Wednesday 31 July 2013
An excellent month
And so July comes to an end. It has been a great month of travel, adventure and fun, which I have enjoyed and appreciated. Yesterday I had a lovely lunch with Jackie and her beautiful boys at House for an Art Lover to celebrate her 40th birthday (which is actually today.) The food was delicious and we took the boys to the playground later. Today I took Grandma shopping for clothes for her holiday. We had lunch in John Lewis' at a window table overlooking the steps of the Royal Concert Hall with Sauchiehall Street beyond. As Grandma pointed out, the crowds of shoppers resembled the figures in a painting by L. S. Lowry. A pleasant end to the month. Tomorrow I start back to work, and a busy time awaits me. Goodbye July, it's been grand!
Monday 29 July 2013
Sonntag im Tiergarten
We had a great night's sleep at our lovely hotel and woke refreshed and ready for more Berlin adventures. To our surprise it had rained in the early morning but the clouds soon burned off. After the nicest croissant that I have tasted for many a long year in a nearby café, we set off into the warm city. The Tiergarten was just lovely - a green space in the city with lots of trees, criss crossed by paths. We walked through its dappled shade and enjoyed beautiful views of ponds and rivers. We saw red squirrels and little birds hopping about, and pretty fountains. Berliners were cycling and jogging through it - and some people were sunbathing nude, apparently a favourite occupation. We saw them at a distance - well, either it was the Naturists or people wearing pink bathing costumes! We chatted and walked around; I can't think of a nicer way to spend a Sunday morning!
We visited the large, curved Soviet War Memorial which was built just after the war to commemorate the thousands of Russian soldiers who died at the end of April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin. Two tanks stand on either side of it. Ewan pointed out an amazing photograph at the little outdoors museum behind it which shows the new memorial standing in a wasteland, because the trees of the Tiergarten had been destroyed by incendiary bombs and then stripped of timber for firewood during the last months of the war. It was strange to see it like that because it has such a peaceful setting today on the edge of the woodland. We ended up in a café on the edge of the park, the same one that we were in yesterday, across from the Reichstag, for a refreshing drink then moved onto Die Eins Restaurant for lunch. This restaurant was right beside the River Spree and as we sat outside, a procession of tourist boats went past us - it was so hot that many of the occupants were holding up umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun! We had a nice lunch; mine was a cheese and bacon tart, which was too big for me to finish but tasted delicious.
Our journey home in the afternoon went well, again Heather and Ewan navigated us expertly on the city transport and when we got to the airport they even found us a cute little pub with bar stools just under an air conditioner! Our flight was only two hours back to Glasgow and we were home for tea time. We had heard that it was raining in Glasgow, and it had been, but it was a fine evening by the time we got home. David and Jack greeted us with some enthusiasm and we had an early night after our exciting weekend.
We visited the large, curved Soviet War Memorial which was built just after the war to commemorate the thousands of Russian soldiers who died at the end of April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin. Two tanks stand on either side of it. Ewan pointed out an amazing photograph at the little outdoors museum behind it which shows the new memorial standing in a wasteland, because the trees of the Tiergarten had been destroyed by incendiary bombs and then stripped of timber for firewood during the last months of the war. It was strange to see it like that because it has such a peaceful setting today on the edge of the woodland. We ended up in a café on the edge of the park, the same one that we were in yesterday, across from the Reichstag, for a refreshing drink then moved onto Die Eins Restaurant for lunch. This restaurant was right beside the River Spree and as we sat outside, a procession of tourist boats went past us - it was so hot that many of the occupants were holding up umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun! We had a nice lunch; mine was a cheese and bacon tart, which was too big for me to finish but tasted delicious.
Our journey home in the afternoon went well, again Heather and Ewan navigated us expertly on the city transport and when we got to the airport they even found us a cute little pub with bar stools just under an air conditioner! Our flight was only two hours back to Glasgow and we were home for tea time. We had heard that it was raining in Glasgow, and it had been, but it was a fine evening by the time we got home. David and Jack greeted us with some enthusiasm and we had an early night after our exciting weekend.
Sunday 28 July 2013
Hot in Berlin
It is hot in Berlin! Yesterday evening when we were on our way back to our hotel after dinner it was still 34 degrees at ten o'clock at night!
However, l will go back to the start of the day. James and I got up at 4 a.m. for our flight to Berlin and all went smoothly; we met Heather and Ewan at our hotel at 10 and soon we were on the streets. The fact that I was absolutely melting with the heat did not impede my enjoyment of the day; I drank copious amounts of water and also splashed myself constantly with water from my bottle and from fountains that we passed, sometimes climbing right in. I could tell that this looked more than a little bizarre by the quizzical looks that James was giving me, but I didn't care because it worked and kept me cool enough to appreciate this amazing city. I love Berlin! Although there were plenty of other visitors, there was somehow a pleasant air of calm in Berlin; it wasn't as frantically busy as London was on Friday. Heather and Ewan have been in the city since Wednesday and know their way around very well. They kindly took us round some of their favourite highlights - we would never have found our way to these places with such ease without their help.
Our first visit was to the Brandenburg Gate. This is Berlin's most famous landmark topped by its Quadriga sculpture of the goddess of peace in her horse drawn chariot. Needless to say lots of armies have marched around there at times of war. It's set in an attractive open area where there are lots of embassies.
Ewan expertly guided us to Hitler's underground bunker. It is a now a car park. There is nothing to see of the bunker above the ground now, although parts of it still exist under the ground. Until recently it was not marked at all, but now there is an information board. I think I would find it a bit eerie if it was the car park beside my house, what with its grim history.
The nearby Holocaust memorial was strange and thought-provoking. It consists of a large field of dark grey blocks of varying heights. As you walk into it the blocks get higher and sort of surround you, and you start feeling drawn in and sort of oppressed. However Heather and Ewan's walking tour guide a couple of days ago had explained to them that this is something that everyone should experience in their own way, so I won't say more about how I felt. I did feel that it was a fitting and moving memorial.
I also found the Berlin Wall memorial to be very moving. I felt that I already knew quite a lot about it from various documentaries over the years, and I remember feeling very emotional when I saw the scenes of the wall coming down in November 1989 when I was pregnant with Jamie. But actually being there was very different. Two sections of the wall have been left standing so you can walk through the "no man's land" in the middle. There are some exhibits and explanation boards, and there is a recording on a speaker that gently speaks the names and ages of the 163 people who died trying to escape from East to West Germany between 1961 and 1989. It is very sad. Many more people were killed trying to escape from East to West in other parts of the border of course but this particular memorial is for those who tried to get across in Berlin. Every time that someone was successful in escaping the East Germans would step up their security. For example Heather and Ewan told me that some of Berlin's Underground stations were in the Russian Sector and they were closed in 1961. They became "ghost stations" and some people tried to escape by going down there and hoping that one of the underground trains would slow down enough for them to cling on and thus escape to the West. And this sometimes did work. But when the Russian authorities found out, the stations were completely bricked up. I felt that the whole philosophy of the Cold War era, which lasted all of my life until I was twenty-six, was so wasteful and stupid. I was glad to find out more about it.
Lunch was at the very modern and smart Potsdamer Platz, which has restaurants, shops and cinemas. We dined in a pleasant Australian restaurant where I took the opportunity to have a cooling wash down in the Ladies' Toilet!
We continued to Alexanderplatz where the radio mast is - the centre of the old East Berlin. Even though it was such a sunny day we could tell by the stark architecture that it must have been pretty bleak in the East. We jumped on a tram and had drinks in a pleasant outdoors café across from the Reichstag, where Ewan had kindly booked a tour for 3.30p.m. - but just as we approached it was closed! The temperature inside had reached SIXTY degrees and they weren't going to let any more visitors in! I told you that it is hot in Berlin - news reports proclaimed that it was the hottest day for 54 years!
Later on we visited the Gendarmenmarkt, a lovely square which Heather and Ewan told us is considered to be the most beautiful in Berlin. It has a French Cathedral which the Germans built to make the refugee French Huguenots feel welcome when they fled there in the late 17th century. To say thank you the Huguenots then built an identical German cathedral on the other side of the square, and these twin churches look very beautiful. In between them is the Konzerthaus, a former theatre which was damaged in World War 2 and was restored as a concert hall. We had drinks in a beautiful café in the square. On the way back to the hotel we visited a great chocolate shop, which Heather and Ewan had found out about when they went on their walking tour. There were chocolate sculptures of Berlin Landmarks and an impressive chocolate volcano! I couldn't resist buying some chocolates - raspberry, blueberry and passion fruit!
Back at the hotel James and I checked in, it's a really excellent hotel and we would look no further on a future visit to Berlin; air conditioned, comfy, very clean and elegant with a nice wee bar downstairs. We had showers and a rest and then we all set off for dinner, calling first at the famous Checkpoint Charlie, which is very near to our hotel. There is a small checkpoint building but most of the surrounding paraphernalia and other border barriers and buildings are gone. However, nearby hoardings have pictures of what it used to look like. There are also metal plates on the pavement marking where the border used to be. I think that it is right that it should be remembered as a warning to the future of what can happen.
We all felt that German cuisine would be appropriate for our dinner together in Berlin to celebrate Heather's birthday, and Ewan came up trumps with the Nolle restaurant just round the corner from the Friedrichstrasse station which turned out to be just perfect for the occasion. It was set in an archway under the S-bahn so it had an elegantly curved ceiling and was decorated with Art Deco paintings and mirrors. The menu was German and we had a delicious dinner and a lovely chat. We could even hear the trains going overhead - the staff were friendly and it had a great atmosphere. The evening was rounded off by drinks back at the hotel. Strangely enough, by this time I had become almost used to the heat, but suddenly the other three, who had managed the heat much better than me all day, felt very hot! It must have been because we were digesting our hearty dinner, which can heat you up. What a marvellous day it has been!
However, l will go back to the start of the day. James and I got up at 4 a.m. for our flight to Berlin and all went smoothly; we met Heather and Ewan at our hotel at 10 and soon we were on the streets. The fact that I was absolutely melting with the heat did not impede my enjoyment of the day; I drank copious amounts of water and also splashed myself constantly with water from my bottle and from fountains that we passed, sometimes climbing right in. I could tell that this looked more than a little bizarre by the quizzical looks that James was giving me, but I didn't care because it worked and kept me cool enough to appreciate this amazing city. I love Berlin! Although there were plenty of other visitors, there was somehow a pleasant air of calm in Berlin; it wasn't as frantically busy as London was on Friday. Heather and Ewan have been in the city since Wednesday and know their way around very well. They kindly took us round some of their favourite highlights - we would never have found our way to these places with such ease without their help.
Our first visit was to the Brandenburg Gate. This is Berlin's most famous landmark topped by its Quadriga sculpture of the goddess of peace in her horse drawn chariot. Needless to say lots of armies have marched around there at times of war. It's set in an attractive open area where there are lots of embassies.
Ewan expertly guided us to Hitler's underground bunker. It is a now a car park. There is nothing to see of the bunker above the ground now, although parts of it still exist under the ground. Until recently it was not marked at all, but now there is an information board. I think I would find it a bit eerie if it was the car park beside my house, what with its grim history.
The nearby Holocaust memorial was strange and thought-provoking. It consists of a large field of dark grey blocks of varying heights. As you walk into it the blocks get higher and sort of surround you, and you start feeling drawn in and sort of oppressed. However Heather and Ewan's walking tour guide a couple of days ago had explained to them that this is something that everyone should experience in their own way, so I won't say more about how I felt. I did feel that it was a fitting and moving memorial.
I also found the Berlin Wall memorial to be very moving. I felt that I already knew quite a lot about it from various documentaries over the years, and I remember feeling very emotional when I saw the scenes of the wall coming down in November 1989 when I was pregnant with Jamie. But actually being there was very different. Two sections of the wall have been left standing so you can walk through the "no man's land" in the middle. There are some exhibits and explanation boards, and there is a recording on a speaker that gently speaks the names and ages of the 163 people who died trying to escape from East to West Germany between 1961 and 1989. It is very sad. Many more people were killed trying to escape from East to West in other parts of the border of course but this particular memorial is for those who tried to get across in Berlin. Every time that someone was successful in escaping the East Germans would step up their security. For example Heather and Ewan told me that some of Berlin's Underground stations were in the Russian Sector and they were closed in 1961. They became "ghost stations" and some people tried to escape by going down there and hoping that one of the underground trains would slow down enough for them to cling on and thus escape to the West. And this sometimes did work. But when the Russian authorities found out, the stations were completely bricked up. I felt that the whole philosophy of the Cold War era, which lasted all of my life until I was twenty-six, was so wasteful and stupid. I was glad to find out more about it.
Lunch was at the very modern and smart Potsdamer Platz, which has restaurants, shops and cinemas. We dined in a pleasant Australian restaurant where I took the opportunity to have a cooling wash down in the Ladies' Toilet!
We continued to Alexanderplatz where the radio mast is - the centre of the old East Berlin. Even though it was such a sunny day we could tell by the stark architecture that it must have been pretty bleak in the East. We jumped on a tram and had drinks in a pleasant outdoors café across from the Reichstag, where Ewan had kindly booked a tour for 3.30p.m. - but just as we approached it was closed! The temperature inside had reached SIXTY degrees and they weren't going to let any more visitors in! I told you that it is hot in Berlin - news reports proclaimed that it was the hottest day for 54 years!
