I just got back from one of those vacations you go on that you wish would never end. On July 20 my husband & I flew to Seattle. They were having a heatwave. Yep, on my husband's first trip to Seattle it was 97 degrees. The Red Sox were in town but I never thought to get tickets. There were 1000s of Sox fans all over Seattle (our hotel was full of 'em). We gave a lot of silent nods to folks in the elevator also wearing various Sox tee shirts and hats. So we watched the game on TV and as the train whistle tooted on TV we heard it out our hotel window. Kinda neat.
Our first breakfast was at the Athenian in Pike Place Market. http://www.seattleweekly.com/food/restaurants/athenianinn.php
The Athenian was founded by 3 Greek brothers in 1909. We sat and enjoyed the amazing view. My husband had an English muffin egg creation called The Goldenrod (a must try) and it featured the best bacon we've ever had. It was not crowded (we were there at 7am as we were still on East Coast time). I would love to go there for Happy Hour.
We ate lunch at the 25th Bite of Seattle and visited the Science Fiction Museum http://www.sfhomeworld.org/ (that was really neat to us as we are huge SciFi fans). We stayed at The Mediterranean Inn 
(below). This was walking distance from Seattle Center. All of the rooms don't have a/c (luckily ours did). Our room had a little kitchen in it and a view of the water.
There is a rooftop deck that is a great place to watch the sun set (as you can see the whole skyline. On our 2nd night we ate at Ray's Boathouse. We really thought it was the best salmon we'd ever tasted. We got to watch the sunset (photo from http://www.rays.com )
On July 22 we boarded the Oosterdam (rated the best mid-size cruise ship in the world). This was our 2nd time sailing with Holland America (HAL), and I think you have not cruised until you've tried HAL. The service, the new beds, the food, the on-board programs, and the mariner society program discounts all make it well worth while. HAL has discounts for those guests that are repeat customers. Our waiter learned our names and anticipated our needs before we even asked. HAL has more square footage per passenger than any other line. When docked next to other ships I can tell you firsthand we had more balconies (and larger balcony space) than any of the other ships. Also their crew seems happier because they have the right to bring family on board with them. (Less broken famlies and marriages that way I figure and the family gets treated as a guest).
On July 24 we docked in Juneau. We had a tour booked to take us to the gardens and the glacier. Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure http://www.glaciergardens.com/ was really a great way to get right into the rain forest. We also got to see salmon just hanging out in the streams. They looked very tasty. Mendenhall Glacier was great and it looked blue due to the rainy day we had. (photo from: http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/ )
The next day we were in Sitka. http://www.sitka.com/
Sitka is a wonderful way to learn about Russian culture. St. Michaels Cathedral was the first Russian Orthodox Church in North America. When it burned down the residents saved nearly every relic in the church (and risked their lives to do so). It poured rain while we were there but we were glad we got to see the area where the American Flag was raised for the first time on Alaska soil.
On July 26 we docked in Ketchikan. This was one of our favorite stops as we had a tour booked to the Misty Fjords. For 4.5 hours we were out on a boat and given unlimited coffee, hot cocoa, veggie chili, smoked salmon, and clam chowder. You might say they spoiled us a bit. We saw a handful of bald eagles. We had a member of the Tlingit tribe on board with us and she told us some stories of about her culture and her family. (Photo of Eddystone Rock from Wikipedia)
After Ketchikan we sailed to Hubbard Glacier. Here's a link to a photo on Wikipedia of Hubbard Glacier (it just so happens to be the ship we were on!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HAL_Hubbard.JPG
On July 28 we were in Victoria, B.C. from 6pm-Midnight. We took a tour of the city (beautiful at night) and on to the Butchart Gardens. http://www.butchartgardens.com/ This is a must-see if you go to Victoria and employs 500 people year-round (just to give you an idea of how amazing it is). I'd love to have tea there someday. Victoria is quite beautiful at night (the lights on many of the buildings are a perfect touch). I was sad not to have more time in B.C. as it's a place we've always wanted to visit.
