Alaskan Journey--Our First Cruise

We had never been on a cruise ship before, so this was all a new experience. The closest thing I can compare it to is staying in an RV (size of cabin is comparable), and not having to drive to the scenic destinations (the ship docks there instead). We had fun on board, exploring the ship, watching the ocean, watching the humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, sea birds, and other ships, taking classes of many different kinds, and just relaxing in a deck chair. There were shows in the evenings, Broadway type musicals with fantastic talent, a comedian who was clean and funny at the same time, a show presented by the ship's crew, bingo games, culinary tours, and Park Ranger and historian presentations to aide in understanding the Native American culture, and the natural resources in the National Parks we visited. I would attend the culinary classes, hubby would get his computer fix with techno-classes. Tai chi helped me in the mornings or evenings, and we sat in the Crow's Nest lounge, drinking chai latte and iced coffee, watching the world go by. Our cabin steward was awesome, leaving us fresh towels every night, in the form of fantastic creatures. Of course I could have taken the class to learn how to fold towels too, but then I would feel compelled to begin changing our linens into creatures every night--NOT! There were two formal nights, when we dressed up. Hubby rented a tux, which was hanging up in our cabin when we arrived, and which saved him from schlepping around a suit for two weeks in a 40 pound suitcase. We especially enjoyed the chocolate night, which followed a formal night of dining, with a chocolate dessert bar set up all around the pool on the Lido deck. The chefs competed for best chocolate presentation, and the passengers enjoyed the samples. All in all, a great cruising experience on the Oosterdam, and we highly recommend it.

Return to the Lower 48

After leaving Victoria, our ship headed on south to Seattle, where we docked, cleared customs, and loaded onto another tour bus, this time to see the sights of Seattle. We stopped at the Pike St. Market area, but they weren't throwing any fish at the time, so we had some lunch and iced coffee. Then we went to the lock and dam area, and saw many commercial fishing boats moving through. This was spring still in Seattle, so the poppies were in bloom, alongside the walkway of the locks. We visited the Space Needle, and I was more impressed by their monorail commuter trains. Wish KC had something like that. While driving by the harbor, we spied a Chinese container ship loaded full of imports--hubby said those were all the LTD and beading supplies I had ordered. We spent the night in Seattle, resting up from our travels, then headed on home, back to summertime in MO.

Oh Canada!

Our ship left the Alaskan Maritime Highway, and traveled on south to Canada, where we docked at the port of Victoria BC. The local guide told us they call Victoria the "land of the newly wed and nearly dead", because many people honeymoon in Victoria, and many retired people move there. This is a beautiful city, and famous for its Empress Hotel and their high teas.

We arrived at Butchart Gardens in the evening, but because this is a higher latitude, the sun doesn't set until late, so we were confident to view most of the gardens before dark, and as the sun set, there were lit walkways all through the gardens. As we began exploring the paths, someone in our group remarked, "Why does it smell like a candy store?" I began sniffing at all the blooming plants, and discovered that the "candy store" fragrance was coming from all the rhododendrons, in spectacular full bloom. Wish this were a scratch and sniff blog, but it isn't, sorry! We boarded our bus, headed back to the ship and were on board in time for a midnight snack.

Ketchikan Next!

We docked at Ketchikan, and had a brief tourist visit to the inimitable gift shops, where I bought an Ulu knife for the kitchen. We then embarked on a city tour, which didn't take very long because it is a small city of about 8,000, and explodes to 18,000 when the ships dock. We journeyed to Totem Bight State Park, and walked the trails through the woods full of hemlocks, Sitka spruce (the Alaskan state tree), ferns, alders, and blueberry and thimbleberry bushes, and out to the water's edge. This park has totem poles placed all through the area, and a clan lodge which was reassembled there, for us to walk through and around. We saw eagles perched on top of totem poles, eagles carved on the tops of poles, and were told some raven tales, illustrated by the totem poles, on how the raven stole the sun, and how fog woman gave salmon to the Indians. Just as at the glaciers, everyone walked quietly through the woods, and into the lodge, then out to hear the stories of the totem poles, an inspiring day with nature and Alaskan natives.

Sitka Next

We awoke to swells on the ocean and a rumble of thunder. But fortunately the seas calmed, and we were able to enter Sitka harbor. The sun shone, and we boarded the tenders, because this is a harbor that is too small for the big ships. So we got another boat ride as a bonus. First settled by the Russians, Sitka is a small town with about 8500 people, and sets at the base of a dormant volcano, which does spit out smoke now and then. Our guide shared a funny story about a town prankster who lit off his own volcano eruption on the 4th of July one year, using a pile of old tires and fireworks, causing many people to call 911, asking about the volcano activity.

We boarded a bus, which took us to St. Michael's Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church, which is beautifully restored after a fire in the downtown district years ago. Then on to the Convention Center, where we enjoyed a group of all woman-Russian folk dancers. We went to the Sheldon Jackson Museum of native arts, and were wowed by the amazing collection of artifacts and handiwork, and got our first close-up look at forget-me-nots! We also discovered an old miner (statue) walking around the town and took a picture of him. While driving around Sitka we noticed many eagles in the harbor channels, awaiting lunch from the canneries. We found our own lunch on a balcony overlooking the town, and then ambled around in the gift shops, discovering a pharmacy with an old-fashioned soda fountain. Of course we had to sample their ice cream concoctions (mine was Italian soda and hubby had his usual hot fudge sundae), and then boarded the tender to return to the ship. Nice memories of a wonderful day in Sitka!