Later on we visited the Gendarmenmarkt, a lovely square which Heather and Ewan told us is considered to be the most beautiful in Berlin. It has a French Cathedral which the Germans built to make the refugee French Huguenots feel welcome when they fled there in the late 17th century. To say thank you the Huguenots then built an identical German cathedral on the other side of the square, and these twin churches look very beautiful. In between them is the Konzerthaus, a former theatre which was damaged in World War 2 and was restored as a concert hall. We had drinks in a beautiful café in the square. On the way back to the hotel we visited a great chocolate shop, which Heather and Ewan had found out about when they went on their walking tour. There were chocolate sculptures of Berlin Landmarks and an impressive chocolate volcano! I couldn't resist buying some chocolates - raspberry, blueberry and passion fruit!
Back at the hotel James and I checked in, it's a really excellent hotel and we would look no further on a future visit to Berlin; air conditioned, comfy, very clean and elegant with a nice wee bar downstairs. We had showers and a rest and then we all set off for dinner, calling first at the famous Checkpoint Charlie, which is very near to our hotel. There is a small checkpoint building but most of the surrounding paraphernalia and other border barriers and buildings are gone. However, nearby hoardings have pictures of what it used to look like. There are also metal plates on the pavement marking where the border used to be. I think that it is right that it should be remembered as a warning to the future of what can happen.
We all felt that German cuisine would be appropriate for our dinner together in Berlin to celebrate Heather's birthday, and Ewan came up trumps with the Nolle restaurant just round the corner from the Friedrichstrasse station which turned out to be just perfect for the occasion. It was set in an archway under the S-bahn so it had an elegantly curved ceiling and was decorated with Art Deco paintings and mirrors. The menu was German and we had a delicious dinner and a lovely chat. We could even hear the trains going overhead - the staff were friendly and it had a great atmosphere. The evening was rounded off by drinks back at the hotel. Strangely enough, by this time I had become almost used to the heat, but suddenly the other three, who had managed the heat much better than me all day, felt very hot! It must have been because we were digesting our hearty dinner, which can heat you up. What a marvellous day it has been!
Friday 26 July 2013
Swimming in the Serpentine
Today has been very unusual and very good fun. Because James was working, I had the opportunity to spend a whole day by myself in London before meeting James and flying to Berlin tomorrow. My pleasant dilemma has been; how to best spend my time? Now if it had been winter I would have headed for museums or art galleries, or perhaps even a matinée at the theatre. But what would I really like to do on this glorious July day in London? Suddenly the answer came to me - go swimming outdoors of course! Unlike Glasgow, London has quite a few outdoor pools or lidos, and the most central of these is a section of the Serpentine in Hyde Park. I planned my route and packed my swimming costume and I was ready to go! All went smoothly and by eleven o'clock I arrived at Hyde Park. The lido is LOVELY and well organised, you access it via a bridge and it is surrounded by bushes on the land side so it has a nice private feel to it. I had a coffee at the Lido café and then got changed and hired a sun lounger which I placed under a large sycamore tree. There were plenty of other people there, especially families, but it was not too crowded either, the atmosphere was relaxed and happy. After reading my book for a while I decided to go for my swim. I was a bit concerned about what the swimming area would be like underfoot; I thought it might be slimy but in fact it was quite sandy. Of course there were plenty of weeds floating past me under the water as I swam along, but the water was better than I had feared and nice and warm after the past few weeks' heatwave. I loved my time in the water! I swam about for an hour or so, just taking in the view of the river with pedalos going up and down, people walking and jogging and sunbathing in the park, ducks swimming around me. I showered beside the river (no shampoo allowed because it drains straight back into the water), then relaxed on my sun lounger until I was completely dry.
I then went to see the nearby Diana Memorial Fountain, which I haven't visited until now. I liked it very much, and on this sunny day it was FULL of children walking round it (it's a big loop). Signs requested that people sit on the edge of the fountain to paddle rather than walk on it, but this was being completely ignored, and I felt that Diana would have approved of all the fun!
I went to nearby Harrods for lunch at the dim sum bar and a browse around, which was pleasant but awfully busy. And then I made my way to Luton airport where I met James at the Holiday Inn Express where we had supper together. At only five minutes walk from the airport terminal I would definitely go back there in similar circumstances.
Thursday 25 July 2013
Summer storms
Just a quick post because I have an early start tomorrow morning to begin an exciting weekend in Berlin to celebrate Heather's 50th birthday. I think I have succeeded in curing my jet lag! We all got a great sleep on Tuesday night and I felt more or less back to British time on Wednesday. It is definitely important to stay awake until bed time after going west to east across the Atlantic if you possibly can. Then a good night's sleep brings you back into line with normal sleep times, except that occasionally you feel unexpectedly tired so perhaps you're not quite as cured as you thought!
James did a great job of processing all the washing so we are quite organised in the house, and although James is now back at work, David and I are enjoying the warm summer weather. Scotland has been having an extended heatwave over the last three weeks and I think we are just catching the end of it; yesterday was beautiful and today there has been thunder and lightning and brief but torrential rain storms but it has remained very warm. Even if we have missed most of the hot weather here we can't complain because we got great weather in Alaska. Jack is being quite clingy and has been following us around the house and garden; we have been giving him lots of attention. Grandma came round for tea last night and said that David "has a lovely nature" which I was very pleased about. I went swimming to Tollcross again today - I do like that pool, you always get a lane to yourself. Jamie has had his head shaved in Iquitos; he sent us a photo and Grandma was torn between horror and amusement! Ally and Cat are in the north of Borneo and we will hopefully be Skyping them over the next few days. Time for bed, my eyes are closing!
James did a great job of processing all the washing so we are quite organised in the house, and although James is now back at work, David and I are enjoying the warm summer weather. Scotland has been having an extended heatwave over the last three weeks and I think we are just catching the end of it; yesterday was beautiful and today there has been thunder and lightning and brief but torrential rain storms but it has remained very warm. Even if we have missed most of the hot weather here we can't complain because we got great weather in Alaska. Jack is being quite clingy and has been following us around the house and garden; we have been giving him lots of attention. Grandma came round for tea last night and said that David "has a lovely nature" which I was very pleased about. I went swimming to Tollcross again today - I do like that pool, you always get a lane to yourself. Jamie has had his head shaved in Iquitos; he sent us a photo and Grandma was torn between horror and amusement! Ally and Cat are in the north of Borneo and we will hopefully be Skyping them over the next few days. Time for bed, my eyes are closing!
Tuesday 23 July 2013
Jet lag and the Royal Baby
We are home at last after our long journey from Anchorage to Seattle to Philadelphia to Glasgow. We got home mid-morning after our overnight flight and we are absolutely exhausted. We are aiming to stay awake until at least eight o'clock this evening in order to sleep through the night and minimise our jet lag. This has been quite difficult because we only got a few disturbed hours of sleep on the plane last night and we are yawning constantly. We of course immediately collected Jack from his cattery; he looked very well after his holiday and is now walking around the house and garden bemusedly checking it all out. This being the anniversary of James' Dad's death, we took Grandma to visit the family grave. I can hardly believe that it has been eight years already. Grandma said "It's a long time to have been without him." which I thought was very sad. We had a coffee in Marks and Spencer's and Grandma enjoyed that and did a bit of shopping.
Now I am watching television waiting for the Royal Baby to emerge from the hospital with his Mummy and Daddy. He will be held by Kate on the same steps where I watched William being held by Diana in 1982. So much has happened since then.
Meanwhile here are a few final reflections on some moments from our great holiday.
Racing David down to our cabin on the ship using the stairs when he was in the lift - and James rushing over to press the lift button on each floor to make sure that Davie didn't win! We all laughed until we were falling down!
On the ship I didn't see the "S" on the Skywalkers Bar sign because of the stylised design, so I called it "Ky-wal-kers bar" until James and Davie laughingly pointed out my mistake.
On the ship James and I both decided to go to the toilet at the Skywalker Bar. Davie said "Hurry up you weak bladdered old fools!"
Finding out, when I asked for a punnet of raspberries at Anchorage market, that "punnet" is a Scottish word and not known in America!
After I had a delicious dessert of banana wontons in Fairbanks, Davie asked me, "Have you had enough dessert or are you "wonton" some more?" This sense of humour is horrifyingly like James!
Hearing a song "Red red red red redneck" on the radio and finding it amusing. And then Davie getting a red neck in the sun so we sang it to him.
Me falling down several times on the way down the Angel Rocks trail near Fairbanks - there's something comical about someone falling even when it's yourself!
The old lady behind us in the Denali tour bus to her long-suffering husband - "Bill, open the window! Give me the camera! Not that camera Bill! The other one! Quickly Bill! Too late Bill!" All in a wheezy New York accent. Then she loved David and invited him to come to visit her!
Finding out in Ray's restaurant in Seward that fillet is pronounced "feel-ay" in America!
And finally, the birth of the Royal Baby being announced by the air hostess on the plane when we landed in Philadelphia airport on the way home on Monday 22nd July.
Now I am watching television waiting for the Royal Baby to emerge from the hospital with his Mummy and Daddy. He will be held by Kate on the same steps where I watched William being held by Diana in 1982. So much has happened since then.
Meanwhile here are a few final reflections on some moments from our great holiday.
Racing David down to our cabin on the ship using the stairs when he was in the lift - and James rushing over to press the lift button on each floor to make sure that Davie didn't win! We all laughed until we were falling down!
On the ship I didn't see the "S" on the Skywalkers Bar sign because of the stylised design, so I called it "Ky-wal-kers bar" until James and Davie laughingly pointed out my mistake.
On the ship James and I both decided to go to the toilet at the Skywalker Bar. Davie said "Hurry up you weak bladdered old fools!"
Finding out, when I asked for a punnet of raspberries at Anchorage market, that "punnet" is a Scottish word and not known in America!
After I had a delicious dessert of banana wontons in Fairbanks, Davie asked me, "Have you had enough dessert or are you "wonton" some more?" This sense of humour is horrifyingly like James!
Hearing a song "Red red red red redneck" on the radio and finding it amusing. And then Davie getting a red neck in the sun so we sang it to him.
Me falling down several times on the way down the Angel Rocks trail near Fairbanks - there's something comical about someone falling even when it's yourself!
The old lady behind us in the Denali tour bus to her long-suffering husband - "Bill, open the window! Give me the camera! Not that camera Bill! The other one! Quickly Bill! Too late Bill!" All in a wheezy New York accent. Then she loved David and invited him to come to visit her!
Finding out in Ray's restaurant in Seward that fillet is pronounced "feel-ay" in America!
And finally, the birth of the Royal Baby being announced by the air hostess on the plane when we landed in Philadelphia airport on the way home on Monday 22nd July.
Monday 22 July 2013
Exit Glacier and Goodbye Alaska
On our last morning in Alaska we decided to go for a short hike at Exit Glacier; further on from the viewpoint that we walked to yesterday, you can walk nearer to the foot of the Glacier, it's about an hour's round trip. So after packing up we drove up the valley in beautiful weather and parked at the visitors' centre. We had a very pleasant walk up to the moraine and took photos of the glacier in all its glory. On our way back down through the woods we met some walkers who told us excitedly that they had seen a black bear climbing up a tree. James had packed away his bear bell in the suitcase so we all walked along loudly singing "Teddy Bear's Picnic" so as not to surprise any bears - they react badly to surprises, hence the bell that James usually straps to his rucksack. Sadly we did not spot the bear on our way back to the car, but it was a lovely farewell walk and we all felt quite wistful as we set off back to Anchorage.
Our journey so far has been efficient and unremarkable; we are now in our Seattle Hotel and we have an early flight tomorrow so I probably won't be blogging until we get back to Glasgow. Time for bed!
Our journey so far has been efficient and unremarkable; we are now in our Seattle Hotel and we have an early flight tomorrow so I probably won't be blogging until we get back to Glasgow. Time for bed!
Sunday 21 July 2013
National Geographic moments
Saturday 20th July
Today we went on a Kenai Fjords boat trip. The captain, who had a deep mellifluous voice reminiscent of Johnny Cash, gave us an interesting commentary about the history of the area and the sea life. He explained that Seward had been a commercial port with oil and gas terminals until the March 27 1964 Alaska earthquake. Seward was almost completely destroyed and the oil tanks ruptured, and then half an hour later three tsunamis pushed the spilled oil back up on shore and it went on fire, devastating what remained of the town. As we were told in Anchorage, the fact that it was Good Friday and businesses and schools were closed meant that there was little loss of life, but financially Seward has never quite recovered and is now mainly a fishing and tourism town, handy for the Kenai Fjords National Park. The first glacier that we came to was Bear Glacier which is a land-locked glacier which comes down almost to the sea; 75% of Kenai Fjords national park is covered by glaciers. At Calisto Point we saw two North Pacific hump-backed whales feeding. We also saw rusty brown Steller sea lions basking and squabbling on some rocks, and harbour seals. We turned in towards the Aialik Glacier, passing the Holgate Glacier and the Pederson Glacier on the way. All of these are flowing down from the massive Harding Icefield. The captain took us close up to the glacier and we saw it calving; just seemingly small bits of ice were coming off it but they made a tremendous noise as they crashed down. I do like a boat trip and the scenery was beautiful with turquoise seas and steep sided fjords, the lower slopes of the mountains densely covered with forest and the upper slopes consisting of rock and snow.
