August 19, 2016
Well, this is all a week or so old, since we didn’t have Internet service on the Explorer of the Seas. $12.95 per day is tooooo much. So silence isn’t necessarily golden, but it is cheap.
We have time today to a little blogging while we are in Seattle and have Verizon service with which to connect to the World Wide Web.
It was a good flight into Seattle. A little strange getting the rental car. We took a shuttle from the airport to the rental agency and picked up a red Ford Fiesta, upgraded from a smaller car, since whatever it was we reserved they were all out of.
I told my telephone where to go and we went to the hotel where the Bro had reserved us a room. Well, we got to the hotel after I stopped one hotel too soon. We had a small suite – turned out to be bigger than our onboard room. Later Cathy drove and we went to a nice seafood restaurant (Bonnie had chicken, but not of the sea – sorry, Charlie!).
After the meal a few hands of setback – Bros win, Bros win, Bros win! – it was off to bed and a good night’s sleep before finding the Explorer of the Seas.
KW and CJ took a shuttle. We drove our car to the pickup lot and they shuttled us over. We met onboard and went to the Windjammer, the all you can eat all the time buffet. Bonnie and I changed our dinner reservations to match theirs and we ate each evening at 5 p.m. Excellent waiter and assistant (and the 2 remaining on board Sislers will eat with them again this cruise).
I will not try to regail you with all we did, but will fill in a few blanks.
My talks each morning were at 9 a.m. in the Star Lounge, which used to be called the Taj Mahal (when we cruised on the EOTS a couple years ago). Good crowds each day, and very responsive. I only did 3 – brought 4 and didn’t need the extra, thank the Lord! – The Gold Rush, Klondike Ladies, and Victoria: Garden City. This coming week I will drop the Gold Rush and add I Can See Russia. Otherwise, who knows when I’ll get to do it? With each talk taking 100-120 hours to build (and I think Seeing Russia took 120) I want to have a chance to do all of them. Hopefully, we’ll be back to Alaska.
Juneau was cold, rainy and overcast. So many jewelry stores that we thought we were in the Caribbean.
Skagway was the better of the two Alaskan cities. One main street with different kinds of shops, plus museums and such. We ate lunch at the Red Onion Saloon. You may already have seen the picture of Kyle and I with one of the hostesses. I think the puppies drowned.
Our next day was to sail to Tracy Arm Fjord and glacier. We went to Dawes Glacier instead. The captain said there was too much ice at the entrance to Tracy Arm, so we did another site instead. Maybe we’ll get to see it this week, but the Dawes Glacier was beautiful. I’ll post pictures when I get home.
Victoria is a beautiful city. The weather was perfect. We took a shuttle to downtown and then walked out to Chinatown. It was one place I really wanted to visit since my third talk featured it.
One of the neatest things was visiting Tam Kung Temple. It is a temple of Chinese faith, the only one outside of China that honors that deity. When we went inside (even though it is an active temple, you can visit) and there was incense burning. I asked the attendant if I could light some incense (you Russia travelers will remember lighting candles at the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Monastery). The attendant gave me a whole worship set of incense – some lit as singles, others in sets of three. When I did the sets of three I whispered, “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” When I did one, I said, “Lord Jesus.” It was really neat. The temple is reached by climbing up 52 stairs – Bonnie waited outside (the congregation is aging and it is hard for many of them to climb the stairs; chances are it will die out because no young people are coming). Our other major activity in Chinatown was the purchase of one banana by said outside waiter.
The four of us visited one church – it was a Roman Catholic Church and we did not realize the noon mass was in progress, but we sat quietly. Then Bonnie and I came back to the ship and the Vagabond Sislers visited 4 more cathedrals and churches.
Just got a text from the Bro. They are back at their hotel. They will explore Seattle a few more days before heading back east.
I will make notes as we sail, and if I have a good Verizon connection, will post again in Juneau. Until then.
TTFN!
And now to the rest of the story!!
Our room is very nice except to get in and out of it I must sit on the end and swing my legs up and over. Good exercise. No pictures please. Have enjoyed walking on deck 4 and on 12. The glacier was much fun. Up at 5 am and watched till about 11. Ice everywhere. Magnificent scenery. We enjoyed all the shows. The last night’s comedian was the best. The magician was okay. The food has been okay. Skagway by far was the best Alaskan city. Old fashioned wooden sidewalks and lots of shops to wander into. Did I tell you I bought a $44 skein of yarn! And in Victoria a beautiful city in British Columbia I bought a nice new warm pair of sweat pants for $50. I have blown my budget. Plus we are taking a train ride this week in Skagway to the Yukon and Canada. 7 hours includes lunch! For only $200 each. Oh well it is only money.
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