This day fell midway through our cruise, sunny and still much warmer than we’d anticipated. As the Captain navigated the inside passage, we had the privilege of viewing the pure beauty of Glacier Bay. As we sailed, the ship made several very slow 360 degree turns so everyone had a chance to see the passage from all angles. While you can view from the open top deck, I found it too crowded. Instead I happily returned to my cabin to enjoy a few glasses of Prosecco on my balcony while taking it all in. It was a zen kind of day full of sunshine, blue sky, sparkling sea and glaciers. In a word, perfect!
Whatever we expected of the weather in Alaska was completely different than our experience. Having packed layers, waterproof jackets and footwear, gloves, hats…..you get it. That said, the week we spent there was sunny, warm and perfect for enjoying the beauty around us and the flowers were thriving.
Our first excursion was in Juneau. If you follow my blog you know I have a passion for gardening and this excursion appealed to me on so many levels. I’ve excerpted the highlighted information from their website for accuracy.
Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventures in Juneau, Alaska, opened in 1998 by local entrepreneurs Steve and Cindy Bowhay, and have greeted guests from around the world who have come to admire the unique and awe inspiring environment at Glacier Gardens. Located in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, Glacier Gardens is a vibrant Alaskan botanical garden paradise nestled in the grasp of the lush Southeast Alaskan temperate rainforest habitat. Guests will board covered rainforest adventure vehicles and embark on a guided tour through beautifully manicured gardens and into the old growth rainforest on Thunder Mountain. Panoramic views of Juneau await 580 ft above sea level on Thunder Mountain and offer one of the best views found in the Capital City.
The trip up to Thunder Mountain on an uneven dirt one-lane road was…..bumpy. Our driver gave us a wealth of information about the history of the glaciers and how it impacted this area. He was knowledgable about plants, trees – even the moss that grows like a lush carpet on the forest floor. My favorite part was the “upside down trees”. To see them was truly thrilling as I never knew they existed and their beauty took my breath away. It was like being in a magical forest. I took a ton of photos because it’s what I do when I’m surrounded by nature.
Dotted throughout the garden are upside-down trees, known as “Flower Towers,” that have their tops buried in the ground and their roots thrust up in the air, forming a basket that cradles colorful trailing flowers. Netting and mosses form a bed in the center of the root ball, where begonias, fuchsias, and petunias bloom brilliantly bright and delicately hang down from the overturned tree.
I found it fascinating that as the end of the season, all of these plants are dug up, moved into the greenhouse and are replanted the following year, blooming even more robustly than the year prior. The greenhouse also had a charming gift shop and even more lovely photo ops.
Should you find yourself in Juneau, take this tour!
My first-ever cruise was in April on the Enchanted Princess and this recent Alaskan cruise was on its sister ship, Discovery Princess. I love the layout of the ship which was familiar to me though I have to admit I got lost a few times.
I wanted to share some photos of fun on the ship in this post. We saw Rock Opera, Spotlight Bar and the ABBA tribute show – all were excellent and we also did the Yes/No show one evening – always funny. Several of my group attended a cooking demo followed by a tour of the ship’s galley. The galley tour was fascinating and the cooking demo, done by the Chef and Manager of Restaurant Operations was hilarious – they could have careers as stand up comedians!
I just returned from a one week cruise to Alaska on Discovery Princess. In Seattle, I met up with my cousin and her husband from Portland (Oregon) and my sister and brother-in-law from Vegas for pre-cruise dinner, drinks and a few toasts to the cruise ahead and fun times with family.
This trip exceeded our expectations and judging by the volume of photos I took there will several more blog posts coming soon.
We set sail on 8/3/24 and as we were pulling out of the Seattle Harbor the Captain announced that the Blue Angels were flying for an air show. It was a special treat and great beginning to our cruise. I captured some Blue Angel photos though you may have to squint to find them against the Seattle skyline.
Top left you can see the Blue AngelsYou can see their jet streams as they fly over downtown SeattleBlue Angels climbing higher – perfect synchronizationLeaving Seattle behindMy cabinAnd just like that we are well underway….
