Sunday August 9, 2009 - Seattle, Washington

Well, this is the end of our three week journey. It is now Sunday evening and we are flying out of Seattle for New York tomorrow morning. It has been a very exciting three weeks as we have seen the hinterlands of Alaska, cruised along the Alaskan coast and fjords and finished up with a week in the Northwest, seeing Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle. In order to see any of the photos full size, simply click on that photo.

The past two days in Seattle have been exciting. We have done a tremendous amount of walking here in Seattle and the bottoms of our feet are now burning. Yesterday after our breakfast we walked to the Pioneer Park area of town, passing by the two ball fields........Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners play baseball and Qwest Field where the Seattle Seahawks play football. Continuing on our walking journey through Seattle, we walked through the International District which is sometimes referred to as Chinatown. This one neighborhood is known as the International District since various Asian groups live in this one neighborhood. We also passed Union Station, a major train station in Seattle that borders the International district. This station was built in 1911 to serve the Union Pacific railroad. Today it is used by Amtrak, among other railroad lines. Moving on, we walked by one of the many locations of Amazon.com, which is based in Seattle. At this point we must have walked several miles already today, but kept going. We headed back to the excitement and food of the Pike Street Market for a bit of lunch. Today we started with potato, onion and cheddar Peroshkies at the famous Russian bakery, Peroshky Peroshky. These were so, so tasty........ we knew we would be back here tomorrow for a few more, of a different variety. After our Peroshkies, we were drawn back to Beechers, for some more of that outstanding macaroni & cheese that I raved about yesterday. Kind of full, we kept on our walk and headed back to the Space Needle......... yesterday we purchased a 24 hour ticket, so today we could see Seattle from the top during the daylight. This had to be another mile or so walk. After taking many photos from the top, we decided it was time to walk back to our room, in the central part of downtown......... at least another mile walk. We arrived back at the B&B, and had some wine & cheese before resting a bit before dinner. We had an 8 PM reservation for dinner at a rather nice restaurant this evening, Restaurant Zoe. For dinner, Gail had Halibut and I had Sockeye Salmon, in addition to cocktails and salads. By 9:30 we were on our way back to our room........again, walking.

Today, Sunday, our last day in Seattle, we decided to not do as much walking and have an easy day. After breakfast we again went to the Pike Street Market........ this time to buy a pound of smoked salmon at one of the fish vendors. We had tasted it yesterday and it was so moist & tasty, that I had to have some to bring home. As long as I was having the smoked salmon wrapped for the journey home, we also purchased some salmon jerky, which was quite a treat as well. We brought this back to our room to put in the mini fridge and relaxed there a bit and read today's paper. After an hour or so of relaxation, we went back to Pike Street Market for lunch. Today, I had a Greek Gyro and Gail had a broccoli, onion and mozarella peroshky. After lunch we browsed by the arts and crafts vendors in the market and then sat by a small park for a bit and rested before heading back to the B&B for the afternoon wine and cheese. After relaxing a bit more at the room, we were out again.........for more food!!! Tonight our dinner was on the light side; Gail and I split a Halibut & Chips plate at the famous Ivar's along the water front. After this light dinner, we headed back to the room for the final time to pack for tomorrow's trip home. As I have stated previously, we had a great time for the past three weeks and really do not look forward to going home and back to the normal routine and "grind" of reality.

Friday August 7, 2009 - Seattle, Washington

This morning we woke up early and had an extensive breakfast at our B&B. We have not generally eaten a large breakfast since the cruise, but today we ate a bit more than usual. After breakfast we caught a 9:35 AM ferry for Bainbridge Island. The island is a 35 minutes ferry ride from downtown Seattle. We were not sure what to see at the island, but read that the ferry ride alone was worth the ride.........the Seattle city skyline from the ferry was well worth the ride. Unfortunately, the weather was very overcast and cloudy and thus the view was somewhat hindered. The 35 minute ride was relaxing and not overly crowded. After we arrived at Bainbridge Island we walked around for about an hour and a half, checking out some of the small shops, the docks, etc. and then headed for the trip back to Seattle. Once back in Seattle we again went to Pike Street Market for some exploration and lunch. We started off with some Manhanttan clam chowder at the famous Pike Place Chowder. Our next stop was Beecher's Handmade Cheese for some of the best macaroni and cheese we have ever tasted. We decided the best way to do lunch in the market is not to eat in one place, but to taste a variety of the delicacies from the different food vendors......... and this was a great idea! We were now kind of stuffed and decided we would be back tomorrow for some more treats. After eating we spent some time exploring many other parts of the market. The fish and vegetable stands had an incredible variety of things. We only wished there was a market like this closer to our home. We now went back to the B&B for the afternoon wine & cheese and some relaxation. By 7 PM were were on our way again, for another hike. This time we were off to the famous Seattle Space Needle that was built for the world's fair in 1962. We planned our walk so we could stop for dinner at a hamburger pub that had a rather favorable writeup in Seattle Magazine, Two Bells Bar & Grill. After a couple of great burgers we walked a bit further and arrived at the Space Needle. We purchased a two day pass so we could see the city and sights tonight and then again during the day tomorrow. After a 45 seconds elevator ride, we were at the top........ what an incredible view of Seattle! As expected, I took tons of photos in every direction. It was quite windy way up there, about 600 feet off the ground! About a half an hour was enough time for us and then we took the elevator down and took the monorail to the center of town and walked the rest of the way back to our room. As usual, we were totally wiped out and exhausted from all the walking and exploring, thus we immediately went to bed.