We saw some sea otters floating on their backs and also some black and white porpoises - one of them swam along right beside the boat! The highlight of the whole trip had to be a group of Orca (killer) whales, feeding alongside humpbacked whales and a fin whale near Matushka Island. The boat was surrounded by whales! Also because they were feeding on schools of small fish, there were lots of seabirds feeding there too including puffins, who were so full of fish that they were skimming across the surface of the water having difficulty taking off! The captain played us a recording of the Orca's sounds under the water which a scientist on the boat (who is doing his Master's on Orcas!) had just made using a hydrophone; it was a haunting, echoey, almost bird like sound. The captain told us that so much sea life activity on one trip is very unusual and it was a "National Geographic moment!"
After six hours on a boat we felt the need for a short walk so we drove up to Exit Glacier (about 8 miles from Seward) and went for a forty minute walk to the viewpoint before dinner. It was stunning; grey shallow river and many hued green woods with the huge glacier hanging behind them.
We went back to Chinook's for dinner and again our meal was delicious, and we had a pleasant chat about our day. The captain of the boat told us earlier that this is the best summer that they have had in Alaska for ten years; it is so beautiful that it will be hard to leave tomorrow!
Today we went on a Kenai Fjords boat trip. The captain, who had a deep mellifluous voice reminiscent of Johnny Cash, gave us an interesting commentary about the history of the area and the sea life. He explained that Seward had been a commercial port with oil and gas terminals until the March 27 1964 Alaska earthquake. Seward was almost completely destroyed and the oil tanks ruptured, and then half an hour later three tsunamis pushed the spilled oil back up on shore and it went on fire, devastating what remained of the town. As we were told in Anchorage, the fact that it was Good Friday and businesses and schools were closed meant that there was little loss of life, but financially Seward has never quite recovered and is now mainly a fishing and tourism town, handy for the Kenai Fjords National Park. The first glacier that we came to was Bear Glacier which is a land-locked glacier which comes down almost to the sea; 75% of Kenai Fjords national park is covered by glaciers. At Calisto Point we saw two North Pacific hump-backed whales feeding. We also saw rusty brown Steller sea lions basking and squabbling on some rocks, and harbour seals. We turned in towards the Aialik Glacier, passing the Holgate Glacier and the Pederson Glacier on the way. All of these are flowing down from the massive Harding Icefield. The captain took us close up to the glacier and we saw it calving; just seemingly small bits of ice were coming off it but they made a tremendous noise as they crashed down. I do like a boat trip and the scenery was beautiful with turquoise seas and steep sided fjords, the lower slopes of the mountains densely covered with forest and the upper slopes consisting of rock and snow.
We saw some sea otters floating on their backs and also some black and white porpoises - one of them swam along right beside the boat! The highlight of the whole trip had to be a group of Orca (killer) whales, feeding alongside humpbacked whales and a fin whale near Matushka Island. The boat was surrounded by whales! Also because they were feeding on schools of small fish, there were lots of seabirds feeding there too including puffins, who were so full of fish that they were skimming across the surface of the water having difficulty taking off! The captain played us a recording of the Orca's sounds under the water which a scientist on the boat (who is doing his Master's on Orcas!) had just made using a hydrophone; it was a haunting, echoey, almost bird like sound. The captain told us that so much sea life activity on one trip is very unusual and it was a "National Geographic moment!"
After six hours on a boat we felt the need for a short walk so we drove up to Exit Glacier (about 8 miles from Seward) and went for a forty minute walk to the viewpoint before dinner. It was stunning; grey shallow river and many hued green woods with the huge glacier hanging behind them.
We went back to Chinook's for dinner and again our meal was delicious, and we had a pleasant chat about our day. The captain of the boat told us earlier that this is the best summer that they have had in Alaska for ten years; it is so beautiful that it will be hard to leave tomorrow!
Hiking the Lost Lake Trail
Friday 19th July
Well how unfortunate that I (unusually) needed to go to the bathroom three times during the night and had to scurry back and forth the short distance to the toilet block, looking over my shoulder nervously in case a bear was chasing me. However I did survive the night and we woke to a glorious morning in Seward. We decided to go on a hike and picked up a leaflet for the "Lost Lake Trail" not far north of the town, and this turned out to be a good decision. It was nice to stretch our legs after our long drive yesterday, and the walk was absolutely beautiful. Firstly we ascended through temperate rainforest for about three miles with views of the mountain tops and their snowfields across the valley. Then we emerged onto an alpine meadow - oh my goodness it was lovely! There was an abundance of wild flowers including delphinium, forget-me-not, arnica, monks-hood and pink lupine. There were lots of wild birds swooping about as well. I suggested (nay, insisted!) that James and David go on ahead of me because I was totally over-heating as usual. So they went on at a faster pace until they could see Lost Lake, and then met me on their way back; there was little danger of getting lost because there was only one other trail branching off. In total I reckon I walked about nine miles and James and David walked about twelve miles; it was a proper hike! There were not very many mosquitos but there were lots of pesky flies, however I sprayed myself with bug spray and they mostly left me alone. James and David met some people who said that this brilliant weather is very unusual for Seward because usually the weather here is either horizontal or vertical rain! There weren't very many people on the trail but the few we met were very friendly. There were some mountain bikers, one guy came past me and said "This is brutal!" and I noticed that there was blood running down one of his legs, he must have fallen! On the way back down the trail we met a lady with a huge dog, it looked like a wolf but was some kind of Husky cross, which lunged snarling at James as he moved past it. She then said "He doesn't like sudden movements, he gets scared." which we were not very impressed with because James hadn't moved suddenly and anyway it was her responsibility to control her dog!
After some refreshing and much needed showers back at the cabins we moseyed down into the town for dinner. This time we went to Chinook's which I thought was even better than Ray's, and we had a lovely table overlooking the harbour. I had pecan crusted cod with mashed yam and green curried coconut sauce; it was delicious. James had curried salmon with chutney and David had the fisherman's stew which was a massive bowlful (lots of jokes from James about what will the fisherman eat now that David has his stew!)
Back at the cabin, we decided to watch a film and we borrowed one of Tim's DVDs - Into the Wild. When we were at Denali National Park we had heard about a young man, Chris McCandless, who went into the park seeking a wilderness experience in 1992, and had unfortunately ultimately died of starvation through lack of knowledge of survival skills. Coincidentally, Ewan had happened to blog the day before about the book that Jon Krakauer wrote based on his diaries and interviewing the people that he had met on his travels, so the film seemed like the perfect choice for Alaskan viewing! It was a sad but interesting film and we could recognise the mountains and tundra of Denali, although a lot of the film was flashbacks to the experiences and journey that brought him there. I would like to read the book as well.
Well how unfortunate that I (unusually) needed to go to the bathroom three times during the night and had to scurry back and forth the short distance to the toilet block, looking over my shoulder nervously in case a bear was chasing me. However I did survive the night and we woke to a glorious morning in Seward. We decided to go on a hike and picked up a leaflet for the "Lost Lake Trail" not far north of the town, and this turned out to be a good decision. It was nice to stretch our legs after our long drive yesterday, and the walk was absolutely beautiful. Firstly we ascended through temperate rainforest for about three miles with views of the mountain tops and their snowfields across the valley. Then we emerged onto an alpine meadow - oh my goodness it was lovely! There was an abundance of wild flowers including delphinium, forget-me-not, arnica, monks-hood and pink lupine. There were lots of wild birds swooping about as well. I suggested (nay, insisted!) that James and David go on ahead of me because I was totally over-heating as usual. So they went on at a faster pace until they could see Lost Lake, and then met me on their way back; there was little danger of getting lost because there was only one other trail branching off. In total I reckon I walked about nine miles and James and David walked about twelve miles; it was a proper hike! There were not very many mosquitos but there were lots of pesky flies, however I sprayed myself with bug spray and they mostly left me alone. James and David met some people who said that this brilliant weather is very unusual for Seward because usually the weather here is either horizontal or vertical rain! There weren't very many people on the trail but the few we met were very friendly. There were some mountain bikers, one guy came past me and said "This is brutal!" and I noticed that there was blood running down one of his legs, he must have fallen! On the way back down the trail we met a lady with a huge dog, it looked like a wolf but was some kind of Husky cross, which lunged snarling at James as he moved past it. She then said "He doesn't like sudden movements, he gets scared." which we were not very impressed with because James hadn't moved suddenly and anyway it was her responsibility to control her dog!
After some refreshing and much needed showers back at the cabins we moseyed down into the town for dinner. This time we went to Chinook's which I thought was even better than Ray's, and we had a lovely table overlooking the harbour. I had pecan crusted cod with mashed yam and green curried coconut sauce; it was delicious. James had curried salmon with chutney and David had the fisherman's stew which was a massive bowlful (lots of jokes from James about what will the fisherman eat now that David has his stew!)
Back at the cabin, we decided to watch a film and we borrowed one of Tim's DVDs - Into the Wild. When we were at Denali National Park we had heard about a young man, Chris McCandless, who went into the park seeking a wilderness experience in 1992, and had unfortunately ultimately died of starvation through lack of knowledge of survival skills. Coincidentally, Ewan had happened to blog the day before about the book that Jon Krakauer wrote based on his diaries and interviewing the people that he had met on his travels, so the film seemed like the perfect choice for Alaskan viewing! It was a sad but interesting film and we could recognise the mountains and tundra of Denali, although a lot of the film was flashbacks to the experiences and journey that brought him there. I would like to read the book as well.
Friday 19 July 2013
Seafood in Seward
Thursday 18th July
Today we packed up and drove the long journey south from Denali to Seward, it should have been about seven hours plus stops but there were some roadworks which took us an extra hour. When we finally arrived at our accommodation, the Creekside Cabins, we found ourselves in another cute log cabin. It really is right beside a creek where bears were spotted frolicking about three days ago. This got my attention because this is the only place in which we have stayed this holiday that doesn't have its own en suite toilet. Instead we have to visit the (very clean) toilet and shower block nearby - just a few yards along the creek! I asked the owner what the chances are of me meeting a bear on the way to the toilet and he said it's unlikely! Notice that he didn't say that it's impossible!
We went down the couple of miles into the small harbour town of Seward which is very attractive in a maritime sort of way. Most spectacular is its setting on Resurrection Sound, surrounded by snow capped mountains. Davie was asking James why there was still so much snow on the mountains when it is so warm in Seward, and James explained that not only is it colder higher up but also there is a lot more snow in the winter and we are seeing it when a lot of it has melted. We had a seafood dinner in one of the restaurants on the front, called Rays. James and Davie had cod and chips which they said was delicious and I had halibut with a lime sauce and coconut rice. We had a walk along the waterfront after dinner and looked at the Seward Mariner's memorial, which is a small replica lighthouse with the points of the compass all around it, I thought that it was very fitting.
Today we packed up and drove the long journey south from Denali to Seward, it should have been about seven hours plus stops but there were some roadworks which took us an extra hour. When we finally arrived at our accommodation, the Creekside Cabins, we found ourselves in another cute log cabin. It really is right beside a creek where bears were spotted frolicking about three days ago. This got my attention because this is the only place in which we have stayed this holiday that doesn't have its own en suite toilet. Instead we have to visit the (very clean) toilet and shower block nearby - just a few yards along the creek! I asked the owner what the chances are of me meeting a bear on the way to the toilet and he said it's unlikely! Notice that he didn't say that it's impossible!
We went down the couple of miles into the small harbour town of Seward which is very attractive in a maritime sort of way. Most spectacular is its setting on Resurrection Sound, surrounded by snow capped mountains. Davie was asking James why there was still so much snow on the mountains when it is so warm in Seward, and James explained that not only is it colder higher up but also there is a lot more snow in the winter and we are seeing it when a lot of it has melted. We had a seafood dinner in one of the restaurants on the front, called Rays. James and Davie had cod and chips which they said was delicious and I had halibut with a lime sauce and coconut rice. We had a walk along the waterfront after dinner and looked at the Seward Mariner's memorial, which is a small replica lighthouse with the points of the compass all around it, I thought that it was very fitting.
Thursday 18 July 2013
Caribou, moose and bears, oh my!
Wednesday 17th July
We got up before 5 in order to get ready and be at Denali National Park by ten past six for our 12 hour "Kantishna Experience" bus tour. Only tour buses are allowed beyond Mile 15 (Savage River, where we were yesterday) so it was the only way to get that far into the park, and apart from the few other tour buses there were hardly any other people around so it was real wilderness. The mostly unsurfaced single road twists and turns for 92 miles. The landscape is a mixture of taiga (trees) and tundra (moss and brush and gravel) and is very beautiful in itself, but of course we were hoping to see some wildlife too!
The first animals we saw were Dall sheep with curly horns high up on the hill. At this point I was having doubts about having come on the tour; such an early start to see a few sheep in the distance! However things looked up when we spotted a group of 5 caribou on the hillside - they have big antlers to the front as well as on top of their heads which made them look very top heavy. Another group of 8 caribou down below the road were even closer to us.
