North to Alaska Part 6

 

North to Alaska Part 6

Today is a sea day. I like sea days... it’s quiet, it’s peaceful and gives a lot of time to admire the vast sea drifting by. On a sea day you don’t have to do a thing. Of course, if you want to keep busy and socialize with your fellow cruisers you can partake in all the wacky, activities that cruises plan to keep their guests happy. Stuff like the daily crossword, scavenger hunts, indoor crazy golf, indoor bocce ball, indoor bean toss, team trivia, bingo, rock and roll dance lessons, mah-jongg social play (whatever that is) and of course bridge.  

On sea days you can always count they will have a “Ladies Pamper” party in an attempt to sell you wrinkle vanishing creams and serums to make you look 10 years younger. Like that is gonna work. There also is bound to be massage treatments at a discounted price. So instead of paying 250 dollars for a 50-minute massage you get rubbed down for a mere 199 bucks. 

A really big sea time activity is pawing thru the stuff on tables set out in the lobby. These are piled high with tons of jewelry, tee shirts, purses from the on-board boutique gifts stores they haven’t been able to sell. But the most favorite thing for cruisers to do on a sea day is eat and then find a big comfy chair in a quiet spot and close their eyes. You see them everywhere, mouths open and their book flopped on the floor.

For Jay and I our favorites things to do on a sea day is take a nap, read and go to the casino.  Ok, maybe not in that order. I visited the casino early today because a skinny little old lady, (I’m sorry, a petite, mature woman) with bleached hair hogged my favorite slot machine for hours last night.  I showed her! I got the machine first this morning. She was probably at the Vitality beauty center getting her hair bleached when I, to my surprise, won.  The early bird gets the worm.

Tonight is another specialty dinner at the Polo club. It is the fancy steakhouse with steaks and chops, prime rib king cut 32 oz. Really, 32 ounces? I think I am leaning toward the surf and turf with lobster and filet mignon and going with the Polo Quintet desert, a sampling of five desserts that includes chocolate fudge brownie, key lime pie, caramelized New York cheesecake, Crème Bulee and a granny smith apple crumb pie. After all I expended a lot of calories today sitting at my slot machine.

Tomorrow is our last full day of the cruise and we will be in Victoria Canada. We love Victoria!

 

Victoria, Canada

If you think Victoria is just about quaint streets and coastal views think again. Nestled in the cultural heart is the Royal BC Museum, a treasure trove of history and it feels like you stepped into a living storybook. We have been here at least four times throughout the years and always loved it. This time we both thought it was as good but not as good as we remembered… exhibits come and go and things are bound to change since our last visit 5 years ago. Our absolute favorite museum continues to be the Hong Kong History Museum.

A few years ago, we spent two weeks in Victoria staying in an apartment in Chinatown, so we know the city well. This time we skipped the Butchart Gardens and just stayed close to the port.

The other attraction we never miss when we are in Victoria is the

Fairmont Empress Hotel. We don’t go for High Tea but the charcoal popcorn at the elegant Q bar. Yes, you read that right, charcoal popcorn.   It is smoky, savory and addictive. Ok, it turns your teeth a bit gray. Who cares? Everybody munching on the stuff has grey teeth. It is a favorite that is made with olive oil, charcoal powder, sea salt and a little sugar. It is so good.

Along with our popcorn we had a “flight” of gin specialties. The first was bright purple and called Indigo, the second was Elderflower Rose a pretty red and the last was a Cucumber Lemon that was clear. Fun to taste, but made it a bit harder to walk back to the ship.

When we got back to the ship, we packed, had a light dinner and toasted with a glass of champagne to our next trip. That is in November, taking a train from Reno to Colorado Springs.

Can’t wait. 

That’s all folks. The trip is over. We leave for home tomorrow to pet our cat.

 

 

 

 

North to Alaska Part 5

 

North to Alaska Part 5

Wrangell

 

Last night our dinner at the Tuscan Italian restaurant was like a production. The bread basket served was more like a bread bouquet. It featured a variety of seeded rolls, sourdough, ciabatta bread, bread sticks and roasted garlic arranged like a work of art. Then we were offered a selection of infused olive oils and vinegars.  After our veal dishes we finished with a quartet of desserts: biscotti, panna cotta, tiramisu and cheesecake. In a word, buonissimo.

