As I write this the 2010 FIFA World Cup is still in the group play stage. Not many goals so far, but a few interesting games. I like soccer. I like watching it, I like playing it and am sure I will have a wonderful time with the cup. But this blog is not about the games, just my impressions and feelings around it.
I was not excited about the cup. My Brazilian friends were excited about it, the Brazilian press was excited about, my American friends who lived in Brazil were excited about it. I didn't think I cared. Sharon gave me jerseys for the Brazil and U.S. teams as a birthday gift, but even that did not get me excited.
This all changed two days before the start, though. It felt like suddenly someone had turned my World Cup switch on. I started looking forward toward the games, made sure to set the DVR to record all games and started reading all about the teams. I still don't know what prompted that level of enthusiasm, but I don't care; it's the World Cup and I am cheering.
This is my first hi-def World Cup and I like it! It's not only the better image quality, it's that there is actually more to see. Now, when I see someone kicking the ball I also get to see who the pass is intended for and that makes a difference.
I don't understand the vuvuzela. It makes an unpleasant sound and it seems to be way too loud. Why do people want to sit in a stadium and make this kind of noise? It can't be pleasant for the musicians(?) either! I guess I will have to try it to find out.
I never know who I am going to cheer for during a game. Well, that is not exactly true. Brazil and the U.S. are my teams, and I will definitely always cheer against France, Argentina and Italy (sorry Italy, but I will never be able to forgive Paolo Rossi). As for the other games, I really don't know. I thought I would always go for the underdogs, but as I write this I am watching Spain vs. Switzerland and rooting for the Spaniards (and of course, Switzerland had to score just as I was writing this).
So I guess this is it for World Cup musings. Apparently I am confused, excited, and having a blast.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Alaska Cruise: Victoria and Final Thoughts
The crew is: sorely going to be missed.
The trip from Ketchikan to Victoria was interesting. Thunderstorms, lightning, and waves that made moving around the ship and interesting exercise. The show that night was a collection of pop songs and a lot of dancing. The choreography was not good though, with too much arm waving for my taste. Dinner, however, was excellent.
Despite the waves and the fear that we might fall of the bed in the middle of the night, we slept well. At breakfast the next day we did hear some people complaining about seasickness and being unable to sleep.
Because of the storm, Jean-Claude got to Victoria one hour behind schedule. Not a problem for us, as we had no plans for the town. We had been to Victoria in 2006 and seen what we wanted to see. We actually debated whether to get out of the ship or not, but decided we must visit Canada so we got out and went for a stroll along the shoreline. As a bonus, we got our passports stamped. We had to ask for it, but they were happy to oblige.
We signed up for this wonderful service that would make our luggage disappear from our stateroom and reappear at the baggage claim in San Jose. We would be arriving in Seattle at 8 am and catch the flight back at 3:40 pm, so this way we would be able to wander around town without having to carry two huge suitcases. The only drawback is that the service required our suitcases to be out in the hallway by midnight. So we got back on the ship, packed, put them outside and actually did see them again at the luggage carousel in San Jose.
Not much to report about the next day. We disembarked around 8 and got to immigration, where things went awry. The guard remarked that the picture in my passport showed a full beard, while I had a goatee and he wasn't sure whether he should let me in or not. Granted, he was grinning when he said that, but Sharon immediately declared she was rather fond of me and would much rather they let me in, so he obliged. I should make a note never to travel internationally without Sharon.
We hung around Pike Place Market for a little while, in hopes of again finding the jewelry person Sharon had liked but met with no success. So we got on a cab, headed for the airport and hung around a few hours until we finally boarded our flight home. By 6:30 we were home and the adventure was over.
Did I like cruising? To use Sarah Palin's catch phrase, "You betcha!" I was afraid it was going to be too regimented a vacation, but it did not turn out that way. True that the ship had activities starting at all hours and there were open and close times for getting to the restaurants, but we chose to do things on a "if we felt like it" basis, so things were pretty much unhurried. I also liked the fact we chose open seating for the main restaurant, which meant it was just like going to any other restaurant, though occasionally we were placed on tables with other people. That was nice, though, as it is always fun to get to know people and see if they pass "the test".
The service on board was exceptional. The crew were always smiling, always helpful and went out of their way to make us happy. Our steward, Barkray, always greeted us by name, even when he ran into us in other parts of the ship. There was no tipping involved, which made their friendliness and helpfulness even more impressive.
One cute thing they did was towel origami. Every night we would arrive at our stateroom to find a towel folded in an artistic way. We had a dog, a penguin, an elephant and even an orangutan. It was a fun touch.
As for Alaska, it was impressive. The huge mountains, the wildlife, the snow, all was as promised and expected, without them having to use any special effects to achieve this. I found the glaciers especially interesting, with their color, their shapes and their sounds. I hope I get to revisit this place some day.
Wildlife sightings: none, sniff!
The trip from Ketchikan to Victoria was interesting. Thunderstorms, lightning, and waves that made moving around the ship and interesting exercise. The show that night was a collection of pop songs and a lot of dancing. The choreography was not good though, with too much arm waving for my taste. Dinner, however, was excellent.
