When we arrived home, the three dogs just about died with happiness! Shubi and Fritz have been through this before, so they were used to the comings and goings of their jet setting parents. But, this was the first time I have left Greta. At a year and a half, she has never been away from me, and her reaction has been one that has torn at my heart.
She has acted like, “what did I do that caused you to run away?”
She has been snuggling in my lap wanting to be held and patted. And she has needed constant reassurance. Even now, four days later. Poor Greta.
How I wish I could tell her that I was just going away for a few days and would be back. I wish she understood and wouldn’t be so upset.
I think it is just plain mean that Shubi and Fritz didn’t explain it all to her. Maybe they are getting her back for all the bones she has taken away from them!
More Alaska
So, what does one do when they get to their first Alaskan port of call? Why I called home! I wanted to share that moment with my sister and cousin and daughter! I also called to check on Shubi, Fritz and Greta. What a great place for a call! I was so excited I felt like a little kid!
We took a tour over to the Mendenhall Glacier. I think the first thing you realize when you see a glacier is how enormous they are! This was huge, and even more impressive then I can ever say.
It was at Mendenhall that we saw the Bald Eagles and the Mama Brown Bear with her two baby cubs. Believe it or not while standing talking to a Park Service Ranger about the glacier, the subject came up about dachshunds. And well, you guessed it. The next thing I knew we were talking about dachshunds and how wonderful they are.
In the very center of this picture you can see the Mama bear. This was as close as I was going to get to her. Sorry, but she just didn’t look too friendly to me.
We’re back!
We actually got back very late on Saturday night, but I admit that I do not change time zones well, and most of yesterday was spent in a fog. Hubby and I did make a trip out to the store to fill the cupboards with food, but I just didn’t do much else.
Oh, well, yes, I guess I did. I cooked and cleaned up. And I had to really talk to myself the entire way through that!
You see, I really loved having all my meals cooked for me and cleaned up for me on the ship. All I had to do was show up. The biggest concern I had was finding a table near a window so we had a good view during our meal. I would circle the dining room over and over until I got a spot near the window and it was truly worth it.
The food was fabulous! I loved it all. But I have to say that starting the day with cream cheese, smoked salmon and toasted bagels was just about heaven on earth.
I ate a lot of fish. Salmon, Alaskan King Crab, Shrimp and Sword fish. I also ate a lot of salads. And then too, I ate a ton of desserts!
And I weighed in yesterday and found I hadn’t gained an ounce! Well thank the good Lord for that! It wasn’t because I didn’t try! In fact, besides enjoying the great views, I made sure I didn’t miss a meal!
Over the next few days I’ll try to take the trip day by day and break it down and write it about it.
Tracy Arm
Yesterday we cruised Tracy Arm. To say it was beautiful would be a real understatement of fact. It was beyond anything I could have imagined. At first it seemed pretty much like any inlet, then as we got further and further in small chunks of ice turned into larger ones until I could hear the theme from Titanic in my ears! LOL
Glacial Ice is incredibly blue and white. I couldn’t get enough of it! We toured this inlet 4 hours and it was all breath taking.
Last night we went for an all you could eat Alaskan King Crab dinner. OMG What a meal! I love Alaskan King Crab, but it’s expensive to order at home. This was just so delicious and so wonderful!
In Tracy Arm
With the Cruise Director
The glacier at the end of Tracy Arm
Random Thoughts from Sea
Quick Notes
Sunday night was formal night. We all got dressed up and went to dinner down at our favorite restaurant. Since we speak to all the wait staff and managers we got the best table in the place for our meal, and we got the best waitresses too! Adrianna and Mala. The meal was a bit more diverse. But they offered Ketchikan Sockeye Salmon and almost everyone had that.
After dinner we went to a musical show and it was fun. The singers were good, the songs all 70’s and pop familiar in type, and once we were done we headed off to bed.
I admit I do not change time zones easily!
We were up early today (again) and headed to breakfast. I could easily become accustom to living aboard ship, but I would weigh 700 pounds!
A now understand that a cruise is just an orgy of food. You talk about what time to meet for breakfast, ponder what you will eat and then say, oh and what time and where do you want to eat lunch. And of course dinner. If anyone starves on this ship it is entirely their own fault! I have never seen so much food offered anytime, day or night, and all for free!!
I do have a confession to make. Even with the patch for sea sickness on, yesterday when we hit rough seas and the ship began to rock and roll, I got distinctly green!! I tried napping. No luck. I ate small bits of crackers and drank ginger ale. But nothing worked. Finally about 3 AM we entered the inland passage, with quiet waters, and I felt so much better.
We went ashore to Juneau on Monday. We took the whole day taking two tours (The Mendenhall Glacier, and the Salmon Fish Hatchery) and then we walked around and did a little shopping and sight seeing on our own before reboarding the ship.
