The Trip You Must Take, Part VI

The last full day on the Celebrity Infinity began with another surveyance of the mind boggling array of breakfast offerings. Normally, I'm fairly careful with what I eat, but such concerns, while not impossible to acknowledge on a cruise, are pretty moot in the face of such choices. And presentation. Name something; I guarantee it was available at one time or another. Recall also that the newlyweds religiously hit the ship's gym to try to repair the damage surely done by waffles, oversized omelets, stuffed French toast. During this day's workout, I noticed some of the Celebrity Singers on the mats and weight machines. That tenor who belted out the aria I spoke of was on the teadmill next to me at one point. Funny to see performers doing everyday things, like they exist in a world where run-of-the-mill things supposedly don't apply. Odd feeling. I bet people who live in Los Angeles are disappointed when they see Johnny Depp at the grocery store.

Our final stop was Victoria, British Columbia. After all the grandeur of Alaska, it seemed that this would be an underwhelming trip. As we slowly approached the Canadian port, watching the drama of the dockworkers quickly propelling the ropes to secure the big mother of a ship, I questioned why Victoria wasn't the first stop. It would've been like an appetizer for all the advneture and beauty of the 50th state. I thought back to when we perused the excursion list. Ketchikan and Juneau had all these exotic activities like zip lines, helicopters and seaplanes over glaciers, kayaking. Victoria had a much shorter list; most of the excursions only requiring walking. I was not expecting anything special. I was very wrong.

Just about every excursion centered around what is surely one of the most beautiful places I 've seen, the Butchart Gardens. For over a century, the Gardens has treated the public to a stunning array of flower gardens the likes I haven't ever seen. A bit of history-in the very early 1900s, a dry goods merchant named Robert Pim Butchart established a cement business on the limestone rich landsite on which the Gardens now reside. After the limestone resources were exhausted, Mrs. Butchart converted the pit into a sunken garden.

Gradually, she created separate areas reflecting the family's world travels. To this day there are Italian, Japanese, and other regional spreads. The Gardens became very popular in the 20th century, with fountains, totem poles, tea gardens, and other eccoutrements added as time went by. Over 700 varieties of plants are brought in each year, viewed by a about a million people annually. We were privileged to be among them. "There must be a special place in heaven for Mrs. Butchart," my wife said as we drank in the indescribable beauty of the grounds. It certainly looks as close to an idea of heaven as I've seen. Would love to return for their regular classical concerts on the lawn or their Christmas displays.

Right before we were bussed to the Gardens, we took a brief tour of the Butterfly Gardens, about a mile away. The unique owl butterfly, with its owl eyes denoting each wing, really stood out. The BG is an enclosed replica of a forest, complete with trees, a stream, flamingos, parrots. It reminded me of tropical Florida! BG is very similar to our own Butterfly World, located west of Pompano Beach. Both places are a delight and very calming. Educational as well.

The excursion unfortuneatly had to end and as we headed back to the ship, we got a very nice tour of downtown Victoria. Our bus driver expertly narrated as we careened through what appeared to be a well preserved batch of history. Great architecture. The driver stopped for 10 minutes, allowing us to take pictures of the government builing and the Empress, an ivy covered hotel that looked positively European. I learned after returning home that my upstairs neighbor once lived nearby that area! It was so attractive, thoughts of ditching the bus were voiced.

The driver continued to discuss the lovely town as we got closer to the ship. He had a great voice, broadcast worthy. Sure enough, Sonia asked him if he ever did any announcing as we got off the bus. "Good call! I was on radio for 20 years," he exclaimed.

By now it was 8:30 or so. We normally had early seating at the Trellis but decided to try to get a table at the late. There of course was our faithful Nieto, who gave us our own. 'For the honeymooners! We were sorry we did not get to see our dinner mates, but this final night was still very sweet. Pork chops? Magnificent!

Anyone who crusies knows that you are required to get your luggage ready the night before departure. We were already packed, so we were able to stroll the moonlight one final time before retiring. It was odd to see darkness at 10:30, as our Alaskan nights had midnight sunsets. It was a quiet night, no clubbing or anything. We had done that the night before, sweating on the dancefloor of the Constellation Club. No, tonight was for reflection. What a lovely time. I was sad, though, thinking that sometime early tomorrow we had to leave this floating palace of bliss. But, another adventure would soon begin....