Then we saw a grizzly bear walking along on the spongy tundra and through the low bushes, it looks so round and cuddly and it moved very gracefully across the rough ground. And next came another grizzly bear running quite fast along the low ridge of a hill. After a stop at the Eielson Wilderness Centre we almost immediately saw another grizzly, this time right beside the trail. We got some great pictures of it as it munched away at the grass. Everyone on the bus was so excited that we all bonded and became much more friendly to each other; up until then everyone had been very quiet, probably due to the early start. An elderly lady from California took a great shine to Davie and they had a lovely chat. At about midday we came to beautiful Wonder Lake which is three miles long. We went past there to the end of the road which is the tiny mining village of Kantishna. We visited Fannie Quigley's cabin and the park ranger told us about her amazing life. Born in the mid-west in 1870 she ran away from her bohemian family aged 15 and learned English while riding the railroads across America where she ended up in the gold rush, prospecting and also cooking for the other miners. She left her first husband and walked 700 miles north to the Kantishna area where she spent the next 40 years. She was famous for hunting like a man, gold mining, embroidery and being a fantastic cook and hostess - she was known for her blueberry pies which she made by picking the blueberries, travelling by dog sled hundreds of miles in order to trade gold dust for flour and sugar, and of course killing a bear to get fat to make the pie crust! She even worked out how to freeze the pies and other food by tunnelling into the permafrost. When her second husband Joe was injured in a mining accident and decided to move to Seattle where life would be easier as he got older, Fannie decided to stay on in Kantishna. She and Joe became well off by selling their mining claims and she had a log cabin built for her by the mining company. She lived there until she died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 74. What a character! I really enjoyed hearing her story.
The long drive back to Denali visitors' centre was enlivened by more animal sightings (caribou, a mother bear with two cubs, a moose) and several toilet stops, during one of which I discovered another dead mosquito in my underwear. It's as if my pants are becoming an elephant's graveyard for mozzies. Just before we arrived back at the visitor centre we saw a huge bull moose munching away at the vegetation beside the road.
We went straight to the 49th State Pub and had a hearty dinner while discussing our day. We saw some amazing sights and I'm really glad that we were able to go so far into the park - right to the end of its only road! However I'm glad that we don't have such an early start tomorrow! We have become very fond of the pub over the last two evenings. It has great service, great, simple food (very generous helpings!) and a bustling, lively atmosphere.
We got up before 5 in order to get ready and be at Denali National Park by ten past six for our 12 hour "Kantishna Experience" bus tour. Only tour buses are allowed beyond Mile 15 (Savage River, where we were yesterday) so it was the only way to get that far into the park, and apart from the few other tour buses there were hardly any other people around so it was real wilderness. The mostly unsurfaced single road twists and turns for 92 miles. The landscape is a mixture of taiga (trees) and tundra (moss and brush and gravel) and is very beautiful in itself, but of course we were hoping to see some wildlife too!
The first animals we saw were Dall sheep with curly horns high up on the hill. At this point I was having doubts about having come on the tour; such an early start to see a few sheep in the distance! However things looked up when we spotted a group of 5 caribou on the hillside - they have big antlers to the front as well as on top of their heads which made them look very top heavy. Another group of 8 caribou down below the road were even closer to us.
Then we saw a grizzly bear walking along on the spongy tundra and through the low bushes, it looks so round and cuddly and it moved very gracefully across the rough ground. And next came another grizzly bear running quite fast along the low ridge of a hill. After a stop at the Eielson Wilderness Centre we almost immediately saw another grizzly, this time right beside the trail. We got some great pictures of it as it munched away at the grass. Everyone on the bus was so excited that we all bonded and became much more friendly to each other; up until then everyone had been very quiet, probably due to the early start. An elderly lady from California took a great shine to Davie and they had a lovely chat. At about midday we came to beautiful Wonder Lake which is three miles long. We went past there to the end of the road which is the tiny mining village of Kantishna. We visited Fannie Quigley's cabin and the park ranger told us about her amazing life. Born in the mid-west in 1870 she ran away from her bohemian family aged 15 and learned English while riding the railroads across America where she ended up in the gold rush, prospecting and also cooking for the other miners. She left her first husband and walked 700 miles north to the Kantishna area where she spent the next 40 years. She was famous for hunting like a man, gold mining, embroidery and being a fantastic cook and hostess - she was known for her blueberry pies which she made by picking the blueberries, travelling by dog sled hundreds of miles in order to trade gold dust for flour and sugar, and of course killing a bear to get fat to make the pie crust! She even worked out how to freeze the pies and other food by tunnelling into the permafrost. When her second husband Joe was injured in a mining accident and decided to move to Seattle where life would be easier as he got older, Fannie decided to stay on in Kantishna. She and Joe became well off by selling their mining claims and she had a log cabin built for her by the mining company. She lived there until she died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 74. What a character! I really enjoyed hearing her story.
The long drive back to Denali visitors' centre was enlivened by more animal sightings (caribou, a mother bear with two cubs, a moose) and several toilet stops, during one of which I discovered another dead mosquito in my underwear. It's as if my pants are becoming an elephant's graveyard for mozzies. Just before we arrived back at the visitor centre we saw a huge bull moose munching away at the vegetation beside the road.
We went straight to the 49th State Pub and had a hearty dinner while discussing our day. We saw some amazing sights and I'm really glad that we were able to go so far into the park - right to the end of its only road! However I'm glad that we don't have such an early start tomorrow! We have become very fond of the pub over the last two evenings. It has great service, great, simple food (very generous helpings!) and a bustling, lively atmosphere.
Wednesday 17 July 2013
Becoming part of the food chain at Denali National Park
Tuesday 16th July
After another comfortable night at the Grizzly Lodge we decided to visit the Alaska Pipeline before leaving the Fairbanks area. We took Anita's advice and instead of going to the viewpoint north of town we drove round to the road behind the Grizzly Lodge and there was the pipeline in all its glory, stretching for miles. There was no one else there so we could wander up and down having a really good look at it. It is well insulated and supported on special towers which have brackets which can withstand movement such as earthquakes. It does go under the ground in some places, but mostly it is above ground so that it is not affected by permafrost. James and David were very excited to be there, and even I found it to be rather majestic and impressive. There are notices telling you not to climb on it but Davie did anyway!
We then set off back south to Denali National Park, but before going into the park we stopped off at our lovely log cabin in Healy. We were really glad that we had booked there (thanks Tripadvisor!) because we were not impressed with the sprawling and unattractive accommodation that is to be found around the gates of the park, eleven miles down the road.
However when we went into Denali National Park itself we really liked it. There was an informative visitor's centre with helpful staff who gave us maps of the hikes. We went on a couple of short hikes (about an hour each); one near the visitor's centre and one at Savage River which is fifteen miles into the park. By the way, Denali National Park is absolutely huge; it's bigger that the state of Vermont! On our first walk we came across a mummy moose with a baby moose, strolling among the bushes very near to us, which was great to see. Although apparently mooses are more dangerous than they appear - especially when they are with their young. The advice in the park is "If you see a moose, run, and try to hide behind a tree. If you see a bear don't run, stay still and talk to it in a calm voice." I hope that I would get that the right way round in an emergency!
On our second walk at Savage River we were again tormented by mosquitos! However in the visitor centre one of the information boards explained that mosquitos are an important part of the food chain in the park, because they are eaten by birds who in their turn provide nourishment for foxes, wolves etc. So we should be pleased that we have become part of that food chain! We're not though! We hate those horrible little creatures! I even found a dead mosquito in my pants later which James thought was very funny, and it had managed to bite me four times on my rear end before it died. At Savage River we saw some cute little ground squirrels who were watching us, they were shy if you got too close though. The main excitement was when we were driving back towards the park entrance; in a dry riverbed near the car James spotted a big wolf! It was huge and black, and it looked up and stared at us just as we saw it. By the time we stopped the car, it had disappeared into the woods.
Dinner was at the 49th State Brew Pub very near our log cabin, and recommended by our hostess Anne Marie. It was very busy and had lots of character, it has its own brewery so James was persuaded to try a selection of different types of beers - 5 small glasses of beer were brought on a tray and he enjoyed them all. James and David had absolutely giant burgers and I had beef nachos which were very good. Now we are heading for an early night because we have a very early start tomorrow.
After another comfortable night at the Grizzly Lodge we decided to visit the Alaska Pipeline before leaving the Fairbanks area. We took Anita's advice and instead of going to the viewpoint north of town we drove round to the road behind the Grizzly Lodge and there was the pipeline in all its glory, stretching for miles. There was no one else there so we could wander up and down having a really good look at it. It is well insulated and supported on special towers which have brackets which can withstand movement such as earthquakes. It does go under the ground in some places, but mostly it is above ground so that it is not affected by permafrost. James and David were very excited to be there, and even I found it to be rather majestic and impressive. There are notices telling you not to climb on it but Davie did anyway!
We then set off back south to Denali National Park, but before going into the park we stopped off at our lovely log cabin in Healy. We were really glad that we had booked there (thanks Tripadvisor!) because we were not impressed with the sprawling and unattractive accommodation that is to be found around the gates of the park, eleven miles down the road.
However when we went into Denali National Park itself we really liked it. There was an informative visitor's centre with helpful staff who gave us maps of the hikes. We went on a couple of short hikes (about an hour each); one near the visitor's centre and one at Savage River which is fifteen miles into the park. By the way, Denali National Park is absolutely huge; it's bigger that the state of Vermont! On our first walk we came across a mummy moose with a baby moose, strolling among the bushes very near to us, which was great to see. Although apparently mooses are more dangerous than they appear - especially when they are with their young. The advice in the park is "If you see a moose, run, and try to hide behind a tree. If you see a bear don't run, stay still and talk to it in a calm voice." I hope that I would get that the right way round in an emergency!
On our second walk at Savage River we were again tormented by mosquitos! However in the visitor centre one of the information boards explained that mosquitos are an important part of the food chain in the park, because they are eaten by birds who in their turn provide nourishment for foxes, wolves etc. So we should be pleased that we have become part of that food chain! We're not though! We hate those horrible little creatures! I even found a dead mosquito in my pants later which James thought was very funny, and it had managed to bite me four times on my rear end before it died. At Savage River we saw some cute little ground squirrels who were watching us, they were shy if you got too close though. The main excitement was when we were driving back towards the park entrance; in a dry riverbed near the car James spotted a big wolf! It was huge and black, and it looked up and stared at us just as we saw it. By the time we stopped the car, it had disappeared into the woods.
Dinner was at the 49th State Brew Pub very near our log cabin, and recommended by our hostess Anne Marie. It was very busy and had lots of character, it has its own brewery so James was persuaded to try a selection of different types of beers - 5 small glasses of beer were brought on a tray and he enjoyed them all. James and David had absolutely giant burgers and I had beef nachos which were very good. Now we are heading for an early night because we have a very early start tomorrow.
Tuesday 16 July 2013
Hiking to Angel Rocks
Monday 15th July
We had decided that we would like to go on a hike today, to see some of the countryside around Fairbanks and to enjoy the great weather. After a lovely pancake and maple syrup breakfast at the Grizzly Bear Lodge, we borrowed a book of day hikes from Anita and set off down the Chena Hot Springs Road for about 45 miles to the Angel Rocks trail, described in the book as "the premier day hike of Fairbanks". On the way we stopped to see a moose which was grazing on the banks of the river. The Angel Rocks are distinctive granite rock formations which stick up strikingly from the forest above the Chena River. There is only about 900 feet of ascent on the three and a half mile trail but it was a very hot day and I was soon overheating. The trail starts out by going along the river through the forest and there were lots and lots of mosquitos. James was well equipped, wearing long sleeves and a mosquitos net hat! He had also brought a Deet Spray which we sprayed liberally on each other. It helped a lot but it is nasty stuff! Some of it got on my lips and they were nipping, and it smelled awful. We plodded onwards and upwards through the forest, we were all sweltering. By the time we got to the top of the tree line and the first outcrops of rocks the Mosquitos had been left behind, and we could enjoy the amazing views across the valley. We had lunch at the top of the hill among the rocks, and then started making our way down. However little did I know that the worst was yet to come!
The day hikes book casually mentions "the first descent has slippery decomposed granite footings that may be a bit tricky for some hikers, but quickly evens out into a gradual slope..." However in fact the slippery bit goes on and on; I don't know if this might be due to the hot weather drying out the surface or if we were perhaps a bit off the trail by mistake. We slipped and slid down the hillside; I kept on falling so eventually I started sliding down on my bottom, using two small branches to protect my hands from the stones. My climbing trousers and underwear are so dirty but remarkably untorn! Once the path eventually evened out it still seemed to take ages to get back to the car and David ran ahead to switch on the engine and the air conditioning. By the time I arrived at the car I was so hot that I was gasping for breath and it took me some time to recover.
We thought that we might as well continue to the road end to the Chena Hot Springs resort, where we went for an afternoon swim in the hot sulphurous pool. However a discerning reader will notice the intrinsic flaw in this plan. Hot day, over-heated Susan, hot springs. And they were VERY hot springs! I went in anyway as much as I could bear it and then dozed in the shade for a while. James and David were made of sterner stuff and stayed in the hot pool for longer than me, and then they relaxed at the poolside as well. It was a very attractive setting and would be a great place to heat up on a cold day!
Later we had a lovely dinner in the bustling Lavelle's Bistro in downtown Fairbanks and talked about our adventures. We all have mosquito bites, mainly on our legs, and we are stiff and sore. It has been a great day!