Aside from the green feeling of on Sunday/Monday, I am doing better. But I have to say, rough waters make me just plain sick!, I am having a wonderful time. And with the word Princess written boldly all over the ship, I feel very much at home!
But I miss everyone so much and look forward to getting back home too.
We have since toured Skagway and Tracy Arm. I haven’t written because it is so expensive to hook up my laptop and then pay for time $10.00 for 30 minutes! And as their satellite is VERY slow. It’s almost impossible to write as much as I’d hoped. So please forgive me and I promise to write more when I can.
On Board
Last night we spent a wonderful calm night just outside Seattle in a town called Monroe. This way we were able to get in to the cruise ship loading area without getting up early in the morning.
Of course, all four of us are on east coast time, and so we were up at the crack of dawn and we got to the docks about 10:30. Hubby and George dropped us girls off at the terminal with all the baggage. Then they went to return the car.
Carol and I zipped through out paperwork, and we were on board by 11:55. And checked out our rooms. They are lovely with fairly good views and then we went off to explore.
This ship is huge! And I am still not sure where everything is, or how to get there. I think more signs are needed or maybe a better ships guide. I figure I will know my way around by the end of the cruise.
Then, since we were hungry we stopped in at the buffet for lunch. There we met up our husbands and then Keith and Jill, more of our friends. We all ate our lunches, and then set off to unpack our cases back at our rooms.
Once that was done it was time for the fire drills, and then we set sail. What a pretty sight that was, as we pulled out of the docking area and sailed along the harbor in Seattle.
We had a Coast Guard escort all the way out of the Harbor, and then he waved and turned and was gone. We stayed out watching a while longer before hunger struck once again.
We explored the restaurants on board and decided to eat at the Savoy. We got a very nice table near a window. Our servers were Adriana from Mexico and then Mia from Thailand. They were young and seet and took incredibly good care of us!
We also had a wine stweard. He was hysterical. He was from Romania, and reminded me of Agadore in the movie, “The Bird Cage”. It was so funny! Still he was so nice and we enjoyed him a lot.
After we ate, we returned to our rooms and fell instantly asleep!
Me, George and Carole
Pictures!!!
Me as I was hiking a trail on Mount Rainier in Paradise.
This morning as dawn came across Mount Rainier at Sunrise!
Another picture at Sunrise.
Tired, And Packing
We spent yesterday at Mount Rainier, and today we drove back via Wenatchee. Beautiful! Tomorrow we get on board the ship and head for Alaska! Too tired to write much tonight. The time change is catching up to me! Will post pictures and more information soon.
Cell Phones and Seattle
Have you ever watched people in airports? During our trip yesterday I did and I have some observations for you the next time you intend to travel.
Shoes.
Now I have never seen people wear the sorts of odd foot attire that I saw yesterday. Everything from the rather acceptable, (though impractical) flip-flops to the highest of heels for women to sandals to cowboy boots for the men.
Okay let’s start with the ladies.
Girls, I know you all love your flip flops, but they are just plain dangerous! One unsuspecting girl nearly lost a toe when a granny ran over her feet with a 400 pound carry-on wheelie!
There were also the high, high, heels, which, if these had been worn in Louisiana by rescue teams, no one would have gotten wet! The trouble with those is that one little bump and the woman in the shoes is on her proverbial butt!
Stick to comfortable, but practical shoes, please!
Boys, you didn’t escape my notice either. The sandals I could actually live with, had you washed your feet, but the number of men in shoes with no socks, was amazing! What’s with that?
And then, of course there were cowboy boots. I saw scores of them. Now where in Seattle do these guys think they’re going to find a Rodeo?
Cell Phones.
This is my next big thing. Everyone has a cell phone now. And it’s easy to see this in an airport, because, everyone is on the darn thing. Everyone except the little Nun I saw, and let’s face it, her conversations are of a more “divine” nature!
There was one girl who was extremely attractive. I noticed her right away. She looked a lot like Jennifer Aniston. Anyway she was walking towards our gate on her cell phone. Talking, talking, talking. She went up to the agent, passed her ticket to him, all the while talking. He passed her ticket and boarding pass back and she continued to talk. This continued right up, onto the plane, until the flight attendant asked her to please shut off her cell phone. No sooner had we touched down and the flight attendant welcomed us to Seattle and announced we could once again use our cell phone’s this young woman is back to talking. All the way to baggage claim and then the last I saw her she was still talking in the rental car line.
What is it with some people and cell phones?
Seattle is beautiful and today we head off to Mount Rainier for a day and night. I’ve been here once before, but I had forgotten just how nice it is up here in the Northwest!
Arrived In Seattle
We arrived in Seattle about noon, have settled in our hotel room, had an incredible Mexican lunch and now will crash for a while! Getting up at 2:20 is not for the faint of heart. Boy are we exhausted! Of course the first thing I did was hook up the laptop so I could post a note! LOL