Category: Travel

Later, Koningsdam! Since it’s so easy to forget the day of the week on vacation, they change out the mats in the elevators daily.

First stop after disembarking from our floating hotel and entertainment center was a motor coach tour of the town. Which doesn’t take very long; the touristy area is only nine blocks long by two blocks wide.

They have one main grocery store. Deliveries come weekly. Today is fresh produce day, tomorrow is frozen food day. This is a very expensive place to food shop; a dozen eggs or a gallon of milk is $8. Later in the week, shelves are empty of many staples. Lots of bartering and trading of provisions happens. Locals adapt. That’s Life in a Northern Town. You’re welcome for the earworm.

Afterwards, our driver took us about halfway up White Pass Trail and a couple miles across the border into the Yukon Territory. In its early days, this trail was only one of two ways to get to Skagway by land.

Chilling with a warm beverage in our hotel lobby before heading out for a bite. Drizzly, foggy 52 degrees when we arrived, now sunny and about 60 degrees.

Diane and I are in agreement that NY/NJ/FL aren’t the only places to go for great pizza. Yeah, yeah, we know, we traveled 3500 miles to seafood heaven and got pizza for lunch?! This little Italian//Mexican restaurant in Skagway knows how to make a great pie.

Tasty dough, really flavorful sausage, and lots of soft melt in your mouth mozzarella.

The pastry resistance: Alaskan Fried Bread. Imagine the best funnel cake you’ve ever had, then douse both sides with cinnamon and sugar. Another winner.

Walked about the town, checked out shops, back to the hotel for a nap

I wonder if residents ever take these views for granite? </DadJoke>

* This cruise has a heavy Asian and Indian influence. Vancouver was surprisingly that way also.

* Asians love to take pictures. Boarding on the gang plank, every turn found us waiting for four Asian ladies giggling and laughing and taking every picture imaginable at every turn.

* Even though there is no smoking on the ship except designated areas outside, the casino always smells like smoke.

* Traffic in Juneau was very kind. Stopped to allow us to cross the street all the time.

* I’ve met two quilt shop ladies and our wood working operation may expand into Vancouver and Alaska. Speaking quilt is universal.

* Musicians are rock stars. They impress me. Here they have an amazing rock band, BB King band and dueling pianos. All are coordinated for when one stops the other starts. So talented.

* Alaska is number one for homelessness. If you come here without a plan you may end up without a plan.

* Muesli a cold form of oatmeal type cereal served cold. Great for fiber. I like it and will have to figure out how to make it like they do here.

* In Juneau they boycotted the Walmart. The low prices according to residents would have put the locals out of business. Wow! Small people win over big box retailers. Walmart left.

* Juneau has the world’s smallest CostCo.

Dinner this evening was on land. Not 10 minutes from Juneau is the Salmon Bake. Chef Salmon is a cute petite native Alaskan who owns her grill. She actually dropped my salmon into the special sauce. It’s a brown sugar/butter sauce and when I went back for seconds I told her to drop another one in the sauce again. We both laughed. Grilling over wood gave this fish another level of flavor.

We took a yellow school bus there and Sherae from TX drove the bus. In those 10 min to the Salmon Bake we learned about Juneau. Sherae works in Juneau for 6 months serving the cruise industry and the other six months she lives in TX. She and her husband are building tiny houses for men who are homeless and down on their luck. Her personality is southern/black with a touch of spice. We loved her immediately.

Back from Juneau we went right to the thermal spa for the last time. Then onto the dueling pianos where sing alongs are the norm and these two were amazing. We sat there so long listening to James and Michelle that we barely made the pack schedule for tomorrow’s leaving of the ship at Skagway. No worries, they need the bed here and we’re ready to have our breath taken away by God’s glory. dmc

We are but ants compared to the nearby mountains. A photo cannot convey the scale of our surroundings. That pale green spot (sorry, Carl) on the waterline is a small-ish iceberg

Spotted several icebergs before docking. This one is a floating rest stop for a couple dozen sea birds.

Towering giants backdrop the cruise ship shopping area.

Did we mention it’s t-shirt weather here? It’s a balmy, for Alaska, 60 degrees here at 5:30pm.

I could’ve ordered a bigger pair of crab legs but I know I’ll get another chance when I feel like we have more time. So I ordered a crab bowl and Dan the pork sliders.

When your order is ready they shout out your name and where you’re from. Diane from Florida? So many people from everywhere. New York, California, Indonesia, Indiana, New Jersey, everywhere. This was a just enough portion for me.

One troubling thing for us is seeing all the jewelry stores. Asked a local shop worker why so many? She said, they come up from St Thomas, inhabit all the stores for cruise season then leave. Even bring their own workers. Also said they go to all the Alaskan towns the cruises go to and do similar. We deliberately look for local. In a way, supporting the economy is good at any cost but the locals need it more. Just saying. dmc