We had decided that we would like to go on a hike today, to see some of the countryside around Fairbanks and to enjoy the great weather. After a lovely pancake and maple syrup breakfast at the Grizzly Bear Lodge, we borrowed a book of day hikes from Anita and set off down the Chena Hot Springs Road for about 45 miles to the Angel Rocks trail, described in the book as "the premier day hike of Fairbanks". On the way we stopped to see a moose which was grazing on the banks of the river. The Angel Rocks are distinctive granite rock formations which stick up strikingly from the forest above the Chena River. There is only about 900 feet of ascent on the three and a half mile trail but it was a very hot day and I was soon overheating. The trail starts out by going along the river through the forest and there were lots and lots of mosquitos. James was well equipped, wearing long sleeves and a mosquitos net hat! He had also brought a Deet Spray which we sprayed liberally on each other. It helped a lot but it is nasty stuff! Some of it got on my lips and they were nipping, and it smelled awful. We plodded onwards and upwards through the forest, we were all sweltering. By the time we got to the top of the tree line and the first outcrops of rocks the Mosquitos had been left behind, and we could enjoy the amazing views across the valley. We had lunch at the top of the hill among the rocks, and then started making our way down. However little did I know that the worst was yet to come!
The day hikes book casually mentions "the first descent has slippery decomposed granite footings that may be a bit tricky for some hikers, but quickly evens out into a gradual slope..." However in fact the slippery bit goes on and on; I don't know if this might be due to the hot weather drying out the surface or if we were perhaps a bit off the trail by mistake. We slipped and slid down the hillside; I kept on falling so eventually I started sliding down on my bottom, using two small branches to protect my hands from the stones. My climbing trousers and underwear are so dirty but remarkably untorn! Once the path eventually evened out it still seemed to take ages to get back to the car and David ran ahead to switch on the engine and the air conditioning. By the time I arrived at the car I was so hot that I was gasping for breath and it took me some time to recover.
We thought that we might as well continue to the road end to the Chena Hot Springs resort, where we went for an afternoon swim in the hot sulphurous pool. However a discerning reader will notice the intrinsic flaw in this plan. Hot day, over-heated Susan, hot springs. And they were VERY hot springs! I went in anyway as much as I could bear it and then dozed in the shade for a while. James and David were made of sterner stuff and stayed in the hot pool for longer than me, and then they relaxed at the poolside as well. It was a very attractive setting and would be a great place to heat up on a cold day!
Later we had a lovely dinner in the bustling Lavelle's Bistro in downtown Fairbanks and talked about our adventures. We all have mosquito bites, mainly on our legs, and we are stiff and sore. It has been a great day!
Monday 15 July 2013
An even hotter day in Fairbanks
Sunday 14th July
When we went to bed in affable, friendly Anchorage last night we didn't realise that on a summer Saturday night at midnight it turns into the wild west! The youth of the town were partying in the streets until the wee small hours and the marvellous (or so we had thought!) downtown location of our hotel meant that they mostly seemed to be congregating under our window! As well as laughing and shouting they were driving up and down the streets peeping their horns and someone was driving a motorcycle around with no exhaust on it, the sound was so loud that it seemed almost to be in the bedroom with us! Luckily we are all good sleepers and we didn't lose too much sleep; summers are short in Alaska so the young people have to party when they can!
After a lovely breakfast of freshly made waffles we picked up our hire car and set off for a very long drive north (7 hours). We have two long days of driving during this holiday and the reason is because I couldn't decide which to miss out - Denali, Fairbanks or Seward (because of time and distances) and in the end I decided that I couldn't miss out any of them! However it was a good driving day with sunny weather and no hold ups at all, and the views of mountains were splendid, including the majestic Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinlay) towering above the rest.
We are now in Fairbanks, which is the furthest north that we have ever been at 64.50 degrees north (on land anyway; our plane flew in a wide northern circle above Greenland when we went to Calgary in 2008). However I can't believe how hot it is; 89 degrees today! We went to the visitors' information centre and apparently Fairbanks is often the hottest place in Alaska, there must be some geographical reason for it. Our guest house is a few miles out of town down a country road, and when we arrived (thanks to James for bringing our sat nav!) there was no one there and when we phoned her the lady who owns it was out of town and had forgotten we were coming. However she was very pleasant and directed us by phone to our room. We went back into town for a yummy meal at an Italian restaurant which we ate sitting outside in the sunshine. Downtown Fairbanks is very small - it doesn't seem to have the vibrancy of Anchorage (although after our experience last night maybe that's a good thing! And now we are sitting on the balcony outside our bedroom back at the guest house, hoping that some grizzly bears will come out of the trees, but no sightings yet. It is now 11 p.m. Alaska time and the sky is still bright blue - I don't think it's going to get properly dark at all tonight because we're so far north.
In other family news, Jamie has emailed me today from Lima in Peru, and Alasdair and Cat emailed yesterday from Flores in Indonesia! We have never been so scattered across the globe! And let's not forget Jack, who is on his holidays at Legbrannock Cattery in Motherwell!
When we went to bed in affable, friendly Anchorage last night we didn't realise that on a summer Saturday night at midnight it turns into the wild west! The youth of the town were partying in the streets until the wee small hours and the marvellous (or so we had thought!) downtown location of our hotel meant that they mostly seemed to be congregating under our window! As well as laughing and shouting they were driving up and down the streets peeping their horns and someone was driving a motorcycle around with no exhaust on it, the sound was so loud that it seemed almost to be in the bedroom with us! Luckily we are all good sleepers and we didn't lose too much sleep; summers are short in Alaska so the young people have to party when they can!
After a lovely breakfast of freshly made waffles we picked up our hire car and set off for a very long drive north (7 hours). We have two long days of driving during this holiday and the reason is because I couldn't decide which to miss out - Denali, Fairbanks or Seward (because of time and distances) and in the end I decided that I couldn't miss out any of them! However it was a good driving day with sunny weather and no hold ups at all, and the views of mountains were splendid, including the majestic Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinlay) towering above the rest.
We are now in Fairbanks, which is the furthest north that we have ever been at 64.50 degrees north (on land anyway; our plane flew in a wide northern circle above Greenland when we went to Calgary in 2008). However I can't believe how hot it is; 89 degrees today! We went to the visitors' information centre and apparently Fairbanks is often the hottest place in Alaska, there must be some geographical reason for it. Our guest house is a few miles out of town down a country road, and when we arrived (thanks to James for bringing our sat nav!) there was no one there and when we phoned her the lady who owns it was out of town and had forgotten we were coming. However she was very pleasant and directed us by phone to our room. We went back into town for a yummy meal at an Italian restaurant which we ate sitting outside in the sunshine. Downtown Fairbanks is very small - it doesn't seem to have the vibrancy of Anchorage (although after our experience last night maybe that's a good thing! And now we are sitting on the balcony outside our bedroom back at the guest house, hoping that some grizzly bears will come out of the trees, but no sightings yet. It is now 11 p.m. Alaska time and the sky is still bright blue - I don't think it's going to get properly dark at all tonight because we're so far north.
In other family news, Jamie has emailed me today from Lima in Peru, and Alasdair and Cat emailed yesterday from Flores in Indonesia! We have never been so scattered across the globe! And let's not forget Jack, who is on his holidays at Legbrannock Cattery in Motherwell!
Sunday 14 July 2013
A Hot Day in Anchorage
Saturday 13th July
After our night time adventures we all woke up tired, but our packing was already done (your suitcases get taken away the night before you disembark) so all we had to do was get showered and have our last breakfast on board. It has been a great week. We were efficiently escorted off the ship and bussed from Whittier to Anchorage. Whittier is very small and is connected to the rest of Alaska by a seven mile tunnel. When we got on our bus it was cloudy but as soon as we emerged from the other end of the tunnel we were in broad sunshine, how strange. The friendly bus driver chatted to us about the scenery but I have to admit that I dozed most of the way. When we got to our lovely hotel in Anchorage our room was ready so we were able to take our suitcases upstairs and get changed into shorts (the boys) and a sundress (me). It was very hot in Anchorage and we no longer have a shipboard breeze to cool us! We had a coffee in the hotel before setting off to explore the town. I like it! It reminds me a bit of Darwin in Australia, it's modern but mostly low rise, with broad streets and pavements and lots of nice cafés and shops. We went for a walk along the coast road, there isn't a beach because it's mostly mudflats. There is a statue of Captain Cook who was here shortly before his final, fateful visit to Hawaii. He was only 50 when he died. We went on a trolley bus tour which was very informative; they had a massive earthquake in the region on Good Friday of 1964 (9.2 on the Richter scale) and a lot of downtown Anchorage was destroyed, although luckily there were few deaths because it was a holiday so not many people were in the worst affected areas. We saw the effects of this earthquake in Glacier Bay and College Fjord where there are lots of dead trees at the shoreline because of salt water damage (?) during the earthquake. There is also a harbour on a lake where instead of yachts there are loads of seaplanes, it looked really cute. The young bus driver kept singing and sang the Alaskan state anthem for us which was very sweet. We had dinner at a great seafood restaurant called "The Bridge" which was delicious, James thought his rockfish was excellent, I enjoyed my Alaskan salmon and Davie had "mac and cheese" made with seafood which he said was "awesome"!
After our night time adventures we all woke up tired, but our packing was already done (your suitcases get taken away the night before you disembark) so all we had to do was get showered and have our last breakfast on board. It has been a great week. We were efficiently escorted off the ship and bussed from Whittier to Anchorage. Whittier is very small and is connected to the rest of Alaska by a seven mile tunnel. When we got on our bus it was cloudy but as soon as we emerged from the other end of the tunnel we were in broad sunshine, how strange. The friendly bus driver chatted to us about the scenery but I have to admit that I dozed most of the way. When we got to our lovely hotel in Anchorage our room was ready so we were able to take our suitcases upstairs and get changed into shorts (the boys) and a sundress (me). It was very hot in Anchorage and we no longer have a shipboard breeze to cool us! We had a coffee in the hotel before setting off to explore the town. I like it! It reminds me a bit of Darwin in Australia, it's modern but mostly low rise, with broad streets and pavements and lots of nice cafés and shops. We went for a walk along the coast road, there isn't a beach because it's mostly mudflats. There is a statue of Captain Cook who was here shortly before his final, fateful visit to Hawaii. He was only 50 when he died. We went on a trolley bus tour which was very informative; they had a massive earthquake in the region on Good Friday of 1964 (9.2 on the Richter scale) and a lot of downtown Anchorage was destroyed, although luckily there were few deaths because it was a holiday so not many people were in the worst affected areas. We saw the effects of this earthquake in Glacier Bay and College Fjord where there are lots of dead trees at the shoreline because of salt water damage (?) during the earthquake. There is also a harbour on a lake where instead of yachts there are loads of seaplanes, it looked really cute. The young bus driver kept singing and sang the Alaskan state anthem for us which was very sweet. We had dinner at a great seafood restaurant called "The Bridge" which was delicious, James thought his rockfish was excellent, I enjoyed my Alaskan salmon and Davie had "mac and cheese" made with seafood which he said was "awesome"!
David goes missing
Saturday 13th July
We are in our hotel in downtown Anchorage after an eventful 24 hours. Yesterday evening after a pleasant drink and chat, James and I headed for bed while David went to get himself an ice cream. This was at about 11 p.m. and I read my book and relaxed for a while until I started wondering where David could have got to. I decided to go and have a look for him at about half past midnight but I became very concerned when I realised that the ship's bars and social areas were all very empty. Where could he be? I searched all over the place to no avail and went back to our cabin to wake up James, before going to the customer service desk on Deck 6 to report David missing. What really worried me was that David had been very clear that he wanted to spend his cruise relaxing apart from the shore excursions we went on, and he didn't want to go to the "teen club". This was fair enough, but it meant that when I couldn't find him I couldn't imagine who he might be with because he didn't 't know any other young people on the ship. And my mind was racing - what if someone had hurt him, what if he had leaned over the railing of the ship to see something and had leaned too far...
When I spoke to the people at the Customer Service Desk they were very reassuring but immediately swung into action. I had to describe him and what he was wearing and when I had last seen him etc. and they printed out a Missing Person Report with his photo on it. It was very efficient. But when I saw the photo of his dear, lovely face on the report I just burst into tears. Meanwhile James was phoned by the staff and asked to remain in the cabin in case David turned up there.
The ship's Night Duty Captain came to meet me and Security started searching the ship. After only about ten minutes a Security Man came walking round the corner with David! I was so relieved and David let me give him a big cuddle because I think he could see what state I was in. The Night Duty Captain asked David what had happened (for the report) and he explained that when he went to get ice cream he had started chatting to another young person (one of the teenagers that he hadn't been interested in meeting all week!) and that they had met up with a group and they had all been sitting around chatting on Deck 5 for the last couple of hours. Thank goodness he was safe! I wouldn't even have been worried if I thought he was with other young people. When we had finished thanking all the staff we went back to the cabin where James was fully dressed and less than impressed!
We are in our hotel in downtown Anchorage after an eventful 24 hours. Yesterday evening after a pleasant drink and chat, James and I headed for bed while David went to get himself an ice cream. This was at about 11 p.m. and I read my book and relaxed for a while until I started wondering where David could have got to. I decided to go and have a look for him at about half past midnight but I became very concerned when I realised that the ship's bars and social areas were all very empty. Where could he be? I searched all over the place to no avail and went back to our cabin to wake up James, before going to the customer service desk on Deck 6 to report David missing. What really worried me was that David had been very clear that he wanted to spend his cruise relaxing apart from the shore excursions we went on, and he didn't want to go to the "teen club". This was fair enough, but it meant that when I couldn't find him I couldn't imagine who he might be with because he didn't 't know any other young people on the ship. And my mind was racing - what if someone had hurt him, what if he had leaned over the railing of the ship to see something and had leaned too far...
