Victoria, British Columbia was supposed to be our big zip lining day.
Poor Alan. This would have been his very first real zip line adventure. I’ve been zip lining a few times at a nice little adventure area we live near, but Alan had never been. I’m going to get that man on a zip line yet!
Honestly, I think he was more disappointed than I was. I think mostly because he was looking forward to watching me scream my way across the forest canopy.
So instead of soaring through the treetops like adventurous Canadians, we took the city shuttle downtown and improvised our own Victoria day.
Which, honestly, turned out pretty lovely.
We wandered through town and found lunch at Bartholomew’s, a cozy little restaurant tucked along one of Victoria’s narrower streets. It had that charming tucked-away feel that makes you think, “Okay yes, this was a good decision.” Good food, relaxed atmosphere, and a nice reset after the zipline disappointment.
After lunch, Alan and I split up for our separate versions of happiness.
Alan grabbed his camera gear and headed off toward the parks for an afternoon of birding and wandering. He spent time in Beacon Hill Park and another smaller waterfront park nearby, happily racking up steps while searching for feathered subjects. No new bird species made an appearance for him, but honestly, birding isn’t always about the list. Sometimes it’s just about being outside with a camera in a beautiful place.
Meanwhile, I embarked on what may have been my most dangerous Canadian adventure of all:
Art supply shopping.
I found supplies for my onboard drawing students and may have gotten just a tiny bit carried away. By the time I was done, I had pencils, fine-line markers, sharpeners, erasers, kneaded erasers, and small sketchbooks for each of my ten regular students.
Because apparently I’ve become that teacher.
Honestly though, I’ve grown really attached to this little art community that formed during our sea days. Watching people discover drawing, shading, and creativity has been one of the unexpected highlights of this entire cruise.
I eventually Ubered back to the ship and spent part of the afternoon assembling little paper gift bags for everyone. It felt a bit like cruise-ship Santa Claus for aspiring artists.
Alan, meanwhile, continued roaming parks and trails until his fitness tracker probably filed a formal complaint.
That evening we headed back into town for dinner at The Flying Otter Grill. The weather had turned chilly, but we stubbornly chose outdoor seating anyway because there was no other available seating.
Or maybe after Antarctica and Alaska, this barely registered anymore.
Either way, we sat outside, enjoying dinner and the harbor atmosphere while reflecting on a day that didn’t go remotely as planned – yet somehow still turned out exactly right.