This morning, we arrived in Wrangell. In the daily cruise newsletter, it describes Wrangell as quaint, charming, and authentic. Those are all code words for small, dull and basically not much going on. Why cruise ships stop here is a mystery except that it fills another day on the itinerary and give guests time to wash their socks. Wrangell is a small working man town. Businesses are marine centered. A walk down Front Street and you have seen it all. It has a few  shops, cafes,  bars  but not a tourist mecca by any means. With its 2,000 residents they welcome cruisers because it’s somebody new to see and chat with.

On our walk we had a cup of coffee at the quaint Sea Tides Bakery and watched the locals pick up homemade cinnamon rolls piled high with cream cheese frosting. We passed on buying one because at this point we can’t button our pants …too much food.

The highlight was going to the IGA grocery store and buying some shoelaces for Jay. Often on our trips overseas we like to go to grocery stores because they provide an insight to the culture. Our visit to IGA was no different. We looked at the prices of goods noting the price of 4 rolls of toilet paper was $15.99.  The store had a large selection of liquors, and lots of fish, fresh fish. That tells you a lot about the community.

We also noticed a few very large signs posted on buildings promoting Sophia Martinsen for Fourth of July Queen. I sure hope she got elected. We found out later she is 16 years old and she was the sole candidate and that her team was working very hard to keep the town’s beauty queen tradition alive. Now that is hometown pride.

Anyway I will end this story because as you probably have figured out by now there is nothing to report to you this day. We are off to the Jacuzzi to watch the fog drift in.

 

Klawock

If yesterday’s port Wrangell was small, today’s port Klawock is really, really, small. It is home to about 700 residents. The town  wasn’t even described as “charming” but as “serene.”  We will have to take their word on that cause we are not going ashore probably like most of the ship. Unless you have booked a whale watching or fishing expedition, tendering into the port, riding a bus into town to see the oldest fish cannery in Alaska and more  totem poles doesn’t seem as good as staying on the ship admiring beautiful views and soaking up some sunshine.

Yep today will be about 70 degrees and bright and warm. Even the cruise Director said in his 15 years cruising Alaska he can’t remember a cruise having better weather.

 Klawock is a new port that opened last year with the help of Oceania cruise line money. It is a growing trend for cruise companies to develop a port’s infrastructure with gift shops, restaurants, entertainment under the premise it supports local communities. But the reason, of course is that they get the cut of the money spent.   These sanitized theme parks mimic local culture without requiring guests to venture far from the ship.  It is a trend that is happening all over the world, and not a good one. We are fortunate to have travelled all over the world and not felt we were in Disneyland unless of course we were in Disneyland.

Tomorrow is a sea day and I love sea days. Then the next day we will be in Victoria Canada until 10 p.m.

For now, “ta ta”.

 

 

 

North to Alaska Part 4

 

North to Alaska Part 4 

At 7 a.m. we arrive in Juneau and we have lucked out again. It is another beautiful day, the sun is out and it is warm.  Juneau has a rainy climate, although it is said to be typically light rain, you will still need some type of rain gear for about 230 days a year. Today it is 76 degrees, no wind. It just doesn’t get better than this.

Most people think Anchorage, not Juneau, is the capitol of Alaska.   It never crossed my mind one way or another. Then again, because I live in Nevada who would think Carson City would be Nevada’s capitol. 

Juneau is unusual because it is the only U.S. capitol where there are no roads to get here. You need to come by either boat or air. One look at the high steep mountains and rugged terrain you understand why.   The construction of roads would be a huge challenge since they would need to cross glaciers, rivers, unstable terrain and be subject to avalanche closures.

 Most tourists come here by cruise ship. Today there are five cruise ships in town, bringing  over 10,000 people into port. Of course, many of those go on excursions like whale watching, dog sledding, panning for gold, fishing, helicopter rides, or bear viewing by floatplane. Some stay on board, but the majority walk the downtown historical section of Juneau, like we did this morning. 

Shops don’t open until 10, then all hell breaks loose. Tourists tend to be either gawkers or shoppers or try to get a table at Tracey’s, the place to go if you want crab or stand in line to get into the Red Dog Saloon to get that reindeer sausage sandwich they think they  have been craving. The other hotspot is the Alaska Fudge Company which features 22 flavors of fudge. We wandered in thinking we might get a sample of this local delight, but there were no free nibbles, probably providing samples to all the hordes of tourists would leave them nothing to sell. 

Surprising Juneau has a notable homeless crisis for its population because of its remote location. I guess it makes hitching a ride to somewhere a bit challenging, not to mention surviving elements, the moose and bears. The cost of living here is as high as the mountains. Many cannot afford housing, let alone groceries that are said to be 1/3 more than anywhere in U.S. I read that Juneau pays people to live here on an average of a $1,600. stipend a month as long as they have lived here the previous year.

