Having been bundled up by the Covid-19 pandemic and suffering from “cabin fever,” we decided it was time for another travel adventure.
After landing in Vancouver, Canada, we walked to the 44-story Harbor House Tower with its panoramic observation tower on its top floor. Next, we visited the nearby Chinatown which is the second largest Chinatown in North America. I stopped for a moment to photograph the welcoming Chinatown gate.
The next day we took a taxi to the huge Stanley Park about the size of New York’s Central Park and Hyde Park in London. We walked along the six-mile seawall and the promenade running alongside. This is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever visited with trees, flowers and wildlife galore covering the environment.
There was a wild coyote that dashed across our dirt path into the woods before I could retrieve my camera in my bag—ouch! So, I had to settle for the mango flavored sherbet ice cream cone instead—the best I had ever eaten!
We visited the many totem poles on display and the rose garden not yet in bloom. We marveled at the fantastic city skyline view of Vancouver and the many yachts and boats anchored in its harbor and the long Lions Gate Bridge. We visited the chief downtown library, which was modeled after the Colosseum of ancient Rome, an architectural gem.
The next day we caught our cruise ship, The Serenade, owned by the Royal Caribbean line. As soon as we were located in our stateroom, we made a dash to the breakfast café called the Windjammer where we would eat most of our meals. We had been on previous trips with this company and their food is fantastic, with several islands serving scrambled eggs, boiled eggs. bacon, cereals, hash browns, milk and oatmeal.
I took some boiled eggs and pastries back to our room for nighttime snacks. The first day was cruising. Our first port of call was the small port of Sitka. We walked ashore and took the free shuttle bus to downtown but we stayed on the bus and returned to the ship. We weren’t interested in any of the excursions at that time—just the pure air and scenery was enough.
Next stop was Juneau, the capital of Alaska. We took the free shuttle bus to downtown. Juneau has about 33,000 permanent residents and is a great place to view grizzly and black bears and watch for whales and golden eagles.
You might like to take the golden tram from the dock to downtown for a great view of the docks. Our third stop was Haines, Alaska—a photographer’s paradise. It has picture postcard snowcapped mountains with tall evergreens trees covering the hills and mountains.
Our last and fourth stop was Ketchikan, which was the first city to be settled in Alaska. It is also the first and only Walmart to be found in Alaska!
The next day we took Air Canada to Winnipeg for a five-hour stopover for our flight to Toronto. We were using our frequent flyer bonus miles. Temps were in the 60s and 70s when we left Vancouver, but in the 90s in Atlanta – a big change!