Precious Memories: July 2024

Wine Country Coastal Cruise on Discovery Princess

May 3, 2024 - Friday Victoria, B.C., Canada

Victoria was our last port of call on this cruise. We have been here three times during this past year already so there is not much else we wanted to see. The only place we have never been to was the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Our goal for this day was to get there and see if we can take a look inside.

Sailing past Salish Sea (Strait of Juan de Fuca) where we could see the majestic Mt. Olympus of Olympic National Park.

Arrived at Ogden Point Pier in Victoria.

After another delicious breakfast at the Juneau dining room, we were ready to explore.

Excellent weather, albeit a little chilly.

Must stop for a photo shoot.

We just leisurely walked from port to downtown. It was very pretty and an easy walk.

Assembly building from the side street (Menzies Street).

Stately building

Even though the front entrance was closed, we went up and asked the female guard standing there and she opened the door to let us inside. Everyone working there was courteous and welcoming. After getting through security, we were able to explore on our own. Free admission.

We spent about an hour in there without rushing through. It was good that it wasn't crowded and we were able to find things to check out on our own.

Beautiful flowers at the Empress Hotel.

Such vivid colors!

We strolled along Government Street a little, then walked back to port with a stop at Fisherman's Wharf. I surprised myself that I did not take any photos at Fisherman's Wharf. Oh well... Oh, but we did have that captured in the video.

Last dinner on board.

What a wonderful meal to end this sailing! We actually arrived Vancouver at around 11:00PM that evening but we did not get off the ship until the next morning.

For video of this day, please visit here.

"Give us today our daily bread." -- Mathew 6:11

Wine Country Coastal Cruise on Discovery Princess

May 2, 2024 - Thursday

After another sea day, we arrived at the beautiful port of Astoria, Oregon. We are quite familiar with this town since we love to make a stop here for the best fish and chips whenever we drive between Los Angeles and Seattle. This was also one of the stops on another Princess cruise that son and I went on in 2015. This quaint and lovely town at the mouth of Columbia River holds a special place in our hearts.

After a hearty breakfast, we were ready to get off the ship and explore.

We were lucky to have a beautiful, sunny day ahead of us. To tell the truth, I was a little worried that this port would be canceled because of wind and waves, which happens quite often. Exactly what happened on our cruise on Serenade of the Seas in 2022.

What a gorgeous day even though it was still a little chilly in the morning. Here, we could see the bridge that links Astoria with Warrenton in Youngs Bay. We will not go that direction on this trip.

The start of Astoria Megler Bridge is in the background.

We were told that many of these houses were purchased through catalogs and then put together by locals after they received all the needed materials from the manufacturers. Not sure if that's the truth though.

Getting off the ship. Conveniently located near town.

Vendors at port.

We were planning on taking the Riverwalk Trolley to town but nobody seems to know the exact schedule for the day, so we decided to just take the easy Riverwalk to town, as many other passengers were doing. We were also told that part of the trolley rail was damaged, so only about a one-mile route between the pier and downtown was available during that time.

Such a lovely, easy walk!

The 4-mile long Astoria Megler Bridge that links the states of Oregon and Washington on Hwy 101.

Maritime Memorial Park, a special dedication near the bridge.

Our ship and the Cannery Pier Hotel.

By the time we walked to the 6th Street Viewing Platform near downtown, we saw the first trolley coming by where it stopped near the platform.

$1 one way and $2 roundtrip, I think. They don't sell tickets, passengers just drop the fares into the box when boarding the trolley.

After taking in the stunning views of the river at the viewing platform, we went towards downtown and found these famous locations at Commercial and 8th. Those who are "Goonies" fans should be familiar with these sights.

Downtown Astoria. Oh, the space where the cones are, is where the shuttles from port make a stop. Shuttles was $8 per person for the day.

First thing first, getting our fish and chips at Bowpicker.

Cash Only. We were early enough to be the first in line on this day. Otherwise, the line can be very long because they only fry the fish after you order. Fresh and hot. One time we were in line for about 45 minutes. BTW, they close on Sundays.

Yummy! The reason we like this place is that they use tuna pieces instead of cod or any other ordinary fish. These are so much meatier and firmer. This time we ordered two whole orders plus 3 extra pieces for the 3 of us. Very satisfying!

Still no line yet.

Bowpicker Fish and Chips, right across from the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

Then we walked across to the maritime museum on the other side.

From there we could see the Astoria Column which we won't go on this trip.

It would be a perfect day to be up there with such lovely weather and can see miles around.

There's even a river cruise boat docked there that day!

Such unique and picturesque views.

Astoria Nordic Heritage Park

Not sure if this is new or we just missed it in the past. Right near the Maritime Museum is this Astoria Nordic Heritage Park, a very cute and interesting park commemorating Nordic and Scandinavian Immigrants in Astoria. There are public restrooms here which makes it convenient since the museum no longer allow non-visitors using theirs.

Some cute trolls on display.

Just had to get the famous custard (across from the park) before leaving.

Found a couple of necklaces at an antique store while walking back to the pier.

By now, we were kind of tired, so we decided to wait for the trolley to take us back to the pier. Many people also had the same idea, so there was a line getting back.