to Newfoundland.  She decided she didn't want to do the ferry part, so they turned around and drove home.  She's now his ex-girlfriend.

A lovely park in the middle of the city.  I didn't get a photo, but we saw a pair of ducks crossing the street in the pedestrian zone.  Even the ducks here are polite.

It's a little hard to see, but the bike lanes (in green on the right) have their own stoplights.

The Empress Hotel through the bus window.  We parked around back so I didn't get a better photo.

The entrance to their Chinatown.  It's not very large, only a couple of blocks, but only the Chinatown in San Francisco is older.

There's a tiny street, called Fan Tan Alley. right where that man is standing.  It's just about 3 feet wide.  They filmed a motorcycle chase down it for a movie and they had to shave down the handlebars so it would fit.

On to High Tea at the Empress.  It is a beautiful iconic hotel completed in 1908 and has been serving High Tea ever since.  I'm afraid no one was really dressed up as one would have back in the day, but we did see a couple of young girls in dresses with nice fascinators (English hats like they wear at weddings) which was fun.

We had 3 types of tea (fruit, green and black) and a lovely assortment of scones (the best ever with clotted cream and jam), sandwiches and sweets.  It's a good thing we had a light breakfast.

 

So you can steep your tea for the correct amount of time.  Heathens that we are, we didn't pay any attention,

It is a beautiful tea room.  You may notice our waiter on the left with his hands on his hips.  He's staring at a couch where a family with 2 very young children had been.  Apparently one had an accident of some kind because, after this picture, they spent a very long time cleaning with spray bottles, gloves and masks, moving pillows and cushions, etc.  We didn't notice any problem, but it was amusing.

The decorated postal boxes are supposed to discourage graffiti artists.

The Legislative Assembly building

What a lovely tour to end the cruise.  We've been to Victoria on cruises before, but never took the plunge to splurge on High Tea.  Since our tours are "free" (pre-paid) with Regent, it was the perfect opportunity.

Back on board, we returned to our suite to find the dreaded "Farewell" cover and our suitcases on the bed.  We have to have the checked bags out by 10 pm.  Sigh ....

The seven of us had one last dinner together at Pacific Rim and it was wonderful, as always.  Here's one last photo.

Phil, Carol, Tom, Jan, Sarah, Michael, me

We're scheduled to be called off the ship around 8:20 am for our transfer to Vancouver airport.  The checked bags are out in the hallway, and we are ready to crawl into our bed for the last time.  Tomorrow will be a long day.