Last Post or is it an epilogue??

Just a note to ;et you know why there was such a lull between posts.

I tested positive for Covid.

Rough throat turned into a dry cough, is now a hacking cough and I am tired .

No other symptoms.

Waiting to hear from my doctor to get the anti viral,,,Paxlovid.

Ken has not gotten it this time.

Time for another nap!

Last Day of this adventure

We awoke to a wonderful warm and sunny day,. a great change from the rain and rough seas of yesterday.

We have book a sights of Victoria tour. It was a fun tour with the bus driver hitting the highlights and our very able guide giving us a run down of the history of the area. A lot of it we had seen but we knew very little of the history. One fun part was a trip to TIM HORTENS  Did you know that there are 6685 Tim's in Canada and that they have expanded over the globe? She told of of the hockey players life and his enterprenorial adventures They she took a beverage order from each of us. making certain to explain what a double double was. The bus stopped and we piled into the restaurant to enjoy our beverage and 4 Tim Bits.

Soon we were back at the cruise termonal and we were given a little goodie bag of things you can in Canada. Our bag contained cheesies and smarties and a small maple syrup.

Such Fun.

I used my cell phone to call Shelia and let her know where we were. At the breakwater enjoying the murals.She was just across the parking area and so soon we were on our way. We were given an amazing tour of her favorite spots in the city and then we headed for her lovely home.  As I had feared she went to entirely too much trouble. She even had a Cape Breton tartan tea cup especially for me. We even used the tea timer I had brought for her.

She showed me the painting of a bird that she wants me to do a painting for. It is not large so she would like 2 smaller paintings to go with it. She has honoured me by asking if I would do that for her. I am delighted to give it a try. I already have thoughts on the matter.

All too soon it was time to head back to the ship. We quickly finished up the packing. put the suitcases in the hall . gathered our tip envelopes and headed for the dining room.

Much to my surprise Gary senior had a duck. There was not a tag so we do not know who hid it but he found it nead an elevator. Neither Ken nor I found a duck.

Lots of great desserts tonight as we said good bye to the staff and thanked them so much for their service. It is a difficult life one that I know I could not do and they are to be commended.

We said our good byes to our new friends .

We are to disembark at 9:15 am and Stewart and Ellenor will be waiting for us.

I have a bit of a rough throat and am feeling tired this evening. Last night. 

We hate to get off. cruises are never long enough, I wonder if we will feel the same on May 11 of 2023.

Sea Day

 This is the second last day of our cruise. We got up early and headed out for breakfast. 

After breakfast I headed for the SPA and my hair appointment. Ken returned to our cabin to shower.

After my hair was done I headed to the international cafe to meet Ken and 4 fellow travellers.

At eleven we headed back to our room so we could change clothes and dress for lunch. Today is the day we are to have lunch as one of the most travelled passengers.

The food was amazing with 3 courses and wine. The officers did not sit with us because of covid protocall. But we did sit with interesting travellers. One of the ships photographers took photos of each couple.

After lunch we headed back to our rooms to wait until it was time for dinner. This is a formal night and lobster is on the menu....??

This is special because all will be dressed up and tomorrow night everyone will have on their travelling duds.

Escargowas on the menu and since that is one of my favs I enjoyed that. Ken loves the lobster tails. Kex gave him 2 and I gave him mine so he was well lobxtered before the night was over.

We left the dining room and headed to the theatre, a big production show tonight and we always enjoy those.

Tomorrow we are in Victoria for an excursion and tea with Shelia.

Prince Rupert

This would be our first visit to Prince Rupert even though it is in British Columbia.

We had tried to book something for here but it was sold out so we decided to just walk around and see what there was to do.  Not having plans meant we could have a liesurly breakfast and then head out after that. 

When we finished breakfast it was raining, not a heavy rain but not dry either. Since Ketchikan had been wet in the early morning and sunny later in the day we decided to wait a while. 

That was a mistake... as the day progressed it got wetter and wetter, until it became an almost torential downpour with wind. As we watched the wind was playing havoc with umbrellas and the rain was almost going sideways.

Our first visit to Prince Rupert would have to wait for another time. 

I did however manage to get pictures from the promenade deck and the top decks.

The show in the theatre was good. His name was Darren Dowler. He had been the lead singer of Paul Raveen and the Raiders. 

After the show we called it a day.

Tomorrow will be very busy!!

Ketchikan

 Ketchikan

This is know as a very rainy city and today it proved to be true, at least in the beginning. We set the smart phone and the cruise ship wake up sysyem for 6:00. ( both worked).

Ken had to be on shore for 7:20 so we ordered room service for breakfast, It was raining and it was very cool. When breakfast arrived the server asked if I was going along and I said I was not because I did not like being cold and wet. He then assured me that before noon the sun would shine. We did not have much faith in his forcast but he was correct, by eleven it was getting sunny.

Anyway after Ken left I did a few errands. I made certain our arrive can was good and ready for Prince Rupert and our return to Canada.

Then I hid the last two of our ten ducks. We still have not found one. We are wondering who else on board is playing the game.

I also gave away 7 of the 10 paintings that I brought with me for just that purpose. 

By now the weather had improved so I headed ashore. I had great fun exploring the shops and the shore side attractions. 

There are three of the Holland America ships in port along with us so the city is busy.

A fourth one arrived late in the day.

I was keeping an eye out for toast racks so I went into the Salvation Army Thrift Shop. They did not have a toast rack but they did have a hallowe'en costume that would be perfect for the Red Hat party. I am really pleased with my find.

When I returned to the ship Ken was in the cabin. He did not catch a salmon but neither did he get sea sick. Apparently the waters were very rough at times. Gravol did the trick.

After lunch and an afternoon nap it was time to get ready for dinner. I gave paintings to our table mates and they were very well received.

The piano player Ahern was back in the Princess Theatre so we came back to our cabin.

When we arrived we were again treated to a towel figure. This time it was an amazing swan. I was thrilled and took loads of pictures of it.

Our stewart is a gem.

Tomorrow we are back in Canada...we arrive in Prince Rupert at 7:00 am. Clocks change and we are back to Abbotsford time.