Despite the waves and the fear that we might fall of the bed in the middle of the night, we slept well. At breakfast the next day we did hear some people complaining about seasickness and being unable to sleep.
Because of the storm, Jean-Claude got to Victoria one hour behind schedule. Not a problem for us, as we had no plans for the town. We had been to Victoria in 2006 and seen what we wanted to see. We actually debated whether to get out of the ship or not, but decided we must visit Canada so we got out and went for a stroll along the shoreline. As a bonus, we got our passports stamped. We had to ask for it, but they were happy to oblige.
We signed up for this wonderful service that would make our luggage disappear from our stateroom and reappear at the baggage claim in San Jose. We would be arriving in Seattle at 8 am and catch the flight back at 3:40 pm, so this way we would be able to wander around town without having to carry two huge suitcases. The only drawback is that the service required our suitcases to be out in the hallway by midnight. So we got back on the ship, packed, put them outside and actually did see them again at the luggage carousel in San Jose.
Not much to report about the next day. We disembarked around 8 and got to immigration, where things went awry. The guard remarked that the picture in my passport showed a full beard, while I had a goatee and he wasn't sure whether he should let me in or not. Granted, he was grinning when he said that, but Sharon immediately declared she was rather fond of me and would much rather they let me in, so he obliged. I should make a note never to travel internationally without Sharon.
We hung around Pike Place Market for a little while, in hopes of again finding the jewelry person Sharon had liked but met with no success. So we got on a cab, headed for the airport and hung around a few hours until we finally boarded our flight home. By 6:30 we were home and the adventure was over.
Did I like cruising? To use Sarah Palin's catch phrase, "You betcha!" I was afraid it was going to be too regimented a vacation, but it did not turn out that way. True that the ship had activities starting at all hours and there were open and close times for getting to the restaurants, but we chose to do things on a "if we felt like it" basis, so things were pretty much unhurried. I also liked the fact we chose open seating for the main restaurant, which meant it was just like going to any other restaurant, though occasionally we were placed on tables with other people. That was nice, though, as it is always fun to get to know people and see if they pass "the test".
The service on board was exceptional. The crew were always smiling, always helpful and went out of their way to make us happy. Our steward, Barkray, always greeted us by name, even when he ran into us in other parts of the ship. There was no tipping involved, which made their friendliness and helpfulness even more impressive.
One cute thing they did was towel origami. Every night we would arrive at our stateroom to find a towel folded in an artistic way. We had a dog, a penguin, an elephant and even an orangutan. It was a fun touch.
As for Alaska, it was impressive. The huge mountains, the wildlife, the snow, all was as promised and expected, without them having to use any special effects to achieve this. I found the glaciers especially interesting, with their color, their shapes and their sounds. I hope I get to revisit this place some day.
Wildlife sightings: none, sniff!
Alaska Cruise: Ketchikan
The crew is: pleasant
We awake with the ship docked at Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the world, Alaska's first city, the happiest place on Earth and whatever other title the locals can come up with for their town. It's raining, but apparently with over 150 inches of rain every year, this is par for the course. Our plan today is to take a float plane ride through the Misty Fjords, but with the clouds so low we wonder if it is going to happen. Not a problem, the guide assures us, this kind of weather is par for the course.
So we board a bus that takes us to the docks where we will meet our plane, a De Haviland Beaver built before any of us were born. It looks good, though, and even has a glass cockpit. It seems bush flying is not the adventure it used to be. Another couple flies with us, and Sharon and I end up in the back seats. Not a problem, as we have nice big windows and can enjoy the view just fine from there.
We take off, overfly Ketchikan and head off to the fjords. I don't think we ever climb above 300 ft, but the view is impressive all the same. Ocean, forests, bogs, lakes and waterfalls seem to be everywhere. The most impressive part, however, are the cliffs on both sides, soaring above and making us feel indeed small. The fjords live up to their name, by the way, as we see wisps of clouds all over the place. Misty indeed.
At some point the pilot lands and we get out of the plane, to stand on the floats for a few minutes and enjoy the peace and quiet. Standing on the floats is daunting at first, but we eventually start feeling comfortable and enjoy the spectacular view and quiet. Well, mostly quiet as soon after we land another plane arrives and lands there too. I like planes, so this is definitely not a problem.
All good things must come to an end though, so we get back on board and fly back to the float plane base: different route, but still the same breathtaking view. Interestingly, the downwind leg for our landing was flown over the runway of the Ketchikan airport. After that we turn base into the channel, final along it and land close to our docking pier.
After that we go back to the town for some exploration. By now, unfortunately, we are a little tired and have already explored two other Alaska towns and things are beginning to look the same. The souvenir stores are the same, the jewelry stores are the same, the food is the same. There is one interesting thing, though, and that is the local architecture. Not much flat land on the island, so a good portion of the buildings, including portions of the roads, are built on stilts.
And that's it for Ketchikan. We board the Jean-Claude around the 12:30 deadline and settle in for our last stop, Victoria.
One final note, Ketchikan is where the infamous bridge to nowhere was supposed to be built. And they are kind of right. Other than the airport, there isn't much else there on the adjacent island.