When I spoke to the people at the Customer Service Desk they were very reassuring but immediately swung into action. I had to describe him and what he was wearing and when I had last seen him etc. and they printed out a Missing Person Report with his photo on it. It was very efficient. But when I saw the photo of his dear, lovely face on the report I just burst into tears. Meanwhile James was phoned by the staff and asked to remain in the cabin in case David turned up there.
The ship's Night Duty Captain came to meet me and Security started searching the ship. After only about ten minutes a Security Man came walking round the corner with David! I was so relieved and David let me give him a big cuddle because I think he could see what state I was in. The Night Duty Captain asked David what had happened (for the report) and he explained that when he went to get ice cream he had started chatting to another young person (one of the teenagers that he hadn't been interested in meeting all week!) and that they had met up with a group and they had all been sitting around chatting on Deck 5 for the last couple of hours. Thank goodness he was safe! I wouldn't even have been worried if I thought he was with other young people. When we had finished thanking all the staff we went back to the cabin where James was fully dressed and less than impressed!
Saturday 13 July 2013
Cruising Northwards
Friday 12th July
Today the ship is cruising north all day towards the tiny port of Whittier, where we will disembark tomorrow morning and travel to Anchorage. I will really miss the cruise ship although I am excited about the next stage of our holiday. We have discovered that there is a Laundromat on every deck of the ship so we have processed a couple of washings and we will be leaving the ship with our suitcases full of clean clothes which should see out the holiday. The weather continues to be absolutely brilliant, with blue skies and the sun shining on the white capped mountains in the distance. We spoke to Jamie by phone this morning; his exams finished on Friday and he is back in Cambuslang for one night before travelling to Peru on Saturday. He thinks his exams went well, although they were not in the format that he is used to so he is not totally sure. He summed it up by saying that if he passes he wouldn't be surprised but if he fails he also wouldn't be surprised! I do hope he passes! He says that it's also very good weather in Scotland just now and he had to air the house when he got in because it is so hot. Luckily Grandma has been watering the lemon and lime trees for us.
So back to the cruise, which has been great. The ports of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway were all different and interesting, and we had great fun sea kayaking, rafting and cycling. I have been going to the gym every day and I really enjoy it; I watch television using my headphones while I am on the cross trainer, and I also watch the scenery because the gym is at the front of the ship with big windows. I have also loved swimming, especially in the Sanctuary pool, and reading and relaxing. The food is good and there's plenty of it, in fact you could just about eat all day if you wanted to because the Horizon canteen-style dining room changes seamlessly from breakfast to lunch to dinner! The menus are delicious and varied in the formal dining rooms - our favourite is the Santa Fe and the waiters, both there and in our favourite bars, have got to know our favourite drinks and have them lined up for us! And our cabin is fantastic, more than big enough for the three of us and Davie has enjoyed having his own space and his own television! It's a strange but very pleasant life on a cruise ship and having enjoyed it twice we would definitely like to do it again. Anyway, I'm about to head for the Sanctuary pool for the afternoon, while James and Davie go to a lecture on how the ship's engines and how to steer the ship!
Evening of Friday 12th July...
The rest of the day was lovely; we sailed down College Fjord which was amazing with lots of Glaciers named after US colleges. They were all beautiful but Harvard was really brilliant because it was "calving" so lots of huge pieces of ice were breaking off it and crashing down into the sea. One giant shard of ice disappeared into the sea then rose back up again like a rocket before finally subsiding. Our captain took the ship right up to it and we spent ages just watching it. The ship's naturalist called the day "Alaska at its best"! Another highlight was seeing lots of sea otters floating past the ship who were lying on their backs with babies clinging to their fronts! Their wee paws were sticking out of the water. When they dived their babies just clung on! We spent so long on deck that we were late for dinner! After a delicious last dinner we went up to Skywalkers Bar and had drinks perched overlooking the gorgeous sea and snowy mountains.
Today the ship is cruising north all day towards the tiny port of Whittier, where we will disembark tomorrow morning and travel to Anchorage. I will really miss the cruise ship although I am excited about the next stage of our holiday. We have discovered that there is a Laundromat on every deck of the ship so we have processed a couple of washings and we will be leaving the ship with our suitcases full of clean clothes which should see out the holiday. The weather continues to be absolutely brilliant, with blue skies and the sun shining on the white capped mountains in the distance. We spoke to Jamie by phone this morning; his exams finished on Friday and he is back in Cambuslang for one night before travelling to Peru on Saturday. He thinks his exams went well, although they were not in the format that he is used to so he is not totally sure. He summed it up by saying that if he passes he wouldn't be surprised but if he fails he also wouldn't be surprised! I do hope he passes! He says that it's also very good weather in Scotland just now and he had to air the house when he got in because it is so hot. Luckily Grandma has been watering the lemon and lime trees for us.
So back to the cruise, which has been great. The ports of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway were all different and interesting, and we had great fun sea kayaking, rafting and cycling. I have been going to the gym every day and I really enjoy it; I watch television using my headphones while I am on the cross trainer, and I also watch the scenery because the gym is at the front of the ship with big windows. I have also loved swimming, especially in the Sanctuary pool, and reading and relaxing. The food is good and there's plenty of it, in fact you could just about eat all day if you wanted to because the Horizon canteen-style dining room changes seamlessly from breakfast to lunch to dinner! The menus are delicious and varied in the formal dining rooms - our favourite is the Santa Fe and the waiters, both there and in our favourite bars, have got to know our favourite drinks and have them lined up for us! And our cabin is fantastic, more than big enough for the three of us and Davie has enjoyed having his own space and his own television! It's a strange but very pleasant life on a cruise ship and having enjoyed it twice we would definitely like to do it again. Anyway, I'm about to head for the Sanctuary pool for the afternoon, while James and Davie go to a lecture on how the ship's engines and how to steer the ship!
Evening of Friday 12th July...
The rest of the day was lovely; we sailed down College Fjord which was amazing with lots of Glaciers named after US colleges. They were all beautiful but Harvard was really brilliant because it was "calving" so lots of huge pieces of ice were breaking off it and crashing down into the sea. One giant shard of ice disappeared into the sea then rose back up again like a rocket before finally subsiding. Our captain took the ship right up to it and we spent ages just watching it. The ship's naturalist called the day "Alaska at its best"! Another highlight was seeing lots of sea otters floating past the ship who were lying on their backs with babies clinging to their fronts! Their wee paws were sticking out of the water. When they dived their babies just clung on! We spent so long on deck that we were late for dinner! After a delicious last dinner we went up to Skywalkers Bar and had drinks perched overlooking the gorgeous sea and snowy mountains.
Friday 12 July 2013
Whale Watching in Glacier Bay
Thursday 11th July
Today the whole day is dedicated to cruising up and down Glacier Bay to look at glaciers (of course!), icebergs and wildlife. This did not seem very enthralling to me (although James and David were very excited about it) but it turned out to be fascinating. We went up to the top deck after breakfast and the scenery was so amazing that the morning just flew by. We cruised up past Reid and Lamplugh Glaciers, then the ship turned in view of John Hopkins Glacier and sailed up the Tarr Inlet towards Grand Pacific Glacier. We saw a moose standing on the shore! We also saw a seal swimming and three grizzly bears padding around on a grassy bank above a stony beach. There were bald-headed eagles flying about and seagulls and wee black and white ducks. The most spectacular glacier was the Margerie Glacier which looked like a big pile of blocks of ice, and which made creaking noises and gunshot noises from time to time, upon which a large bit of ice would break off and go crashing into the water.
In the afternoon as we were sailing back out of Glacier Bay, James commented that the water was like whale soup! There were several groups, one of which had at least a dozen humpback whales; blowing, curving their backs and dorsal fins out of the water, and flicking their wide tails upwards into the air as they dived. They must have been feeding.
Today the whole day is dedicated to cruising up and down Glacier Bay to look at glaciers (of course!), icebergs and wildlife. This did not seem very enthralling to me (although James and David were very excited about it) but it turned out to be fascinating. We went up to the top deck after breakfast and the scenery was so amazing that the morning just flew by. We cruised up past Reid and Lamplugh Glaciers, then the ship turned in view of John Hopkins Glacier and sailed up the Tarr Inlet towards Grand Pacific Glacier. We saw a moose standing on the shore! We also saw a seal swimming and three grizzly bears padding around on a grassy bank above a stony beach. There were bald-headed eagles flying about and seagulls and wee black and white ducks. The most spectacular glacier was the Margerie Glacier which looked like a big pile of blocks of ice, and which made creaking noises and gunshot noises from time to time, upon which a large bit of ice would break off and go crashing into the water.
In the afternoon as we were sailing back out of Glacier Bay, James commented that the water was like whale soup! There were several groups, one of which had at least a dozen humpback whales; blowing, curving their backs and dorsal fins out of the water, and flicking their wide tails upwards into the air as they dived. They must have been feeding.
Thursday 11 July 2013
Summit to Sea in Skagway
Wednesday 10th July
Skagway is a lovely little town! It is the most northerly ice free port in Alaska and it is tiny, with painted wooden buildings and a picturesque railway that goes up into the mountains. It is very near the Yukon in Canada so has a gold-mining history. We had booked a tour to go cycling from the Canadian border all the way back down to Skagway, which is 15 miles. We were transported up the mountain with the same group of young people that we went sea-kayaking with in Ketchikan. After some safety instructions from our friendly guide Knikki (yes, that is how she spells it, and the K is silent!) we started whizzing down the hill, stopping at various viewpoints. This was not strenuous because gravity was doing all the work, however it was rather alarming because we were going very fast and we were cycling on the (admittedly quiet) highway! At the first stop one of the young people chose to get back into the van (which followed us) because it was too scary for him. However the rest of us continued and it was great to be cycling down through the mountains, seeing waterfalls and snowfields. We had to go back through the American border but we were just waved through and didn't have to show our passports. When we arrived back in the outskirts of Skagway we got to do a little proper cycling, by which I mean using the pedals! It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was really warm in the town. One of the young people was telling me that she has lost 50 pounds in the last year which is amazing because she looks as if she has always been slim. I said congratulations and that I have lost a stone and a half myself, and she said "Way to go, us!" and high fived me, which I thought was very sweet.
After we handed in the bikes we got hold of a trail map and went on a three mile walk up to and around Lower Dewey Lake. It was a good wee hike, rough going in places but beautiful views and lots of wild flowers beside the lake. We sat beside the water for a while and made our first acquaintance of Alaskan mosquitos which were pesky. Back down the hill we went and had a wander round the tiny town before hopping back onto the ship.
We went for a swim at the Sanctuary pool beside the spa and found that it is a "lap pool". This means that you press a button which sets off a current that you can swim against. I loved it! We also made use of the hot tub and read our books. Excellent day!
Skagway is a lovely little town! It is the most northerly ice free port in Alaska and it is tiny, with painted wooden buildings and a picturesque railway that goes up into the mountains. It is very near the Yukon in Canada so has a gold-mining history. We had booked a tour to go cycling from the Canadian border all the way back down to Skagway, which is 15 miles. We were transported up the mountain with the same group of young people that we went sea-kayaking with in Ketchikan. After some safety instructions from our friendly guide Knikki (yes, that is how she spells it, and the K is silent!) we started whizzing down the hill, stopping at various viewpoints. This was not strenuous because gravity was doing all the work, however it was rather alarming because we were going very fast and we were cycling on the (admittedly quiet) highway! At the first stop one of the young people chose to get back into the van (which followed us) because it was too scary for him. However the rest of us continued and it was great to be cycling down through the mountains, seeing waterfalls and snowfields. We had to go back through the American border but we were just waved through and didn't have to show our passports. When we arrived back in the outskirts of Skagway we got to do a little proper cycling, by which I mean using the pedals! It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was really warm in the town. One of the young people was telling me that she has lost 50 pounds in the last year which is amazing because she looks as if she has always been slim. I said congratulations and that I have lost a stone and a half myself, and she said "Way to go, us!" and high fived me, which I thought was very sweet.
After we handed in the bikes we got hold of a trail map and went on a three mile walk up to and around Lower Dewey Lake. It was a good wee hike, rough going in places but beautiful views and lots of wild flowers beside the lake. We sat beside the water for a while and made our first acquaintance of Alaskan mosquitos which were pesky. Back down the hill we went and had a wander round the tiny town before hopping back onto the ship.
We went for a swim at the Sanctuary pool beside the spa and found that it is a "lap pool". This means that you press a button which sets off a current that you can swim against. I loved it! We also made use of the hot tub and read our books. Excellent day!
White Water Rafting in Juneau
Tuesday 9th July
We arrived in Juneau in the morning and set off to explore the town. The day was overcast compared to the brighter days we have had so far; apparently Juneau has a very high annual rainfall. It is the state capital and you could tell there was more to it than little Ketchikan; there was an attractive white-painted, colonnaded Governor's House where Sarah Palin used to live. There was also an excellent museum which explained a lot about Alaska's history. It has close links to Russia, who owned Alaska until they sold it to the Americans in 1863. They were willing to do this because they felt that friendly (and inevitable) American expansion was preferable to the less friendly (because of the Crimean War) British expansion via Canada. So there is a lot of shared history with Russia and there were some Russian shops in the main street. James bought himself an Aeroflot t-shirt! He also got me a really gorgeous bear charm for my bracelet in one of the many jewellery shops.