So here I am back on land. The house seems to be rocking and my brain is still in a time zone 4 hours back. I will post a link to my own photos very soon (I need to get them back online). If you ever need tips about what to do in the Inside Passage of Alaska let me know. I can only say good things about HAL. I really think the way they treat their staff shows in the pride they take in their work. I think I'll go off now to dream of bald eagles soaring high above the Misty Fjords...
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Comments: 23
I hope you get to go there someday. The relics were amazing in the Cathedral. There was a whole set that was on a ship to get to Sitka and one was lost. A few days later it washed up on shore! The one thing I did not get to see in Sitka was the Raptor Center where they take in injured bald eagles and make them better to be released back into the wild.
Since I'm 1/2 Russian I'm trying to learn more about the culture, and my day in Sitka helped me to understand more.
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for sharing the experience with us.
Yes, it's the perfect thing for a family for sure because then the parents have 'alone time'. The first cruise I went on I was 14 and my parents did not see me the whole week. :)
I love your hometown and I'm so glad I got to share it with my hubby for the first time (now he loves it too)
http://onesnap.shutterfly.com
It's the featured album, view as a slide show (and speed it up because there's over 100 photos)
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Carol: i wish I had a place to sit in a lawn chair (our back yard is a steep hill). Nice idea with the wading pool!
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Nancy: You're welcome, you should go sometime!! Direct flights from Boston to Seattle (although ours was not to save $$)...a cruise seems the way to go as all the places we stopped were very isolated from the rest of the world.
But tell me, as one of the "stars of Gather", did you have to avoid any papparazzi chasing you? And like will we be seeing the "other" pics in People magazine or the National Enquirer?
Nah, I've gotta say I'm not a star of Gather. I never write fiction, my poems are only haikus...and plus, with my background I spent more time behind the camera (and still do with my part time jobs)...I rather prefer being the one taking the photos. It's not the last time I'll be on TV (nor was it the first) but I did love it and hope it will happen again.
My husband, daughter and I are sailing the same route with HAL 9-10 to 9-17. This was great information! I know Fred will be all about checking out the Sci-Fi museum for sure.
Any advice, tips etc before we pack up? I've never cruised before, so this will be a big adventure for all of us!
Here you are: http://www.hollandamerica.com/
We also enjoyed it because it's an older crowd (despite the fact we're both 29) it was quiet and relaxing, not like some where it's party, party, party the whole time. Most of the couples had kids our age an we got along with them just perfectly. :)
You should go...it's one of those trips you should do at least once in your life. It helps you to realize there's still unspoiled country left on the planet.
We spent about 24 hours beforehand in Seattle as well, and also stayed at the Mediterranean Inn. What a gem! I LOVED the rooftop deck. The free internet access in the lobby was nice and the price couldn't have been beat.
If you get back to Seattle, you should try catching a ballgame at Safeco. We did and really enjoyed the park. We were especially surprised by the variety of food--sushi, fish and chips, chocolate covered strawberries....
If anyone can recommend inexpensive, but nice accomodations in the Anchorage area (definitely can be out of the city), please let me know..
Thanks
ChrisK :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Our fave thing was the Misty Fjords tour! Other fave thing was the Butchart (sp?) Gardens in Victoria B.C. on the way back to Seattle. And we loved the glacial gardens and tour in Juneau. We would buy a place in Alaska if it were not so far from MA!
I'll look into the glacier gardens in Juneau. We're there for most of the day and planning to rent a car so we can get around quickly to the things we want to see.
I'm so excited I can't stand it!! haha I will definitely be posting about it once we return!
We did a boat cruise for the Fjords, and we loved it because you don't see anything like that unless you're in Norway (or so we've been told). Yes, with a car you can do the gardens and glacier in Juneau, those are the must see things in the AK capital city. :)
I can't wait to hear all about your trip. I'm going on vacation in September (7-16th) to Iceland, I'll post all about it when I return. You can see where I'm going on my trip in my recent post about the trip planning.
You're going to have a great time!