Wildlife sightings: 1 bald eagle.
Pictures can be found here.
We awake with the ship docked at Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the world, Alaska's first city, the happiest place on Earth and whatever other title the locals can come up with for their town. It's raining, but apparently with over 150 inches of rain every year, this is par for the course. Our plan today is to take a float plane ride through the Misty Fjords, but with the clouds so low we wonder if it is going to happen. Not a problem, the guide assures us, this kind of weather is par for the course.
So we board a bus that takes us to the docks where we will meet our plane, a De Haviland Beaver built before any of us were born. It looks good, though, and even has a glass cockpit. It seems bush flying is not the adventure it used to be. Another couple flies with us, and Sharon and I end up in the back seats. Not a problem, as we have nice big windows and can enjoy the view just fine from there.
We take off, overfly Ketchikan and head off to the fjords. I don't think we ever climb above 300 ft, but the view is impressive all the same. Ocean, forests, bogs, lakes and waterfalls seem to be everywhere. The most impressive part, however, are the cliffs on both sides, soaring above and making us feel indeed small. The fjords live up to their name, by the way, as we see wisps of clouds all over the place. Misty indeed.
At some point the pilot lands and we get out of the plane, to stand on the floats for a few minutes and enjoy the peace and quiet. Standing on the floats is daunting at first, but we eventually start feeling comfortable and enjoy the spectacular view and quiet. Well, mostly quiet as soon after we land another plane arrives and lands there too. I like planes, so this is definitely not a problem.
All good things must come to an end though, so we get back on board and fly back to the float plane base: different route, but still the same breathtaking view. Interestingly, the downwind leg for our landing was flown over the runway of the Ketchikan airport. After that we turn base into the channel, final along it and land close to our docking pier.
After that we go back to the town for some exploration. By now, unfortunately, we are a little tired and have already explored two other Alaska towns and things are beginning to look the same. The souvenir stores are the same, the jewelry stores are the same, the food is the same. There is one interesting thing, though, and that is the local architecture. Not much flat land on the island, so a good portion of the buildings, including portions of the roads, are built on stilts.
And that's it for Ketchikan. We board the Jean-Claude around the 12:30 deadline and settle in for our last stop, Victoria.
One final note, Ketchikan is where the infamous bridge to nowhere was supposed to be built. And they are kind of right. Other than the airport, there isn't much else there on the adjacent island.
Wildlife sightings: 1 bald eagle.
Pictures can be found here.
Alaska Cruise: Sitka
The crew is: singing
Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska, a fur trading post, site of many battles between the Tlinkit and the Russians, and, with a population of close to 9 thousand, the 4th largest city in the state. It is also a city without a docking pier for cruise ships. This means we needed to get in one of the ship's tenders in order
to go ashore.
We woke up to find Jean-Claude moored at Sitka and the P.A system announcing the process to go ashore. Apparently it involved entering the right side of the theater if you had no shore excursion or the left side if you had a shore excursion. So we went to have breakfast instead. I had french toast and pineapple juice and was very happy.
By the time we finished breakfast and were ready to go ashore things have sorted themselves out and the instructions became, "go to deck A and get in one of the tenders." Much simpler, and resulted in us being at downtown Sitka by 11 AM.
We had a "nature and history" walking tour scheduled for later in the day, but with a few hours to kill we decided to visit the main church in town, St. Michael's Cathedral. It was a wooden structure housing an Orthodox church (remember, it was a Russian colony) with several Byzantine icons inside. It was by no means big, but had a colorful history, with many of the carvings having been created by the original bishop of that church, as well as a few miracles of its own: icons dropped from the ship showing up ashore, and men carrying unbelievable weights saving candelabra from a fire that gutted the church in 1966.
Learned the nature of the Orthodox cross during this visit. Apparently they believe that the cross with three horizontal lines is a more faithful representation than the Catholic version with only one horizontal line. The two extra lines are supposed to represent the INRI inscription over Christ's head and the part where his feet rested.
This was followed by a visit to the local souvenir shops, where we acquired most of what our friends will be getting: small totem poles, charm bracelets with Alaska pendants, smoked salmon and baseball caps. Four ourselves we bought what we always do, a picture book of the regions we are visiting.
After a stop for food and espresso we joined our waking tour which, curiously enough, started by getting us all inside a bus. We were taken to the Raptor Flight Training Center", part of Alaska's raptor rescue effort where they help all kinds of birds (including, apparently, a humming bird once). We got to tour their facilities and visit a few of their unreleasables, eagles, falcons and owls that are unable to fly due to their injuries. It was an instructive visit, though it seems that way too many birds run into power lines over there.
After the visit to the center the nature part of our tour started, with a walk through the Sitka part of the Tongass National Forest. A beautiful walk leading us to the shoreline, during which we got introduced to Alaska's national tree, the Sitka Spruce, as well as other plants such as the hemlock, huckleberries and others. We also ran into several totem poles which had the interesting property that everyone knew where they came from, but no one knew what the carvings meant.