 We saw quite a few homeless early this morning but by the time shops opened, and cruisers flooded the streets they either blended in or ran for the hills. 

I think Juneau is a beautiful place but no way I would live here. The rain alone would start making me start to quack. I would undoubtedly suffer from S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder in both winter and summer. On December 21^st the sun is up for only is 6 hours. In summer June 20^th is the longest day of the year with 18 hours of light causing many to suffer from mood agitation, anxiety and insomnia.

Once back on the ship we watched float planes come and go while soaking up some sun on our balcony.  We decided to eat a late lunch and skip dinner. Too much Food!

Tomorrow we will be in Sitka.

 

SITKA

Now I know why we brought our rain jackets… today is typical Alaska weather, overcast, foggy, gloomy and looks likely to rain. Skita Sheet Ka originally settled by the Tlingit (pronounced Kling kit) then was taken over by Russians then Alaska was sold to the U.S. in 1867. 

It is a small town with only 8,000 population and like Juneau is only accessible by air and sea, thus again impacting the costs and availability of goods and services. Fishing industry is the backbone of its economy, and the views are postcard worthy. To me it has a rugged working-class vibe, everything from mobile homes to wooden frame houses although there are some very nice waterfront properties with million-dollar views.

Once in town we took a long walk along the shore and stopped at a working-class salmon hatchery where we saw hundreds of salmon leaping, flopping upstream to return to the place where they were born. It is quite entertaining but also it is kind of heartbreaking watching the salmon jump to their death and then probably be eaten by a bear. Just the act of spawning to me is like driving cross country dodging traffic in bad weather just to sit down at the dinner table with an aunt you never really cared for… it is the circle of life.

 We continued down the trail into Sitka National Park where there is a one-mile Totem trail through a rain forest where you see a totem pole about every fifty yards. It is serene, beautiful, peaceful.  I would never say if you have seen one totem pole you have seen them all but I will say Jay stopped taking pictures after about the first six. 

Then it was back on the ship to get ready for our specialty Tuscan dinner at Toscana where Jay has already decided on Scaloppini de

Vitello al Limone. Cause Jay always says, “If you can get veal, get it”.

After dinner there is a special Blue Horizon party on board. Guests are urged to wear blue and to try the signature blue cocktails. We are going for sure but I can’ t say for how long. We attended the captains party a few days ago and it was so crowded we couldn’t get a canapé.  After walking through the room we left and went down to the Martini bar. 

Tomorrow is Wrangell Alaska

 

 

 

 

North to Alaska Part 3

 

North to Alaska  Part 3

Today we woke up in Skagway the most Northwest point in the

Alaska inside passage. It was a boomtown in 1898 due to the Klondike Gold Rush. Today it was a boomtown as well because there are three cruise ships in port. It was “boom crazy” with tourists. 

Skagway is a historical town surrounded by stunning scenery. The top three  things to do here are ride White Pass Yukon Route railway, take a helicopter ride, and visit the Red Onion Saloon.   We opted to stroll, more like maneuver amongst the crowd down Broadway Street. We did hear the very pricey railway ticket for a mere $ 200 per person trip was beautiful, a bit long, very crowded but beautiful. 

Skagway town is full of shops mostly selling the same tee shirts, sweatshirts, rain jackets, hats and mittens.  There are also the jewelry shops and of course like in almost every town whether in the Caribbean or Alaska the Diamond International store. That store is usually empty even with a salesperson outside trying to lure customers in with 20 % off today’s sales pitch. That’s a hard pitch to make when you can smell freshly made caramel corn a block away.

It always surprises me that cruisers that have had glutinous meals throughout their trip, head for a tavern for a beer, café or ice cream shop. Of course many are seeking the local favorites, salmon, crab and halibut they have been craving but that comes at a hefty price.  On a past trip to Alaska Jay and I stopped at local café for crab. It was good but we paid almost twice the price we would at home.

Besides the big bags of caramel corn the other most popular treat is  the Klondike Doughboy. Nope not a person, though many would fit that description. It is a fried piece of flat bread with cinnamon and sugar.

The hot spot in town is the Red Onion Saloon, we didn’t stop there because there was a crowd at the saloon gates waiting to get in. It’s a quirky café and bar that used to be a saloon and a brothel for gold miners. The staff still dress up as working girls and offer tours of the upstairs for $20 a person for 20-minute tour. 

