Day one we arrived to the cruise ship around noon. We grabbed some lunch, walked around to get our bearings and relaxed with drinks by the pool. Ship set sail around 6 pm and Marina joined us for dinner at one of the specialty restaurants, Giovanni's.
Day two was at sea. We relaxed, got massages, played trivia and attended an impromptu concert by Jim Brickman followed by dinner with Marina in the main dining room.
Day three took us to Juneau. We had made reservations for a fishing charter on our own as the cost was much less than the excursions offered by the ship. Our operation never showed up and when we called they said the owner wasn't feeling well so it was canceled. We were disappointed but, as I always believe, everything happens for a reason. We went whale watching instead and saw a pod of about 15 humpbacks. You can see them in the video "bubble netting". This is a learned behavior for these whales, it is not instinctual and only about 15% of the whale population has learned to do this so it was quite a treat to see it in person. One whale completely breached the water giving us a great finale to the show. It was amazing. Dinner was at another specialty restaurant, Izumi, featuring Japanese Cuisine. My favorite meal of the trip. We enjoyed a show after dinner.
Day four we arrived in Skagway, had lunch at a crab house in town and then went to a Mushing Camp where the dogs who race in the Iditarod are trained during the off season. It was a very interesting day.
Day five we cruised through the Fjords. That is where you see all of that gorgeous scenery, glaciers, icebergs, waterfalls.....just breathtaking. This is also the day we attended the Chef's Dinner which was jaw dropping awesome, as you can see in the video.
Day six was a sea day but we still had plenty to do. Marina had arranged for us to be given tours of the Bridge, the Galley and backstage of the Theater. We had dinner with Marina in the buffet restaurant and then we went to the comedy show which was a lot of fun.
The final day was spent in Victoria, BC. One of Marina's friends lives in the area and arrived at the ship to take us touring. We went to Butchart Gardens which were amazingly beautiful. The weather was perfect and the smells were heavenly. We enjoyed lunch at the gardens and then went into the city to have "beavertails" for dessert. Marina's friend, Elena, said that they are only sold there on the island. It is a long fried pastry that you can enjoy with many different toppings. We made ours half cinnamon sugar and half chocolate and banana. YUM. Dinner on this final evening was with Marina and her beau, Devin, at the Steakhouse on the ship, Chops. Getting to meet someone who Marina holds dear was one of the highlights of the trip.
I hope you enjoy the video. This past week has been spent catching up on things we missed while we were gone. Primarily spending time with the Angel Face who came to see us on Saturday and spent the night and all day Sunday with us, returning again Tuesday and Wednesday for her normal visit.
Tomorrow we are going to my nephews
Please excuse that hour long break. We had to go and deskunk dogs, thankfully only two of them were outside with the skunk. Had it been all four I would still be scrubbing them down with peroxide/baking soda/ dawn detergent concoction.
So......tomorrow we are going to my nephews. Selfridge Air Base is having their annual Air Show and Jack's house is right under the flight pattern. We are all gathering to enjoy the show and some time together.
Sunday John and Kirsten, their son, Mike and his wife, Amy, and their two sons are coming over for dinner. You may know Amy from her wonderful blog, Amy's Cooking Adventures. It will be wonderful spending some time with them.
The rest of the week is pretty quiet. Angel Face will be here Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday evening we are meeting with all the kids at Louis' Chop House to celebrate my birthday. Friday night my TC family is coming into town. Lili is being moved into her dorm at Wayne State University on Saturday. It seems like only yesterday she was my little LiliBug.
I swear this was just last Christmas!!!!
I must have blinked!
How is it possible this little bug is starting college?
Ahhhhh.......time flies and life is bittersweet. Lili has grown into a gorgeous young lady. She is kind, smart, empathetic and loving.....but not as easy to pull onto your lap and smother with kisses.
Oh well, enough of that. Here is the Menu I will be serving up this week. Please stop by and visit as time allows.
Saturday
Air Show at Jack and Maranda's
Sunday
Corn Casserole
Garden Pasta Salad
Five Bean Salad
Monday
Grilled Chicken Breasts
Tuesday
Pasta and Slow Cooker Meat Sauce
Wednesday
Out for Dinner
Thursday
Chicken and Veggie Kabobs
Friday
Grilled Steaks
Baked Russets and Sweet Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Salad
What a spectacular trip, Wendy!!
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful Cam.
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