Eventually we made our way back to civilization and to the history part of the tour, which consisted mostly of showing us the house where the carving bishop lived and pointing out the residences of several friends of our guide, including how much the house was bought or sold for. Beach-front property in that town of 9 thousand apparently goes around for 600 thousand dollars.
And that was it for Sitka. We headed back for our ship and an hour later were sailing to our next destination, Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the World.
Wildlife sighted: 2 owls, 4 falcons, 1 golden eagle, 5 bald eagles.
Pictures can be found here.
Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska, a fur trading post, site of many battles between the Tlinkit and the Russians, and, with a population of close to 9 thousand, the 4th largest city in the state. It is also a city without a docking pier for cruise ships. This means we needed to get in one of the ship's tenders in order
to go ashore.
We woke up to find Jean-Claude moored at Sitka and the P.A system announcing the process to go ashore. Apparently it involved entering the right side of the theater if you had no shore excursion or the left side if you had a shore excursion. So we went to have breakfast instead. I had french toast and pineapple juice and was very happy.
By the time we finished breakfast and were ready to go ashore things have sorted themselves out and the instructions became, "go to deck A and get in one of the tenders." Much simpler, and resulted in us being at downtown Sitka by 11 AM.
We had a "nature and history" walking tour scheduled for later in the day, but with a few hours to kill we decided to visit the main church in town, St. Michael's Cathedral. It was a wooden structure housing an Orthodox church (remember, it was a Russian colony) with several Byzantine icons inside. It was by no means big, but had a colorful history, with many of the carvings having been created by the original bishop of that church, as well as a few miracles of its own: icons dropped from the ship showing up ashore, and men carrying unbelievable weights saving candelabra from a fire that gutted the church in 1966.
Learned the nature of the Orthodox cross during this visit. Apparently they believe that the cross with three horizontal lines is a more faithful representation than the Catholic version with only one horizontal line. The two extra lines are supposed to represent the INRI inscription over Christ's head and the part where his feet rested.
This was followed by a visit to the local souvenir shops, where we acquired most of what our friends will be getting: small totem poles, charm bracelets with Alaska pendants, smoked salmon and baseball caps. Four ourselves we bought what we always do, a picture book of the regions we are visiting.
After a stop for food and espresso we joined our waking tour which, curiously enough, started by getting us all inside a bus. We were taken to the Raptor Flight Training Center", part of Alaska's raptor rescue effort where they help all kinds of birds (including, apparently, a humming bird once). We got to tour their facilities and visit a few of their unreleasables, eagles, falcons and owls that are unable to fly due to their injuries. It was an instructive visit, though it seems that way too many birds run into power lines over there.
After the visit to the center the nature part of our tour started, with a walk through the Sitka part of the Tongass National Forest. A beautiful walk leading us to the shoreline, during which we got introduced to Alaska's national tree, the Sitka Spruce, as well as other plants such as the hemlock, huckleberries and others. We also ran into several totem poles which had the interesting property that everyone knew where they came from, but no one knew what the carvings meant.
Eventually we made our way back to civilization and to the history part of the tour, which consisted mostly of showing us the house where the carving bishop lived and pointing out the residences of several friends of our guide, including how much the house was bought or sold for. Beach-front property in that town of 9 thousand apparently goes around for 600 thousand dollars.
And that was it for Sitka. We headed back for our ship and an hour later were sailing to our next destination, Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the World.
Wildlife sighted: 2 owls, 4 falcons, 1 golden eagle, 5 bald eagles.
Pictures can be found here.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Alaska Cruise: Glacier Bay
The crew is: folding
This was by far the most spectacular day of the cruise, and we didn't even get off the boat. Glacier Bay is a national park and the ship just goes into it, stopping in different channels for us to enjoy the view.
For us the day started with waking up around 8:00 AM, opening the curtains, stepping into he verandah and enjoying beautiful scenery. Tall snow-capped mountains, evergreen forests, meadows and beaches of shale and pebbles. After a satisfying breakfast, Sharon and I made our way to the aft deck wearing sweaters, coats, gloves and hats to protect us from the 40-50 degree outside temperature. We found chairs, sat down with our cameras and binoculars and began to enjoy the view.
Soon we were seeing small pieces of ice floating in the water, a sure sign we were approaching glaciers. By 10:30 the ship had stopped in front of the Margerie glacier. It was impressive, Big, multi-colored, you could see the whites and blues of the ice and the back and gray of all the rock it brought along with it on its way down to the coast. It looked big, but I bet it would have seemed bigger if we had been able to get closer to it, and not see it from the 8th deck of a cruise-ship.
At some point during our stay a bunch of kayakers showed up, dropping by to enjoy the calving glacier. that gave us a better sense of the size of the behemoth, but they too did not get too close. The park ranger (apparently we picked one up as we entered the park) told us it was over 600 ft thick, which makes it tall indeed.
There was another glacier facing it, the Grand Pacific Glacier. This one is bigger and wider (about tow miles wide), but it is retreating and no longer touches the water. It also looked black because of all of the silt. Had we not been told so, I would not have thought it was a glacier.