Well, that was our day in Skagway.  You can see we don’t always do all the things or see all the sights that maybe a tourist should. Our approach to sightseeing, drop your phone, stop taking pictures for a minute, take a big breath and take it all in.

Day 6 Cruising Hubbard Glacier

Today we are at Sea, its not any sea day but a notable one because we get to view the specular Hubbard Glacier. They even shut the casino down knowing most passengers will be on deck.  For those who don’t know the difference between a glacier and iceberg the Titanic ran into an iceberg because it was floating the middle of the ocean.  Glaciers form on land over zillions of years from melting ice flowing downhill.  When a chunk of ice breaks off from a glacier and goes into sea it is an iceberg. The process is called calving just like a cow giving birth to a calf so glaciers give birth to a big chunk of ice. I had to look that up. LOL. Anyway it is truly spectacular sight.

Later if was off to our second cooking class “Snow days Brunch”. An excellent class starting out with a boysenberry Sparkler comprised of boysenberry syrup, champagne, a few boysenberries, and a lemon twist. That gave us the energy to whip up some  cinnamon cream scones and the famous Seattle Joe scramble egg with mushrooms, spinach, scallions and grated parmigiana reggiano cheese.

After class we met up with Myrna and Steve from Arizona. Myrna attended our first cooking class and we ran them a couple of times and decided to continue swapping stories at the Horizon Lounge. Afternoon tea was being served but we skipped that since we had a reservation for dinner at Jacques. 

Jacques is a French restaurant aboard inspired by legendary French chef Jacques Pepin who served as Oceania’s first ever Executive Culinary Director.  The menu for us was a challenge to say the least. Basically, started out with the pai  de partage,  went with on to  the coeur  LIfue a’Echalote et Roquefort, followed by gratine’e a l’oignon and selected the Filet de Boeuf’ Rossini. In plain language our meal was bread and butter, salad with blue cheese dressing, onion soup, and some beef mignon. Yep no ratatouille, escargot, or bouillabaisse. We opt for the crepe suzette.  Like they say,”When in

Rome…”

We ended the day going to a show featuring greatest moments of the Hollywood musicals, a great show. All and all, a great day. Tomorrow we will be in Juneau.

 

 

North to Alaska Part 2

 

North to Alaska  Part 2

 

At 8 am we arrive in Ketchikan where it rains 360 days a year. Today the sun is out and about 78 degrees… it is warm which is very unusual. Around the cruise ship, passengers look like they are on a Caribbean cruise, not Alaska. Many are in bathing suits. Others of our ship mates leaving the ship look miserable because they have packed their Patagonia, Eddie Bauer hiking clothes and gear for chilly, rainy weather.

We arrived at Ward Cove and took the shuttle bus 30 miles into town. The town of Ketchikan is accessible only by sea and air becoming more assessable by cruise ship. The landscape is stunning, green, beautiful with photo ops at every turn. The town is described as historic and charming, I would call it more aged, tired and worn but with 360 days of rain who wouldn’t be.  

It is a small town and boasts 3 grocery stores, a Walmart, hospital, airport, lots of gift stores and a couple of fast-food places. A local favorite according to our cruise Director is Burger Queen. He said it is the most delicious burger he has ever eaten in his life. We walked by and it looked cozy also moldy.  Burger Queen wasn’t open at 9 am so we missed our chance of a lifetime.

Most of shops are typical souvenirs stores but some feature expensive jewelry, furs, Native  American arts. There are seafood restaurants at each turn and of course a variety of taverns and drinking establishments.

Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world, and as Bubba from Forest Gump would say it has salmon fillets, salmon burgers, salmon tacos, salmon cakes, salmon croquettes, salmon chowder, pouched salmon, salmon skewers, smoked salmon… well you get the idea. It’s no wonder that Burger Queen is a favorite.

We did a what we call a “walk about”. Jay bought a tee shirt because you have to and we returned to the ship for a burger that was good in its own. We then got in our swimsuits and went to the pool. That was our experience in Ketchikan.

The next day we arrived at relaxed Icy Point Hootan on Chichago Island and that is not misspelled. It was Sunday which combined with a small town usually means many shops are closed relaxing and quiet. Hoonah town is only a mile away but there was no shuttle on Sunday. We were going to walk but very few shops are open on Sundays. At the cruise dock there was the largest zip line in the country, a cable car ride to the top of a beautiful mountain and another free cable car to the famous cannery. We opted for the free ride and went to the old cannery. There we found the old cannery converted into a couple of restaurants and  gift stores  selling typical tee shirts, sweatshirts etc. and of course salmon packaged in each sort of way.