At lunch time we set off by bus for our rafting trip at the Mendenhall Glacier, starting at the lake and travelling down the river; it was absolutely spectacular. We were efficiently kitted up with waterproofs, welly boots and life jackets and allocated to our inflatable boats. We were with a very loud American family who shouted the whole time and asked the guide very personal questions. We paddled round the lake first with great views of the glacier, and we were able to go right up to an iceberg and touch it, it was an amazing translucent blue colour deep down. Then we made our way over to the mouth of the river and did a bit of white water rafting which was great fun and the danger of which was hugely exaggerated by our young guide, who shouted instructions in a hoarse voice and steered us into the bumpy bits to make it more exciting. The American family screamed with excitement, however I was more concerned with how cold my feet got as the raft filled with freezing water! At the jetty downstream we saw the horrible sight of the corpulent family matriarch being carrying from the raft by her loyal middle-aged children. When we got back to town we had another walk around then went back to the comfort of the ship. I like Juneau; it's a bustling town and it's hard to believe that it is only accessible by sea or plane.
In the evening David took us to his favourite bar where he knows all the staff - "Another diet coke Mr Anderson?" He won't admit it but I think that he is loving this cruise.
We arrived in Juneau in the morning and set off to explore the town. The day was overcast compared to the brighter days we have had so far; apparently Juneau has a very high annual rainfall. It is the state capital and you could tell there was more to it than little Ketchikan; there was an attractive white-painted, colonnaded Governor's House where Sarah Palin used to live. There was also an excellent museum which explained a lot about Alaska's history. It has close links to Russia, who owned Alaska until they sold it to the Americans in 1863. They were willing to do this because they felt that friendly (and inevitable) American expansion was preferable to the less friendly (because of the Crimean War) British expansion via Canada. So there is a lot of shared history with Russia and there were some Russian shops in the main street. James bought himself an Aeroflot t-shirt! He also got me a really gorgeous bear charm for my bracelet in one of the many jewellery shops.
At lunch time we set off by bus for our rafting trip at the Mendenhall Glacier, starting at the lake and travelling down the river; it was absolutely spectacular. We were efficiently kitted up with waterproofs, welly boots and life jackets and allocated to our inflatable boats. We were with a very loud American family who shouted the whole time and asked the guide very personal questions. We paddled round the lake first with great views of the glacier, and we were able to go right up to an iceberg and touch it, it was an amazing translucent blue colour deep down. Then we made our way over to the mouth of the river and did a bit of white water rafting which was great fun and the danger of which was hugely exaggerated by our young guide, who shouted instructions in a hoarse voice and steered us into the bumpy bits to make it more exciting. The American family screamed with excitement, however I was more concerned with how cold my feet got as the raft filled with freezing water! At the jetty downstream we saw the horrible sight of the corpulent family matriarch being carrying from the raft by her loyal middle-aged children. When we got back to town we had another walk around then went back to the comfort of the ship. I like Juneau; it's a bustling town and it's hard to believe that it is only accessible by sea or plane.
In the evening David took us to his favourite bar where he knows all the staff - "Another diet coke Mr Anderson?" He won't admit it but I think that he is loving this cruise.
Tuesday 9 July 2013
Taps aff!
Monday 8th July
We have been very lucky with the weather so far on our holiday. It was hot and sunny in Seattle and Vancouver, and as we sail north we have had a mixture of blue sky and clouds. It is still very warm, so after the ship left Ketchikan in the early afternoon we set off for a swim in one of the ship's five pools. However we noticed that hardly anyone else was swimming; in fact some people were walking around wearing long trousers and jackets. No doubt these people are from much sunnier climes than us, and don't appreciate that the weather in Alaska is plenty warm enough for outdoor swimming! We reflected that if the majority of the ship's population had been Scottish, it would have been "taps aff," as everyone stripped off and made for the swimming pool!
David has settled in to cruise life and is enjoying ordering drinks everywhere he goes! I have been using the gym every afternoon (to try to counteract the limitless supplies of delicious food that we are being offered!) and I think that it must have the best view of any gym in the world - the blue sea and the forests of the Alaskan coast.
We have been very lucky with the weather so far on our holiday. It was hot and sunny in Seattle and Vancouver, and as we sail north we have had a mixture of blue sky and clouds. It is still very warm, so after the ship left Ketchikan in the early afternoon we set off for a swim in one of the ship's five pools. However we noticed that hardly anyone else was swimming; in fact some people were walking around wearing long trousers and jackets. No doubt these people are from much sunnier climes than us, and don't appreciate that the weather in Alaska is plenty warm enough for outdoor swimming! We reflected that if the majority of the ship's population had been Scottish, it would have been "taps aff," as everyone stripped off and made for the swimming pool!
David has settled in to cruise life and is enjoying ordering drinks everywhere he goes! I have been using the gym every afternoon (to try to counteract the limitless supplies of delicious food that we are being offered!) and I think that it must have the best view of any gym in the world - the blue sea and the forests of the Alaskan coast.
Monday 8 July 2013
Salmon-berries in Ketchikan
Monday 8th July
Here we are in Ketchikan in South East Alaska! Last night when we were in the bar after dinner we were watching the Alaskan coast slipping past us, with little volcanic islands; it looked very beautiful. We sailed in to Ketchikan this morning at about 6 a.m. James had already organised David and me to get up early because we were going sea kayaking at 7 a.m! It's a pretty little fishing port with pastel coloured wooden houses lining the tree-covered hillside. We were whisked off by bus to Knudson Cove where we had a fantastic couple of hours sea-kayaking. We paddled out to Eagle Island where bald-headed eagles were perching on the branches of the trees and swooping about low over the water. I was amazed at how warm the water was when I trailed my hand in it, and one of the guides explained to us that warm water sweeps up to South East Alaska from California. As we kayaked along we saw the "blow" followed by the tails of hump-backed whales about 300 yards away; it was amazing! As we got back to the pier we could see big red starfish on the rocks and in the shallow water purple sun-stars with many legs.
Back in Ketchikan we walked around the oldest part of town which is the Creek area. It is nowadays very touristy but we escaped the crowds by climbing up the hill. The path was lined by bushes covered with salmon-berries. These are delicious; they taste like a cross between raspberries and brambles, and are salmon coloured, hence the name.
Here we are in Ketchikan in South East Alaska! Last night when we were in the bar after dinner we were watching the Alaskan coast slipping past us, with little volcanic islands; it looked very beautiful. We sailed in to Ketchikan this morning at about 6 a.m. James had already organised David and me to get up early because we were going sea kayaking at 7 a.m! It's a pretty little fishing port with pastel coloured wooden houses lining the tree-covered hillside. We were whisked off by bus to Knudson Cove where we had a fantastic couple of hours sea-kayaking. We paddled out to Eagle Island where bald-headed eagles were perching on the branches of the trees and swooping about low over the water. I was amazed at how warm the water was when I trailed my hand in it, and one of the guides explained to us that warm water sweeps up to South East Alaska from California. As we kayaked along we saw the "blow" followed by the tails of hump-backed whales about 300 yards away; it was amazing! As we got back to the pier we could see big red starfish on the rocks and in the shallow water purple sun-stars with many legs.
Back in Ketchikan we walked around the oldest part of town which is the Creek area. It is nowadays very touristy but we escaped the crowds by climbing up the hill. The path was lined by bushes covered with salmon-berries. These are delicious; they taste like a cross between raspberries and brambles, and are salmon coloured, hence the name.
Sunday 7 July 2013
Breakfast with Andy Murray
Sunday 7th July
When James woke me up in our cabin this morning the Murray / Djokovic Wimbledon final had already started. Of course we are eight hours behind British Summer time so that's why we watched the match in the morning instead of the afternoon. I had ordered breakfast to be delivered to our room so I watched the final sitting up in bed drinking coffee and eating croissants! Murray was very strong although Djokovic fought back well. The third set was amazing especially the last game where it almost looked as if Djokovic was going to turn things around, but Murray won in three straight sets, he was so happy. I was happy too, he has done so well!
Today we are at sea all day. During the night we sailed the length of Vancouver Island and now we are continuing to head north on Queen Charlotte Sound, we can feel the ship moving more now that we are in more open water. We are all sitting beside a pool at the back of the ship (the stern?) reading our books and consulting our cruise guides and maps. This is great fun. The water in the pool is moving from aside to side as the ship rolls gently with the motion of the ocean.
When James woke me up in our cabin this morning the Murray / Djokovic Wimbledon final had already started. Of course we are eight hours behind British Summer time so that's why we watched the match in the morning instead of the afternoon. I had ordered breakfast to be delivered to our room so I watched the final sitting up in bed drinking coffee and eating croissants! Murray was very strong although Djokovic fought back well. The third set was amazing especially the last game where it almost looked as if Djokovic was going to turn things around, but Murray won in three straight sets, he was so happy. I was happy too, he has done so well!
Today we are at sea all day. During the night we sailed the length of Vancouver Island and now we are continuing to head north on Queen Charlotte Sound, we can feel the ship moving more now that we are in more open water. We are all sitting beside a pool at the back of the ship (the stern?) reading our books and consulting our cruise guides and maps. This is great fun. The water in the pool is moving from aside to side as the ship rolls gently with the motion of the ocean.
Sailing North from Vancouver
Saturday 6th July
We took a taxi from the station and arrived at our ship, the Diamond Princess, which was waiting for us at Vancouver's Ocean Terminal. It was weird to pass through Vancouver so quickly; we recognised many landmarks from our fantastic visit five years ago. When we went up to the top deck of the ship we had great views of the city and of Grouse Mountain. After the compulsory emergency drill we went up on deck for the departure; the ship sailed out of port and under the Lion's Gate bridge as we started to make our way north. It was really exciting! We had land on both sides of us and I realised that Vancouver Island was on our left.
We explored the ship and David was delighted that he is entitled to free drinks from any bar at any time during the voyage! David has not been all that excited about going on a cruise, perhaps assuming that it's aimed at older people, but I think he's beginning to see the benefits as he sees all the different areas. The ship is lovely with several swimming pools, a well equipped gym, a spa, an open air cinema, and lots of bars, restaurants and shops. Our cabin (upgraded woo hoo!) is a mini suite, so it's very spacious, with two sleeping areas, two televisions (why?), a bathroom (rather than a shower room), and a large balcony with table and chairs. We are on the starboard side which is recommended for this northwards cruise because we will be able to see the Alaskan coast and all the glaciers from our balcony. Like our ship last October in the Eastern Med, there is a big mix of nationalities and ages. After dinner and drinks (the Sunshine daiquiri is my drink of choice) we retired to our cabin in great spirits.
We took a taxi from the station and arrived at our ship, the Diamond Princess, which was waiting for us at Vancouver's Ocean Terminal. It was weird to pass through Vancouver so quickly; we recognised many landmarks from our fantastic visit five years ago. When we went up to the top deck of the ship we had great views of the city and of Grouse Mountain. After the compulsory emergency drill we went up on deck for the departure; the ship sailed out of port and under the Lion's Gate bridge as we started to make our way north. It was really exciting! We had land on both sides of us and I realised that Vancouver Island was on our left.
We explored the ship and David was delighted that he is entitled to free drinks from any bar at any time during the voyage! David has not been all that excited about going on a cruise, perhaps assuming that it's aimed at older people, but I think he's beginning to see the benefits as he sees all the different areas. The ship is lovely with several swimming pools, a well equipped gym, a spa, an open air cinema, and lots of bars, restaurants and shops. Our cabin (upgraded woo hoo!) is a mini suite, so it's very spacious, with two sleeping areas, two televisions (why?), a bathroom (rather than a shower room), and a large balcony with table and chairs. We are on the starboard side which is recommended for this northwards cruise because we will be able to see the Alaskan coast and all the glaciers from our balcony. Like our ship last October in the Eastern Med, there is a big mix of nationalities and ages. After dinner and drinks (the Sunshine daiquiri is my drink of choice) we retired to our cabin in great spirits.
Saturday 6 July 2013
On the train from Seattle to Vancouver
6th July
And so we have said goodbye to Seattle and we are now on an Amtrak train heading north towards Vancouver where we will board our cruise ship later today. We were advised to sit on the left hand side of the train in order to get the best coastal views, and we managed this thanks to James, who organised us to get up early so that we would be in plenty of time to reserve good seats (you have to reserve them at the station). Seattle train station is lovely; old fashioned and very clean, with beautiful white marble walls. The train has wifi which is why I am able to blog during the four hour journey.
The views to the west are indeed stunning. Sometimes we travel through pleasant fields and woods which are very green and summery. Some of the time the rail tracks are right beside the sea, so we are treated to views of beautiful bays, with boats and bird life. There are lots of herons and we saw a white headed eagle too. The train is comfortable and it's a nice change from air travel. Woo hoo we have just crossed the border into Canada!
And so we have said goodbye to Seattle and we are now on an Amtrak train heading north towards Vancouver where we will board our cruise ship later today. We were advised to sit on the left hand side of the train in order to get the best coastal views, and we managed this thanks to James, who organised us to get up early so that we would be in plenty of time to reserve good seats (you have to reserve them at the station). Seattle train station is lovely; old fashioned and very clean, with beautiful white marble walls. The train has wifi which is why I am able to blog during the four hour journey.
The views to the west are indeed stunning. Sometimes we travel through pleasant fields and woods which are very green and summery. Some of the time the rail tracks are right beside the sea, so we are treated to views of beautiful bays, with boats and bird life. There are lots of herons and we saw a white headed eagle too. The train is comfortable and it's a nice change from air travel. Woo hoo we have just crossed the border into Canada!
If it's not Boeing, I'm not going!