Sharon and I went down to our verandah to enjoy the glacier in some privacy. The view was slightly different, but in the silence of our room what really captivated us was the crackling of the glacier as it shifted and moved. There was almost constant noise of something breaking, sometimes close, sometimes far. It gave us hope that we would see some major calving, but we were disappointed in that: we did see several parts break off and plunge into the bay, but none bigger than a person (it's hard to judge, though, given how far away we were).
After one hour Jean Claude started moving again, taking us to see other parts of the bay. We visited two more glaciers. At one of them I saw the most spectacular calving so far, but it was far away and could only be properly enjoyed through the binoculars.
By late afternoon we were on our way to Sitka, our next destination. The show that night was "Songs of the South", performed by the same people who brought us "Love on Broadway." Not my kind of music, but still a fun evening.
Wildlife sightings: 2 bald eagles, 1 brown bear, numerous gulls and puffins.
Pictures can be found here.
This was by far the most spectacular day of the cruise, and we didn't even get off the boat. Glacier Bay is a national park and the ship just goes into it, stopping in different channels for us to enjoy the view.
For us the day started with waking up around 8:00 AM, opening the curtains, stepping into he verandah and enjoying beautiful scenery. Tall snow-capped mountains, evergreen forests, meadows and beaches of shale and pebbles. After a satisfying breakfast, Sharon and I made our way to the aft deck wearing sweaters, coats, gloves and hats to protect us from the 40-50 degree outside temperature. We found chairs, sat down with our cameras and binoculars and began to enjoy the view.
Soon we were seeing small pieces of ice floating in the water, a sure sign we were approaching glaciers. By 10:30 the ship had stopped in front of the Margerie glacier. It was impressive, Big, multi-colored, you could see the whites and blues of the ice and the back and gray of all the rock it brought along with it on its way down to the coast. It looked big, but I bet it would have seemed bigger if we had been able to get closer to it, and not see it from the 8th deck of a cruise-ship.
At some point during our stay a bunch of kayakers showed up, dropping by to enjoy the calving glacier. that gave us a better sense of the size of the behemoth, but they too did not get too close. The park ranger (apparently we picked one up as we entered the park) told us it was over 600 ft thick, which makes it tall indeed.
There was another glacier facing it, the Grand Pacific Glacier. This one is bigger and wider (about tow miles wide), but it is retreating and no longer touches the water. It also looked black because of all of the silt. Had we not been told so, I would not have thought it was a glacier.
Sharon and I went down to our verandah to enjoy the glacier in some privacy. The view was slightly different, but in the silence of our room what really captivated us was the crackling of the glacier as it shifted and moved. There was almost constant noise of something breaking, sometimes close, sometimes far. It gave us hope that we would see some major calving, but we were disappointed in that: we did see several parts break off and plunge into the bay, but none bigger than a person (it's hard to judge, though, given how far away we were).
After one hour Jean Claude started moving again, taking us to see other parts of the bay. We visited two more glaciers. At one of them I saw the most spectacular calving so far, but it was far away and could only be properly enjoyed through the binoculars.
By late afternoon we were on our way to Sitka, our next destination. The show that night was "Songs of the South", performed by the same people who brought us "Love on Broadway." Not my kind of music, but still a fun evening.
Wildlife sightings: 2 bald eagles, 1 brown bear, numerous gulls and puffins.
Pictures can be found here.
Alaska Cruise: Juneau
The crew is: friendly
Woke up inside the Gastineau canal, making our way to Juneau. Snow-capped mountains line both sides of the canal and the view is breath-taking. At this point I have to say, Alaska looks exactly like what you expect it to look and it's spectacular.
Juneau can be seen from afar, surpsinginly small for a state capital. We are told it has a population of 30 thousand and is the third-largest city in the state. We decided to call it the "Rio of the North," based on the fact that we can. Turned out it has a cable car leading to the top of Mt. Roberts, but we did not know that when we made our naming decision.
Our scheduled tour for the day was a helicopter ride to a glacier, where we would land and walk around. We got down to the pier, a little bit anxious to find the meeting point for our group. Guides were standing all over the pier with signs for their tours, but nothing for ours. I started getting nervous; Turns out our guides were running late, but eventually showed up and took us to the heliport, on nearby Douglas Island. Our driver was a transplant from Utah.
Our helicopter pilot, a transplant from Livermore, took us and another couple on a beautiful 20-minute ride over Juneau, We went around Mt. Roberts and Sheep Mt and landed on the Taku glacier. We got out of the helicopter and walked on an actual glacier; a small step for man, but luckily one in which I did not slip and fall. The ground was actually grippy and not slippery like I had expected, so walking was easy. Rivulets ran through it, creating deep crevasses that showed us the blue ice beneath.
One geeky note. On the flight to the glacier I agonized over what amount of exposure compensation to use for all the snow I was expecting to see: +0.5? +1.0? How much would be enough to give us good pictures? All worry in vain, though. The surface of the glacier was mostly a dark gray making underexposure concerns moot.
Our fifteen minutes were over way too fast, but Sharon and I agreed it was the right amount of time. Not including the fact that it was chilly, the other option would have been an one hour stay at the glacier and that seemed just too much. So we got back in the helicopter and after another 15 minutes of beautiful scenery where back at the heliport.
