R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 146

28-Day Pacific Cruise Series

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Nawiliwili, Kauai

Today begins a series on a 28-day Pacific cruise aboard the Crown Princess that took place from October 17 to November 14, 2015. Along the way we’ll be making port on nine islands. Those ports are Hilo, Honolulu, Lahaina, and Nawiliwili in the Hawai’ian Islands; Apia on the island of Samoa; Fagatogo, the port serving nearby Pago Pago on American Samoa; and the French Polynesian ports of Bora Bora, Mo’orea, and Papeete in the Society Islands.

For today’s article I have chosen...

Fun Photo Friday — Vancouver Favorites

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The Laughing Statues of English Bay

Today concludes this series on the Crown Princess West Coast cruise from April-May, 2016. I hope you enjoyed the journey. Below is today’s Fun Photo Friday of Vancouver favorites:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Crown Princess, Fun Photo Friday, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, vacation, Vancouver

Continuing our Hop-On/Hop-Off tour of Vancouver

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Canadian Chinese Monument

One of the stops we made from our Hop-On/Hop-Off tour of Vancouver was near Granville Island. Granville isn’t really an island; it’s a peninsula. Youwalk over tothis shopping district from the H-O/H-O stop that services it by passing beneath Granville Street Bridge and along a marina on False Creek.

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False Creek marina

I love photographing marinas, for some reason. Perhaps it’s the vertical features of the masts, or maybe it’s just that I enjoy seeing boats.

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False Cre...

The End of the Cruise — Vancouver, B.C.

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Leaving behind the Crown Princess

We disembarked from the Crown Princess for the final time this journey on May 6, 2016. Our hotel was within an easy walk of the Canada Place cruise terminal, and equally convenient to Vancouver’s famed Gastown District. The hotel, which I highly recommend, was the Delta Hotel by Marriott Vancouver Suites. It had everything from a great suite to a fantastic location with easy access to Vancouver’s Hop-On/Hop-Off bus. Yep, another city, another hop-on/hop-off t...

Fun Photo Friday — Victoria Favorites 2

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Green on Green

Today concludes our visit to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Starting Monday we’ll disembark from the Crown Princess on our final stop, and tour the city of Vancouver (not to be confused with the Island of Vancouver). Here is today’s photo gallery and slide show:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Crown Princess, Fun Photo Friday, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, vacation, Vancouver Island, Victoria ...

Victoria— Continuing on the Juan de Fuca Strait

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On Government Street

Victoria’s Empress Dock is along Government Street, and it’s from here that you may catch the Victoria Ferry tour of the Juan de Fuca Strait. It’s also from the Empress Dock that you’ll get some really great shots of the British Columbia Legislative Parliament.

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B.C. Legislative Assembly Parliament Building

I absolutely love photographing this impressive late 19th Century structure. Construction started in 1893 and was completed four years later. Here is a close-up view of...

Victoria — The Strait of Juan de Fuca

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Red, White, and Yellow

From March through October there’s another view available on your visit to Vancouver Island. That would be taking a ferry watertour from the Empress Dock on the Wharf. Tickets are available at the nearby visitors center. The Victoria Harbor Ferry tour boats look pretty much like the yellow H2O taxis, and you board them on the same dock as the taxis, but they’re green instead of yellow. Here’s a view of a similar but slightly smallerH2O taxi:

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Taxi Tour of the Strait

The...

Fun Photo Friday — Victoria Favorites 1

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B.C. Legislative Assembly

Here is today’s photo gallery of some Victoria favorites. Click on any image below to enlarge and start the slide show:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Crown Princess, Fun Photo Friday, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, vacation, Victoria Island

Victoria — The views along the wharf

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Bastion Square Public Market

I find downtown Victoria a very colorful and fun place to photograph. Art and interesting architecture greet you everywhere you turn.

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Clinging to Brick

But reaching the wharf area brings you a whole new vista:

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Juan de Fuca Strait

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Juan de Fuca Strait

It’s at this point that you’ll want to get off the main street and descend down to the wharf itself. Are you an aviation buff? Stroll by the float planes of Harbour Air:

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Harbour Air DHC-6 Twin Otter

Are boats more your...

Victoria — Johnson Street and the Wharf

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Wharf Street park overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Crown Princess made port in Victoria Island,British Columbia on May 5, and Ursula and I decided to hit the downtown streets by foot. I’m glad we did, because there is much here to see and photograph. This is especially true of the great old buildings along Johnson Street:

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Johnson Street

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Grand Pacific Hotel, Johnson Street

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Market Square, Johnson Street

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A hard map to fold into your pocket

Walking west eventually gets you to the Juan de Fu...