We chose to return the half mile by walking path through the woods instead of the cable car.  Beginning the walk  there are many signs warning of bears and advising you what to do if you encountered a bear. I guess these signs are necessary because there are 1.75 bears to a square mile. If we ran into a bear, I hoped it would be the .75 bear and not the 1-point bear, The short walk was   beautiful and although we wore our sweaters, we didn’t really need them. It was again a warm day. 

Back on the ship early while most of the guests sere still milling around buying souvenirs, or gone on excursions. It is a very nice time to enjoy the amenities on board without the hustle and  other guests because many were on boats whale watching. If you decided to spend the money for a whale watching excursion in Icy Straits you are guaranteed to see an Orca or humpback whale …there are that many around Icy strait especially in September. If you are not on an excursion the chances still are still  extremely high. At dinner last night our waitress  gasped because she saw a whale. We missed seeing the whale jump because we were more concerned about the water she was pouring would end up in our lap. 

All and all I would say our stop in Icy Strait  was relaxing, but Alaska tends to be relaxing. Tomorrow it is Skagway, the easiest port to discover on foot and that’s what we are going to do.

 

 

 

 o

 

 

North to Alaska - Part 1

 

North to Alaska

 

 A few days ago, we set out for our Alaska cruise. Like most travels these days, there were delays. No, it wasn’t that the plane didn’t leave on time, the plane was delayed an hour on the tarmac before taking off, which in my opinion is even worse. The pilot said it was because they needed to make a correction because of wind direction. My usual response to these things (because I am not afraid to fly) is so what, I don’t care …. get the plane up, serve the wine and pass out the snacks.

Once landing at SeaTac, we walked across the street to the Radisson Hotel. Hotels are expensive these days, especially close to the airport so for 300 hundred bucks we got a pretty comfy bed with sheets but no blanket, a view of a stagnant pond and a lady walking outside throwing bird seed into the wind and praying to God, probably because she was staying in the Radisson Hotel at 300 bucks a night too.

We chose this hotel because it is right across from the airport and right next to the infamous 13 Coins restaurant,  it is an easy place to stay before our Alaska cruise. Easy, but not inviting.  Like most things these days customer service is a forgotten concept.   No longer employees learn the customer is always right, they learn the customer is a pain in the ass and it is their job to deal with it. 

Being the pain in the ass, as they expected, we had to ask for a blanket for our bed.  They also instructed us in great detail they could only give us the number to call for a taxi, but could not call a taxi for us. They repeatedly asked when we would be checking out, so they could inform housekeeping. In all fairness, it was done with a big smile on their face.

We did have a nice dinner at 13 Coins, with old friends we have known for years and that made it memorable.

Calling our taxi the next day was easy, but also 40 minutes late. While waiting, we were entertained by a middle age woman jogging in her bra. I am sure she thought she brought an exercise bra.  She ran back and forth on the sidewalk about a fifty yards in each direction.  Each time she returned she had to wait for the pedestrian light. We concluded she did this because she was worried about the safety of Seattle streets. She probably was right about that, but I would probably advise her for her own safety to rethink her top.

At noon we boarded the Oceania Riviera ship with 1200 other passengers that were in their later years, if not their twilight.  We quickly concluded that the gym was not going to be crowded, but the elevators and buffet would be. 

 When we boarded, our cabin was not ready so we did the next best thing and went to the pool bar. Seattle is warm in August, but today was very warm so we decided on a margarita and rum and coke. The bill was 73 dollars. We advised the bartender we had a beverage package and he advised us our package was only good for meal times and only for wine and beer. No problem… there is always a solution, but it usually involves money. We bought an upgraded package for 360 dollars each, had another drink and called our cruise agent. He credited us and all was well with the world again.

Our second day was a sea day; we attended a cooking class. Our instructor had been Julia Child’s assistant for 14 years. She was an excellent instructor.  In the class, we made Northwest salmon rillettes with poached salmon, crème fraiche, shallots and smoked salmon… yummy. We also whipped up some seared scallops with crab and pecan brown butter and a berry crostata. What a meal.

 After class I waddled off to the casino and to my surprise I ended up ahead, so I quit… that was a surprise too.

Well that pretty well sums up the first two days being a pain in the ass, eating, drinking and spending money…tomorrow we will be in Ketchikan Alaska known for being the salmon capital of the world.