After a reinvigorating espresso we went to the end of town (a 5 minute walk) for our ride up to Mt. Roberts. Turns out that the "Rio of the North" actually does have a cable car leaving for the top of the mountain every five minutes. So we soon found ourselves on top of the mountain, where there was a restaurant, the ever present gift shops and trails going all over the place. After reading the instructions on how to deal with bears (mostly curl up in a ball and pray), we were off to a nice walk that took us through a temperate rain forest, up above the tree line and back to the gift shop, with some nice spots to stop, enjoy the view and catch one's breath along the way. A lot of fun, even though at times it felt like exercise.
At the gift shop we acquired some trinkets, and got to see an actual real Sarah Palin 2011 calendar. Ah, free enterprise!
We made it back to the boat safely and spent the rest of the evening consuming martinis and enjoying the view. The show that night was an Elton John tribute and the entertainer did a credible job of being Elton Johnish. He looked the part, dressed the part , sang the parts and had a very funny shtick going with one of the band members where the guy kep trying to play the tambourine on each and every song.
Wildlife sightings: 7 bald eagles, one humpback whale.
Pictures can be found here.
Woke up inside the Gastineau canal, making our way to Juneau. Snow-capped mountains line both sides of the canal and the view is breath-taking. At this point I have to say, Alaska looks exactly like what you expect it to look and it's spectacular.
Juneau can be seen from afar, surpsinginly small for a state capital. We are told it has a population of 30 thousand and is the third-largest city in the state. We decided to call it the "Rio of the North," based on the fact that we can. Turned out it has a cable car leading to the top of Mt. Roberts, but we did not know that when we made our naming decision.
Our scheduled tour for the day was a helicopter ride to a glacier, where we would land and walk around. We got down to the pier, a little bit anxious to find the meeting point for our group. Guides were standing all over the pier with signs for their tours, but nothing for ours. I started getting nervous; Turns out our guides were running late, but eventually showed up and took us to the heliport, on nearby Douglas Island. Our driver was a transplant from Utah.
Our helicopter pilot, a transplant from Livermore, took us and another couple on a beautiful 20-minute ride over Juneau, We went around Mt. Roberts and Sheep Mt and landed on the Taku glacier. We got out of the helicopter and walked on an actual glacier; a small step for man, but luckily one in which I did not slip and fall. The ground was actually grippy and not slippery like I had expected, so walking was easy. Rivulets ran through it, creating deep crevasses that showed us the blue ice beneath.
One geeky note. On the flight to the glacier I agonized over what amount of exposure compensation to use for all the snow I was expecting to see: +0.5? +1.0? How much would be enough to give us good pictures? All worry in vain, though. The surface of the glacier was mostly a dark gray making underexposure concerns moot.
Our fifteen minutes were over way too fast, but Sharon and I agreed it was the right amount of time. Not including the fact that it was chilly, the other option would have been an one hour stay at the glacier and that seemed just too much. So we got back in the helicopter and after another 15 minutes of beautiful scenery where back at the heliport.
After a reinvigorating espresso we went to the end of town (a 5 minute walk) for our ride up to Mt. Roberts. Turns out that the "Rio of the North" actually does have a cable car leaving for the top of the mountain every five minutes. So we soon found ourselves on top of the mountain, where there was a restaurant, the ever present gift shops and trails going all over the place. After reading the instructions on how to deal with bears (mostly curl up in a ball and pray), we were off to a nice walk that took us through a temperate rain forest, up above the tree line and back to the gift shop, with some nice spots to stop, enjoy the view and catch one's breath along the way. A lot of fun, even though at times it felt like exercise.
At the gift shop we acquired some trinkets, and got to see an actual real Sarah Palin 2011 calendar. Ah, free enterprise!
We made it back to the boat safely and spent the rest of the evening consuming martinis and enjoying the view. The show that night was an Elton John tribute and the entertainer did a credible job of being Elton Johnish. He looked the part, dressed the part , sang the parts and had a very funny shtick going with one of the band members where the guy kep trying to play the tambourine on each and every song.
Wildlife sightings: 7 bald eagles, one humpback whale.
Pictures can be found here.
Alaska Cruise: At Sea
The crew is: Indonesian
We boarded our boat at noon for a 4 PM departure. The cabins were not ready so off we went to the Lido deck of our ship, the Zaandam (from now on referred to as the Jean-Claude). We definitely got introduced to the party atmosphere aboard the boat, with a band playing, people chatting excitedly and waiters bustling about offering beverages.
Jean-Claude is a big boat. It has four restaurants, one cafe, four bars, two theaters, two stores, two swimming pools, two hot tubs, two stores and one casino. The cafe looks especially inviting, with some very comfy chairs in front of big, clear windows. In the cafe they hung a picture of the ship's godmothers: the Olsen twins.
Jean-Claude is also very hygiene conscious. Everywhere on the boat they have hand washing stations, a.k.a. Purell dispensers. There are videos on how to wash your hands, and in the public bathrooms they have signs suggesting you use a clean paper towel to operate the door handles.
