The 9 last days were one of the best time of my life.
I have been to Alaska! This is one in a lifetime experience! I am very happy that I was able to get to that spectacular part of the world!
How could I describe it in the best way? I mean I could spend hours and hours writing down my experiences, stories, scenes and everything else that just happened to me. The number of app. 2200 pictures can tell you that have seen a lot:)
Alaska!!!!!!!!
Anyway I share some pictures with you dear reader and try to give you a bit of that long story.
Getting ready for a 9 days trip in a carry-on suitcase and a backpack is not an easy thing in Alaska, especially when I think back how I traveled to the lake Balaton with 1 big luggage and a big back-pack for a week in sun-shine not in Alaska:D
Landing to Minneapolis! Wohoo! One of the biggest american airport hub in the US. Its size is actually bigger than my village in Hungary. Impressing.
:D Norwegian Pearl tag on my bag. The physical evidence that I have a valid booking to a stateroom on a huge cruise that is among the biggest ones in the world.
Before we boarded on the cruise we spent one night in america's 1# hostel Seattle City Hostel. It was not that amazing anyway.
We had time for an abundant sightseeing in Seattle downtown. This is Seattle's symbol the space needle. It was WOW!
First time glimpse at our cruise:) We boarded on the Alaskan Way. Couldn't have been more stylish:)
First step on a cruise!!!!!
That is how it looked like. 13 real decks plus body. We live on the deck 11 forward in the stateroom 10003.
Departing and leaving Seattle in the background
Cruising!
First meal out of the infinite:) Unlimited food supply for a week!!!! OMG!!!! That made me so happy all the time!
Despite of cruising to Alaska we had breakfast every morning outside at the buffet. Wasn't it amazing?
Arriving to the first destination, Juneau. That is the capital city of Alaska. We also went ashore in Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria Island (British Columbia) and Vancouver.
Alaska!
I didn't see bears but I smelt them, if it counts:) I saw whales, salmons, bald eagles, mountain goats, seals, killer whales though.
For a fisherman this paper means a lot.
It means that they arrived in safe.
A typical forest in Alaska.
Dedicated to Ugyvedno
Perfect composition - with the Mendenhall Glacier in the background
Without comment - pure nature
The pass along the coast
Cool looking glass
Caribou antler souvenir
Salmon smoker - Tacu
Cruises
Our maiden left a small towel animal for us
Andris at the Yukon territory sign in Canada. The place where the whole gold rush had been played.
For those of you who asked me to take a photo of a polar bear. Isn't it cute?
Scenic view I. - Carcross (Yukon)
Scenic view II. - Tormented Valley
Klondike Gold Rush National Park
Everything started in 1897 along the Yukon and bloomed in Skagway, AK.
Scenic view III. - This lake is on the same latitude as the Loch Ness. Native American tributes believe that a monster lives in one of the lakes just like in Scotland.
Some snacks after the three-course breakfast...
...on the aft
This is it! This is Alaska!
View from inside.
We saw so many glaciers, fjords, and many other cool geological structures.
We were in the heart of the Glacier Bay National Park, which has the size of Connecticut (half of Hungary). The only way to reach the national park is with cruise.
It is truly one in a life-time experience. The spectacular John Hopkins Glacier.
That is how we rolled:)
Not bad.
Heading toward the beauty. There were no human structures in a 60 miles radius. 100km sugarú körzetben minden érintetlen volt.
A big piece of ice was breaking down ...
...in front of our eyes:)
The territory of the Glacier Bay National Park
The weather was ever-changing and unpredictable in Alaska. We have been told so lucky that we got that beautiful weather during our trip!
At Ketchikan, AK seaport 05:55AM, 09.21.12 going to fish
Dressed up like an Alaskan fisherman!
Sailing out of the harbor
That was my first time real salt-water fishing with my valid Alaskan fishing licence ($20). I was bottom fishing for rockfish, halibut, shark, and cod or just whatever we catch.
After a definite tug I reeled up my first silver-eye rockfish. So-so-happy!!
Cruising to a different spot after catching the limit of yellow-eye rockfish. The bait was sardine and the bottom was over 200 ft deep (70 meter)
Hmmm....
And a pink latex calamari:)
Bence is focusing
With a small fluke
The biggest catch on the boat! And a happy fisherman!
The crew:) Two Canadians and a Hungarian
The prey is waiting to be cleaned and prepared for us
Tadamm!!!!!
No comment:) Like a boss.
Back to the wharf
That weird-looking piece of swimming fat is a seal:)
Norwegian Pearl
Victoria, British Columbia, CA - The Empress (just to visualize the prices there one cup of tea costs $75:)
Mansion and house prices are around 20-30 Million $ at certain neighborhoods. This is the Florida of Canada. Not bad:)
The farewell party with the washy-washy team. Every time you went to eat they sprayed hand sanitized into your palm and said WASHY-WASHY-HAPPY-HAPPY, it was so funny!
I went to sleep at this point...to be continued:) One day later at 00:42 AM continuing updating the post. So there were 6 restaurants on the cruise that you had to actually reserve a table and pay specialty fee for that service. We usually went to eat to the complimentary restaurants and buffets but we said we have to try the most exclusive restaurant on the boat, the original Japanese one. So I booked a table for two. You know it is very funny when you finally show up with a boy on your side:) 6-8 times random people asked us whether we are friends:):):) And we answered yes, we are. (What they thought who cares:) Anyway. Back to the coolest event on the cruise (at least for me). Why? Because it was special, customized, upscale, limited, original, authentic, delicious, pleasant, fun and satisfactory.
First you started with a fresh Japanese soup. I decided to eat as our Japanese tablemates, so I observed them for a while they were making origami. I tried to imitate them but could not make a chopstick holder, so the boss Japanese (there were a very strict hierarchy among them) came to me and showed how to do it well (you can see the small chopstickholder-boat in the background below). Then I got a present from the oldest Japanese lady, that was a Origami bird (I do not remember what kind) That is the way how we started the dinner. I ate even the soup with chopstick! I am not kidding!
Eating my first Japanese soup with chopsticks
The chef was warming-up a little bit with crazy knife acrobatics:)
YAY! Carrot, zucchini, potato, onion, lobster (real), shrimp, calamari, scallops!
Making a strike with the chef!
What do you think? I also was able to eat sticky rice with chopsticks!
The third course was a light dessert: green tea "brownie" and green tea ice-cream with a piece of caramelized sesame. Yummy!
Norwegian Pearl
Launched: 2006
Length: 1000 ft
Top speed: 25 kts
Passenger capacity: 2394
Crew #: 1100 people
On the bridge
The trip is over...Leaving the cruise in Vancouver
Yes, welcome to Canada!
And of course I had to take online health care quizzes. Just to be stylish I took them on the Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle. 94%, 94%, 100%.
I never compromise, I prioritize!
It maybe what others call work-life balance. Who knows what it is really? You have to find your way, that is what I am doing now.
:)
Keep going!
(Couple fin-tuning may will be delivered soon.)