5th July
When we decided to visit Seattle, James immediately booked us on a tour of the Boeing aircraft factory. This will come as no surprise to anyone reading this who knows James, as he is a well known aircraft enthusiast and has brought up his sons to feel the same way. So David was also very excited about today's trip. To mark the occasion James wore his Battle of Britain t-shirt! We were collected from our hotel and whisked off on the 45 minutes drive to the Boeing factory. We had a rather lively tour guide, who kept up an endless commentary punctuated with phrases such as "Are you stoked?", "All righty!" and shouts of "Yay!". She also inexplicably laughed wildly from time to time.
The tour of the factory was admittedly very impressive. Outside it there was an unusually fat plane called the "Dreamlifter" because it was specially made to carry parts of aircraft to the factory for assembly. The scale of the factory was huge, and we could see the planes being assembled in a giant production line, from the constituent parts right up to the finished products which were nearly ready to be rolled out of the huge doors. We saw 747s, 777s, and 787s; when they were finished you could see them all painted in the colours of whatever airline had ordered them. The factory floor was so gigantic that the people working there looked tiny in the distance; I noticed that their canteen was called "The Dreamliner Diner" which is a cool name. James and David were in their element and were so happy, after the tour they bought themselves Boeing t-shirts from the gift shop.
Back in downtown Seattle, we decided to go for a walk to the Pioneer Square area. However it was much seedier than we expected and full of scary looking characters - we have noticed that there are quite a lot of down-and-outs in Seattle, but I suppose that's true of any city. So we circled round back to the more picturesque Pike Place market area, which was absolutely hooching today. We saw the "original Starbucks" but didn't go in because it was so crowded; instead we had coffee in a pretty little café off Post Lane. When we were there a friendly man wearing a natty t-shirt emblazoned with the logo National Gay Pilots Association noticed James' Battle of Britain t-shirt and started chatting to him; he had been a pilot for 30 years and had just obtained his seaplane licence. The hot, sunny weather continues and it was lovely to be sitting outside in this friendly, vibrant city.
When we decided to visit Seattle, James immediately booked us on a tour of the Boeing aircraft factory. This will come as no surprise to anyone reading this who knows James, as he is a well known aircraft enthusiast and has brought up his sons to feel the same way. So David was also very excited about today's trip. To mark the occasion James wore his Battle of Britain t-shirt! We were collected from our hotel and whisked off on the 45 minutes drive to the Boeing factory. We had a rather lively tour guide, who kept up an endless commentary punctuated with phrases such as "Are you stoked?", "All righty!" and shouts of "Yay!". She also inexplicably laughed wildly from time to time.
The tour of the factory was admittedly very impressive. Outside it there was an unusually fat plane called the "Dreamlifter" because it was specially made to carry parts of aircraft to the factory for assembly. The scale of the factory was huge, and we could see the planes being assembled in a giant production line, from the constituent parts right up to the finished products which were nearly ready to be rolled out of the huge doors. We saw 747s, 777s, and 787s; when they were finished you could see them all painted in the colours of whatever airline had ordered them. The factory floor was so gigantic that the people working there looked tiny in the distance; I noticed that their canteen was called "The Dreamliner Diner" which is a cool name. James and David were in their element and were so happy, after the tour they bought themselves Boeing t-shirts from the gift shop.
Back in downtown Seattle, we decided to go for a walk to the Pioneer Square area. However it was much seedier than we expected and full of scary looking characters - we have noticed that there are quite a lot of down-and-outs in Seattle, but I suppose that's true of any city. So we circled round back to the more picturesque Pike Place market area, which was absolutely hooching today. We saw the "original Starbucks" but didn't go in because it was so crowded; instead we had coffee in a pretty little café off Post Lane. When we were there a friendly man wearing a natty t-shirt emblazoned with the logo National Gay Pilots Association noticed James' Battle of Britain t-shirt and started chatting to him; he had been a pilot for 30 years and had just obtained his seaplane licence. The hot, sunny weather continues and it was lovely to be sitting outside in this friendly, vibrant city.
Fireworks on Lake Union
Evening of 4th July
We went on a boat trip on Lake Union in the evening of Independence Day because we thought that would be a good way to watch the celebratory fireworks. And so it was! We boarded the boat at 7.30 p.m. and cruised up and down the Lake for a while in the warm evening sunshine. By the way people keep telling us that we are very lucky to be having such good weather in Seattle, where the weather can often be very rainy. Lake Union was very busy - everybody in the area who had a boat or knew someone who had a boat was out on the water, and the shores were lined with festive crowds. Along the banks of the lake were rows of very smart houseboats - one of which was Tom Hanks' character's house in the film Sleepless in Seattle. As we cruised past the inhabitants (and what looked like all their friends) waved happily to us. Eventually our boat took up a prime position near (alarmingly near in fact!) the barge of fireworks, ready for the kick off at ten o'clock. However this was delayed because plumes of black smoke had started rising from one end of the lake and the sirens of the fire brigade were heard going to put out a fire in a nearby boatyard. At last the fireworks started and oh boy they were great - perhaps the best fireworks display I have ever seen! It was certainly the nearest I have ever been to a large fireworks display and it was quite deafening! The accompanying music started with the Stars and Stripes, then there was an assortment of upbeat rock music. The display ended with a rendition of God Bless America which I actually found quite moving. Here we were, very many miles from home, taking part in a celebration which was clearly very important to the people of America. I was glad to be there.
We went on a boat trip on Lake Union in the evening of Independence Day because we thought that would be a good way to watch the celebratory fireworks. And so it was! We boarded the boat at 7.30 p.m. and cruised up and down the Lake for a while in the warm evening sunshine. By the way people keep telling us that we are very lucky to be having such good weather in Seattle, where the weather can often be very rainy. Lake Union was very busy - everybody in the area who had a boat or knew someone who had a boat was out on the water, and the shores were lined with festive crowds. Along the banks of the lake were rows of very smart houseboats - one of which was Tom Hanks' character's house in the film Sleepless in Seattle. As we cruised past the inhabitants (and what looked like all their friends) waved happily to us. Eventually our boat took up a prime position near (alarmingly near in fact!) the barge of fireworks, ready for the kick off at ten o'clock. However this was delayed because plumes of black smoke had started rising from one end of the lake and the sirens of the fire brigade were heard going to put out a fire in a nearby boatyard. At last the fireworks started and oh boy they were great - perhaps the best fireworks display I have ever seen! It was certainly the nearest I have ever been to a large fireworks display and it was quite deafening! The accompanying music started with the Stars and Stripes, then there was an assortment of upbeat rock music. The display ended with a rendition of God Bless America which I actually found quite moving. Here we were, very many miles from home, taking part in a celebration which was clearly very important to the people of America. I was glad to be there.
Friday 5 July 2013
Happy 4th of July!
"Happy 4th of July" is the usual greeting here in Seattle today, and lots of Americans are wearing Stars and Stripes t-shirts. We have had a brilliant day so far. After a delicious breakfast in our hotel, we set off for a walk to nearby Pike Place market and down to the harbour. There are loads of attractive coffee shops and restaurants everywhere. James had the great idea of starting the day by taking the ferry to nearby Bainbridge Island, in order to get good views of the Seattle skyline. Bainbridge Island turned out to be a pleasant commuter / resort island where Independence Day celebrations were taking place in the manner of a country fair, with lots of stalls and a parade. We strolled around soaking up the holiday atmosphere and had coffee in a restaurant overlooking the harbour. The waterfront path was lined with marguerites and convolvulus, and there were lots of sailing boats moored at the floating jetties; it was all very picturesque. By the time we got back to Seattle the clouds had burned off to reveal bright blue skies and we walked along the harbour front and up through the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park. This route took us to the Seattle Space Needle, and being Andersons we felt the need to ascend it! We were so lucky, the short queue moved smartly to the lifts and we were whisked up to the observation deck. There was a really nice wee café up there where we bought a light lunch and then ate it at a table overlooking the city and Puget Sound. We spent a good while wandering round taking photos of the views before descending and taking the monorail back to downtown.
Thursday 4 July 2013
Glasgow to Seattle
Philadelphia, Wednesday afternoon.
James, Davie and I are on our holiday! I am writing this at our transfer airport, Philadelphia, but I won't be able to publish it until we get to Seattle so the time and date will be awry. All has gone smoothly so far. I decided not to watch the films on offer during the flight because I watched films and Friends DVDs during the long journey from Dover on Monday. Instead I finished my current book "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared" I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's very amusing and a bit weird and Swedish, like a comic Wallander. I then started my next book, "Moranthology" by Caitlin Moran. What luxury to be able to read for so long uninterrupted.
Seattle 9 p.m. on Wednesday local time (5 a.m. on Thursday Scottish time!)
Ha! I spoke too soon regarding all going smoothly. We transferred onto our Seattle bound flight only for it to spend nearly two hours on the tarmac waiting for a school party of 35 children who were delayed on another flight. Now I (of course) am sympathetic to school groups! However we were getting tired by this time, the flight was five hours, and by the time we got to Seattle it was twenty-one hours since we had left home. The flight itself was fine; we were sitting beside a really interesting man who was telling me about computational linguistics. He used to work for a firm whose only customer was the NSA and they designed software which could pick up all the phonetics of different languages using unicode, and look for patterns of words. It was fascinating. I also finished "Moranthology" and started on Hilary Mantel's "Bring up the Bodies".
So now we are in a very nice hotel room in Seattle and I'm planning to be asleep in about 5 minutes, I'm exhausted!
James, Davie and I are on our holiday! I am writing this at our transfer airport, Philadelphia, but I won't be able to publish it until we get to Seattle so the time and date will be awry. All has gone smoothly so far. I decided not to watch the films on offer during the flight because I watched films and Friends DVDs during the long journey from Dover on Monday. Instead I finished my current book "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared" I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's very amusing and a bit weird and Swedish, like a comic Wallander. I then started my next book, "Moranthology" by Caitlin Moran. What luxury to be able to read for so long uninterrupted.
Seattle 9 p.m. on Wednesday local time (5 a.m. on Thursday Scottish time!)
Ha! I spoke too soon regarding all going smoothly. We transferred onto our Seattle bound flight only for it to spend nearly two hours on the tarmac waiting for a school party of 35 children who were delayed on another flight. Now I (of course) am sympathetic to school groups! However we were getting tired by this time, the flight was five hours, and by the time we got to Seattle it was twenty-one hours since we had left home. The flight itself was fine; we were sitting beside a really interesting man who was telling me about computational linguistics. He used to work for a firm whose only customer was the NSA and they designed software which could pick up all the phonetics of different languages using unicode, and look for patterns of words. It was fascinating. I also finished "Moranthology" and started on Hilary Mantel's "Bring up the Bodies".
So now we are in a very nice hotel room in Seattle and I'm planning to be asleep in about 5 minutes, I'm exhausted!
Monday 1 July 2013
Busy but fun Paris visit
Well we are now back in the UK heading north. It has been quite a week, and I have been far too busy on pupil duty to blog, but here is a quick summary. I woke on Saturday 29th feeling chipper and we all went into Paris for the day. We had such a laugh. We started off on the Bâteaux Mouches and then walked down the Champs Élysées. The weather was warm and sunny. Jennifer (my roomie), Vicky and I went into a toilet that cost 2 euros; it was very clean and you were escorted to your cubicle! All of the staff ended up having a lovely lunch at the George V restaurant. It was great. As we travelled around the city in our comfy bus we played cards and chatted. After visiting the Eiffel Tower - we didn't go up, we sunbathed in the gardens - we went to Montmartre. This time I stayed at the foot of the hill with George and we sat in a café, admired the views and watched the world go by. I also went into an amazing chocolate shop where there was a huge model of Notre Dame Cathedral made entirely of chocolate. When we got back to our hotel I volunteered to take a pupil to Disney to collect a bag that she had lost there the day before. By the time we got back it was about 11 p.m. but the other teachers were just sitting down to some pizza so I joined them and we had a nice chat.
Yesterday, Sunday, we spent the whole day at Parc Asterix. The weather was hot and sunny so I dressed lightly. I really liked the park; it was divided into areas that were themed as different parts of the Roman Empire. We went on a few rides in the morning and watched the dolphin show and the stunt show. The stunt show was dire; it was about robbers and police slapstick fighting over a stolen Mona Lisa and it went on and on. The dolphins were very cute though! After lunch we stood in a very long queue to go on the Tonnerre de Zeus Ride. We stood and chatted for more than an hour and a half in the hot sun but the time flew by. The ride was terrifying - near vertical drops, and twists and turns; I pulled a muscle in my neck as we plunged downwards! I was glad I went on it though, it was a really good roller coaster. Back to the hotel for our last evening which was a wee bit eventful but ok. And today we are on the long journey home!
Yesterday, Sunday, we spent the whole day at Parc Asterix. The weather was hot and sunny so I dressed lightly. I really liked the park; it was divided into areas that were themed as different parts of the Roman Empire. We went on a few rides in the morning and watched the dolphin show and the stunt show. The stunt show was dire; it was about robbers and police slapstick fighting over a stolen Mona Lisa and it went on and on. The dolphins were very cute though! After lunch we stood in a very long queue to go on the Tonnerre de Zeus Ride. We stood and chatted for more than an hour and a half in the hot sun but the time flew by. The ride was terrifying - near vertical drops, and twists and turns; I pulled a muscle in my neck as we plunged downwards! I was glad I went on it though, it was a really good roller coaster. Back to the hotel for our last evening which was a wee bit eventful but ok. And today we are on the long journey home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)