After some Alaskan beer (don't ask me what brand, I never found out) we proceeded to the restaurant for some lunch. Long lines, lots of different food choices but nothing spectacular. I ended up getting a soda card, a get 20 for the price of 18 deal kind of thing. Bad decision, which I blame on the Alaskan beer, as there is no way Sharon and I will consume this much soda during the trip.
Eventually the captain announced over the P.A. system that our cabins were ready and we proceeded downstairs. Our cabin is on the 6th floor, port side and has its own verandah with a chaise lounge. a chair, and a small table. Add to it a bed, a sofa, a desk, a TV and a DVD player and we are set. On the bed, by the way, was a present from Expedia: a $50 gift certificate to be converted into a soda, coffee or cocktail card: the cocktail card won.
We spent that afternoon and the whole of the next day exploring the ship and enjoying what it had to offer. There is always something happening: exercise classes, Wii games, trivia contests, classes in using PCs and so on. Sharon and I are lazy folk though, and preferred hanging out at the cafe, reading and enjoying the view.
That night we enjoyed our first on-board show, "Love on Broadway." Four singers and six dancers performed reasonably well. As usual I was impressed with Sharon's theatrical knowledge. We had no program, but Sharon was able to identify all but 3 of the songs. I was impressed, Sharon was disappointed she missed the three.
First night dining involved waiting for over one hour for our table since we did not have reservations. They gave us pagers which allowed us to wander about the ship. Of course, not trusting the system, we wandered only as far as the first bar where I made use of my cocktail card. One vodka martini later we were back at the restaurant's waiting area and entertaining ourselves by judging how "smart casual" the attires of our fellow travelers were. Sharon drew the line at jeans, I though jeans were ok unless they were worn with sneakers. Still, jeans, sneakers and t-shirts must have been ok, because we saw a few of those sitting at the restaurant.
We retired to our room later in the evening, only to find artistically folded towels on our bed; this one looked like an elephant. Apparently it's a ship tradition and they even have a book on how to do it. In the end we got five towel origami animals:
For entertainment, Sharon had a hot stone massage. I wandered around the boat and held my tongue whenever one of the many bands on board asked what the passengers wanted to hear next. I always wanted to reply, "The Morning After."
Wildlife sightings: 4 indeterminate marine mammals.
Pictures can be found here.
We boarded our boat at noon for a 4 PM departure. The cabins were not ready so off we went to the Lido deck of our ship, the Zaandam (from now on referred to as the Jean-Claude). We definitely got introduced to the party atmosphere aboard the boat, with a band playing, people chatting excitedly and waiters bustling about offering beverages.
Jean-Claude is a big boat. It has four restaurants, one cafe, four bars, two theaters, two stores, two swimming pools, two hot tubs, two stores and one casino. The cafe looks especially inviting, with some very comfy chairs in front of big, clear windows. In the cafe they hung a picture of the ship's godmothers: the Olsen twins.
Jean-Claude is also very hygiene conscious. Everywhere on the boat they have hand washing stations, a.k.a. Purell dispensers. There are videos on how to wash your hands, and in the public bathrooms they have signs suggesting you use a clean paper towel to operate the door handles.
After some Alaskan beer (don't ask me what brand, I never found out) we proceeded to the restaurant for some lunch. Long lines, lots of different food choices but nothing spectacular. I ended up getting a soda card, a get 20 for the price of 18 deal kind of thing. Bad decision, which I blame on the Alaskan beer, as there is no way Sharon and I will consume this much soda during the trip.
Eventually the captain announced over the P.A. system that our cabins were ready and we proceeded downstairs. Our cabin is on the 6th floor, port side and has its own verandah with a chaise lounge. a chair, and a small table. Add to it a bed, a sofa, a desk, a TV and a DVD player and we are set. On the bed, by the way, was a present from Expedia: a $50 gift certificate to be converted into a soda, coffee or cocktail card: the cocktail card won.
We spent that afternoon and the whole of the next day exploring the ship and enjoying what it had to offer. There is always something happening: exercise classes, Wii games, trivia contests, classes in using PCs and so on. Sharon and I are lazy folk though, and preferred hanging out at the cafe, reading and enjoying the view.
That night we enjoyed our first on-board show, "Love on Broadway." Four singers and six dancers performed reasonably well. As usual I was impressed with Sharon's theatrical knowledge. We had no program, but Sharon was able to identify all but 3 of the songs. I was impressed, Sharon was disappointed she missed the three.
First night dining involved waiting for over one hour for our table since we did not have reservations. They gave us pagers which allowed us to wander about the ship. Of course, not trusting the system, we wandered only as far as the first bar where I made use of my cocktail card. One vodka martini later we were back at the restaurant's waiting area and entertaining ourselves by judging how "smart casual" the attires of our fellow travelers were. Sharon drew the line at jeans, I though jeans were ok unless they were worn with sneakers. Still, jeans, sneakers and t-shirts must have been ok, because we saw a few of those sitting at the restaurant.
We retired to our room later in the evening, only to find artistically folded towels on our bed; this one looked like an elephant. Apparently it's a ship tradition and they even have a book on how to do it. In the end we got five towel origami animals:
For entertainment, Sharon had a hot stone massage. I wandered around the boat and held my tongue whenever one of the many bands on board asked what the passengers wanted to hear next. I always wanted to reply, "The Morning After."
