I can hardly believe we are a full week into September already - we even had some crisp weather this weekend signaling that Fall will surely be here soon. I got a little taste of cooler weather during the week before Labor Day when I went on a cruise to Alaska. Alaska has been "on my list" of place to visit for some time and when my Mom revealed she also wanted to go, we planned a trip. We sailed from Seattle and spent a few days there before our cruise started. Although I had been to Seattle for work, I had never spent any significant time there and never any as a tourist. We had a fun few days touring the city; by far, my favorite sight was the Chihuly Garden and Glass. I missed the artist's exhibit in NY a few years ago so I knew I wanted to see it when I got to Seattle - and I wasn't disappointed. The beautiful pieces mixed into the gardens were stunning.
We also made the trip to the Public Market - despite the fact that it was super busy, I loved it! Stall after stall of beautiful flowers, gorgeous fruits and vivid vegetables. It was the flowers that got me - the bouquets were beautifully arranged and so affordable! I wish they had bouquets like that here - I would have fresh flowers in my office and home every week.
We made 3 stops in Alaska - Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. By far, my favorite part was one we didn't stop in - Tracy Arm Fjord. We cruised through the fjord early in the morning for about four hours and it was just stunning - well worth the 5 am wake up call!
All the all, the trip was excellent. We had active excursions in each port - we hiked in Ketchikan and kayaked in Skagway. In Juneau, we hiked down to Nugget Falls at the Mendenhall Glacier. It was a great way to close out the summer!
What destination is on your list?
Looks like a fantastic trip. We are heading to Seattle for the first time next May -- now I'm even more excited. Enjoy autumn in NY, my absolute favorite time in my home town!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Seattle! Fall is my favorite season here too - I can't wait!
DeleteWhat a fabulous vacation! I did my master's research in Alaska but never made it to the inland passage - it looks gorgeous. I'd love to go back one day. Seattle is a fun city too. Enjoyed your Bryson review below - I love his writing. It's hard to find the right book to listen to on CD while driving. Story matters but so does narration and it can't be too distracting.
ReplyDeleteI love your photos; they are amazing! What a great trip and the Chihuly is so vivid. I have never been to Seattle and would like to go some day. We just returned from Jamaica, where we had the most relaxing, peaceful 60-hour vacation. We never left the resort.
ReplyDeleteYou photos from Jamaica looked amazing - sometimes the vacation where you never leave the resort are the absolute best!
DeleteYour trip sounds fabulous! I bet that garden is gorgeous. The little art museum in Auburn has some Chihuly glass and I used to love going to see it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely journey...your shots are fabulous. I am now drooling and longing to visit those places.
ReplyDeleteHere's MY WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES
Wow, what a wonderful trip. One of these days I'd love to visit Alaska, too. Your photos are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth!
DeleteWow, thanks for sharing your Alaska pics. It's on my bucket list. I'm a fan of Chihuly - caught his exhibit in my city several years ago. I also saw a PBS show that featured installations around Venice, Italy (outdoors!).
ReplyDeleteThey showed part of that PBS special at the theater in the museum - I would love to see the whole thing. I loved seeing in the video how collaborative Chihuly was with the team that does his installations - he seemed like a real team player which is not always a trait of artists.
DeleteThat's an amazing trip! I'm off to persuade the husband that we need to go to Alaska sometime. It's high up on my bucket list. The photos are awesome!
ReplyDeleteWowwww.
ReplyDeleteI love your Alaska pics.
I'm itching to go there.
Great pics.
I love the market photos too.
Looks like a stellar trip on all fronts. What beautiful pictures! I can't help thinking that if the pictures look that good, it must be *staggering* in person. I'd love to see Alaska someday!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are breathtaking, especially the fjord! Alaska and Seattle (the entire Pacific Northwest, really) are on my list of places to visit, too. How nice you could take a trip with your mom!
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in the Seattle area I loved looking at your photos! So glad you had a good trip!
ReplyDelete