The regal Fairmont Empress Hotel.

A perfect afternoon high tea at the lovely Fairmont Empress Hotel was a fitting conclusion to our Alaska cruise, in our final port of Victoria, BC, Canada. I booked the tea directly with the hotel. They offer extended evening hours in the summer months to accommodate the cruising visitors, many of whom don’t arrive until late in the day (as we did). Shuttle buses and taxis are readily available at the port and we grabbed a shuttle into downtown. for those who don’t mind walking it would be a beautiful and easy walk of 20 – 30 minutes. We walked around a bit and visited a few shops. Victoria was as beautiful as I remembered, but unfortunately on this visit we encountered quite a few older, aggressive beggars in the area.

Our leisurely stroll led us to the Empress, through their colorful manicured gardens and into the historic tea room. The service was exceptional, the hot tea served in silver teapots, and the savories delicious.   The experience lived up to its reputation and we enjoyed every morsel. Afterwards, we checked out a bit of the street theater held regularly along the harbor (across the street from the hotel), and then grabbed a cab back to our ship. We set sail for our return to Seattle at one minute before midnight.

Lights on at night at the Parliament complex, Victoria.