Wildlife sightings: 4 indeterminate marine mammals.
Pictures can be found here.
Alaska Cruise: Seattle
The crew is: absent
Getting ready for our first cruise, Sharon and I decided to arrive in Seattle one day ahead of or ship's departure date. I'm feeling jazzed about being in Seattle, mostly because it is Sharon's old haunting ground. It will be fun to relive through her stories some of her grad student experiences.
Marc dropped us off at the airport, which led to our first surprise: for a change, I was not feeling anxious. Normally I can only rest once I am sitting at the gate and feel antsy until we get there. This time it was different; we sat at a Starbucks, had coffee and chatted until about 30 minutes before our flight with me actually feeling relaxed. I am sure this feeling will pass.
Getting from the airport to our downtown hotel was trivial, though the limo service ripped us of saying their price was the same as a taxi's. $45 vs. $32 is not the same, but at least they got us to the hotel quickly.
We spent the day in Seattle exploring the two landmarks I've never seen in my previous trips: Pike's Place and the Space Needle. Pike's place was crowded, busy, loud, colorful and smelled of fish. I liked it! It's a mixture of the hippie fair in Rio with an actual farmer's market. We ended up eating there, at a small hole-in-the-wall that served adequate food.
After coffee at the Nordstrom where Sharon used to go for her 25-cent coffee (the place has changed drastically, though) we went on to the Space Needle. True to its World Fair history, we took the monorail to get there. Haven't ridden a monorail since I was in Disneyworld in 1979, so it was a treat.
The Space Needle was ok. Elevator to the top, walk around the platform and look at the different sights. Interesting to see was the sports stadia, the downtown skyline, the living roof at some museum and a helicopter landing on one of the local TV station buildings.
And that was it for Seattle. A good night's sleep and in the morn we board the boat for places north.
Wildlife seen: 4 grunge musicians
Pictures can be found here
Getting ready for our first cruise, Sharon and I decided to arrive in Seattle one day ahead of or ship's departure date. I'm feeling jazzed about being in Seattle, mostly because it is Sharon's old haunting ground. It will be fun to relive through her stories some of her grad student experiences.
Marc dropped us off at the airport, which led to our first surprise: for a change, I was not feeling anxious. Normally I can only rest once I am sitting at the gate and feel antsy until we get there. This time it was different; we sat at a Starbucks, had coffee and chatted until about 30 minutes before our flight with me actually feeling relaxed. I am sure this feeling will pass.
Getting from the airport to our downtown hotel was trivial, though the limo service ripped us of saying their price was the same as a taxi's. $45 vs. $32 is not the same, but at least they got us to the hotel quickly.
We spent the day in Seattle exploring the two landmarks I've never seen in my previous trips: Pike's Place and the Space Needle. Pike's place was crowded, busy, loud, colorful and smelled of fish. I liked it! It's a mixture of the hippie fair in Rio with an actual farmer's market. We ended up eating there, at a small hole-in-the-wall that served adequate food.
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After coffee at the Nordstrom where Sharon used to go for her 25-cent coffee (the place has changed drastically, though) we went on to the Space Needle. True to its World Fair history, we took the monorail to get there. Haven't ridden a monorail since I was in Disneyworld in 1979, so it was a treat.
The Space Needle was ok. Elevator to the top, walk around the platform and look at the different sights. Interesting to see was the sports stadia, the downtown skyline, the living roof at some museum and a helicopter landing on one of the local TV station buildings.
And that was it for Seattle. A good night's sleep and in the morn we board the boat for places north.
Wildlife seen: 4 grunge musicians
Pictures can be found here
A Brief Intro
My name is Alex and I am 47 years old. I was trained as an electrical engineer and earn my living as a programmer. My hobbies are flying small airplanes, photography, reading and going to the movies. I would like to add computer gaming to this list, but I no longer do that often enough to justify it.
Last year I created a blog for a small plane trip my wife and I took from California to Pennsylvania. The trip was a blast and I often visit that blog to relive some of our adventures. Because of that I decided it was time to create another blog, one not so specific, but rather one to cover my life. This is how The Journal of Alex S. came to be.
This blog is for me, though others are welcome to read it. I intend to use it to track my travels, my thoughts, my experiences, everything that happens from now on (though I might occasionally travel down memory lane and relive an experience from my youth). I will be starting with my current vacation, a cruise to Alaska and we'll see where we go from there.
Happy reading.
Last year I created a blog for a small plane trip my wife and I took from California to Pennsylvania. The trip was a blast and I often visit that blog to relive some of our adventures. Because of that I decided it was time to create another blog, one not so specific, but rather one to cover my life. This is how The Journal of Alex S. came to be.
This blog is for me, though others are welcome to read it. I intend to use it to track my travels, my thoughts, my experiences, everything that happens from now on (though I might occasionally travel down memory lane and relive an experience from my youth). I will be starting with my current vacation, a cruise to Alaska and we'll see where we go from there.
Happy reading.
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