Thursday August 6, 2009 - Seattle, Washington

Today we headed back to the United States. We woke early, packed our bags and were off for the Victoria Clipper ferry which was going to take us from Victoria to Seattle. The ferry was not that far from the hotel so we decided to walk........whoever invented putting wheels on suitcases was a genius! Along the way to the ferry we stopped for a cup of coffee and muffin and arrived at the ferry dock about 10:15 AM for our 11:30 departure. Since we were headed back to the U.S., we would have to go through customs. Interesting though, at the ferry port in Canada was a U.S. customs counter. After a few simple questions at customs we boarded the ferry. It holds about 300 people, but it was in no way full. At 11:30 AM promptly we were on our way for the the 2 1/2 hour journey. By 2 PM we were in Seattle after a very smooth easy going ride. The scenery along the way was interesting, but nothing very special. Perhaps after the scenery of the previous two weeks in Alaska, there would have to be a lot to impress me. After going through U.S. customs again in Seattle we were off for our bed & breakfast. It was not a long distance, so we decided to walk. By about 3 PM we arrived at the Inn at Harbor Steps. We checked into our room and were off to see some of the nearby sights in Seattle. Our first step was Pike Place Market. The market was quite an exciting place to see........booths selling all sorts of fish, vegetables, food, flowers, pastries, and all types of art & crafts. We arrived shortly before they closed at 6 PM, so our visit here was rather brief........knowing we would be back several more times before leaving Seattle on Monday. After leaving the market we had dinner at an Asian noodle restaurant, which was quite good and rather inexpensive. After walking around a bit more in the central part of the city we headed back to our room for the night. From what we have seen so far, Seattle appears to be a very pleasant, young and liberal city, but appears to be like Vancouver with a lot of homeless, panhandlers and beggars.

Wednesday August 5, 2009 - Victoria, BC Canada

It is hard to believe that our trip is gradually coming to an end. We leave tomorrow morning for our last stop, Seattle, WA.

This morning we slept a bit late, well deserved, and walked into the main section of the old part of Victoria, along Government Street. We found a small cafe/coffee shop for breakfast; I had a bowl of granola and Gail had waffles and berries along with our dark roast coffee. We browsed a bit more in some of the shops and headed over to the Victoria Parliament building. The building was completed in 1896, and to my amazement, was designed at the time by a 25 year old architect. We took a brief guided tour of the Parliament and thus learned a bit of its history and current usage. After the tour we went back to the hotel for a short rest and boarded a coach bus for the trip to Butchart Gardens , which is about 13 miles outside of the Victoria city limits. As I mentioned yesterday, Butchart Gardens is a world famous site in British Columbia. The gardens attract close to a million visitors every year and is made up of four major gardens; Sunken Garden, the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and the Italian Garden. The gardens were made up of a mixture of rare and exotic shrubs, trees, and flowers. Each section was an amazing array of plants & flowers in intricately laid out patterns and designs with extreme variations of color. Not only were the sights in all the gardens amazing,but the smell of all the flowers was an added attraction. After about 3 hours of enjoying the gardens, we took the bus back to the hotel before heading out to dinner. We found another interesting pub for dinner and brew. By 8:30 PM we were back at the hotel to pack and get ready for our journey on the Victoria Clipper ferry for our ride to Seattle tomorrow morning.

Tuesday August 4, 2009 - Victoria, BC Canada

Today we had to wake up exceptionally early, about 7 AM to get ready to depart for Victoria. After our coffee & muffin we boarded a bus for the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, south of Vancouver. The bus ride was about an hour and then drove onto the ferry. Everyone had to get off the bus and go up on the ferry for the 1 1/2 hour ride to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, where we now boarded the bus for a 45 minute ride to Victoria. The ferry ride was pretty smooth and uneventful. It was rather hazy outside so there was not a lot to see. Once we arrived in Victoria, we walked over to our hotel, checked in and we off again.......this time to explore the beautiful, quaint city of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. We walked around a bit, checked into where we have to board the next ferry on Thursday to Seattle and had some fish (halibut) & chips for lunch. After exploring the town and the wharf area, we headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest. By 6:30 PM we were a bit rejuvinated and went out to find a place for dinner. That is sometimes rather difficult when traveling, since there are so many places to chose from. We finally decided on a rather small restaurant that was kind of busy. It had an extensive menu and appeared that it was frequented by the locals, rather than the tourists. We ate well, walked a bit more (it was getting very chilly outside by 9 PM) and went back to hotel for the night. Tomorrow we are off to Butchart Gardens, which is a national historic site of Canada. The gardens are approximately 55 acres of blooming flowers and trees.

Monday August 3, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada

Today we decided to explore the well known, Stanley Park of Vancouver. Stanley Park is approximately 1000 acres, practically surrounded by water. After our usual cup of coffee and muffin, we took the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus out to Stanley Park. We walked the entire perimeter of the park, around the seawall, which is about 5.5 miles. There are two major paths around the park, one for pedestrians and one for bicycles/roller bladers. Since today, August 3rd is a holiday in British Columbia, the park was extremely crowded....... and the weather was picture perfect. I think there were more people on bicycles than there were people walking. The scenery was tremendous and boaters were out in huge numbers in the bay. We saw many people fishing and a lucky seagull who caught a starfish for lunch. Toward the end of the walk, we hiked a bit into the park around the "lost lagoon" and saw a lot of wildlife including ducks, a crane, and a sunbathing turtle. At one point we stopped for some ice cream. After several hours of walking we took the bus back to the city. We walked along Robson St., had some crepes and went back to the hotel for a bit of rest. We were extremely tired after so much walking today, so we decided not to travel far from the hotel and ate at a local English Pub, "Elephant & Castle". I had Shepards Pie and Gail enjoyed a bowl of stirfry chicken. Exhausted from walking at least 7 miles today, we went back to the hotel to retire for the day.

Sunday August 2, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada

This morning we woke up and said goodbye to Alan & Pamm.........they were leaving for the airport for their flight home. It was sad to see them go, since we all had an enjoyable time together for the previous two weeks. After saying goodbye, Gail and I headed out for the day. We were informed by the concierge at our hotel, that today was the Gay Pride Parade in Vacouver........so, we decided to go check it out. To say the least, it was quite interesting. It started off with the "Dykes on Bikes" parade, followed by the entire parade which lasted an hour and a half. There were all sorts of floats filled with gays & lesbians, bedecked in all sorts of colorful garb. There were even a few totally nude men and many topless women. Other floats and marchers in the parade were groups of people supporting diversity and tolerance. The parade was a major event here in Vancouver, expected to be attended by approximately 500,000 people. The parade was on Robson Street, the major shopping street in Vancouver. After the parade we took the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus around the entire city. This gave us a very good overview of Vancouver. After awhile on the bus we got off and revisited Granville Island, had a light snack and then boarded the bus again, now bound for Chinatown. We arrived in Chinatown about 6PM, where a Chinese Night Market was going on. We walked around the market and other parts of Chinatown, and had a light snack of Chinese vegetable lowmein from one of the many street vendors selling food. At this point we decided to walk back to the hotel, going through Gastown. It was a long walk, but Gail and I always enjoy seeing visited cities on foot. Along the way we passed through a very "nasty" part of the city, with many homeless, beggars, and other sorts of "characters". Once back near the hotel we stopped in for dinner and had some nice salads at the Steamworks Brewery. After dinner we were both totally exhausted from all the walking and went back to the hotel for well needed showers and some sleep.

Saturday August 1, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada

It is hard to believe that the Alaska portion of our trip is now over. We planned that part of the trip for months, and it has gone by so fast. We now have great memories and tons of photos. Gail and I will be in Vancouver for 3 days, Victoria, BC for 2 days and then winding up our trip in Seattle for 4 days. Pamm & Alan are departing for New York tomorrow.

Our cruise ship arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia this morning and we were off the ship by 10 AM. We checked into our hotel, which we walked to (it is only 3 blocks from the pier) and were off to take in some of the sights of Vancouver. Our first destination was Granville Island, which is a huge market for fresh produce, meats, fish, baked goods, restaurants and numerous food stands for a quick bite to eat. We browsed the market, had lunch and then took a ferry to the Yaletown district of Vancouver. This is a rather sophisticated residential section of the city with many boutiques and restaurants. From here we headed back to the hotel for some rest, walking through historic Gastown. This area is where the city of Vancouver began and now has many antique shops, art galleries and of course tourist shops for gifts and souvenirs. After resting in the hotel for a bit, we headed back to Gastown for dinner before returning to the hotel for the night. We were all quite tired........ we must have walked at least 4 or 5 miles today seeing many parts of Vancouver. The city is quite nice, with a slight European flavor, but seems to have a very large number of homeless and panhandlers........relative to many other cities I have visited.




I have given a summary of the cruise portion of the trip below. In the next day or two I will be going through some of the photos and posting those as well. I may have missed a bit here and there, and I will update that as well. I have been "lost" on the cruise ship for the past week and I now will have time to go back and check and update certain parts of the blog..........so please check back regularly and read some of the earlier posts to see some updates and perhaps some new photos.