DESIGN YOUR OWN HOLIDAY..Canada/Alaska
by Betty Fielding (part 2 of 3)
Continuing on from the last issue…………..
Vancouver Island was a place we just had to see, so we flew to Nanaimo by sea plane and drove down to Victoria.
My favourite place was the quaint town of Chemainus which is famous for its 30+ murals on the buildings around the township.
My favourite place was the quaint town of Chemainus which is famous for its 30+ murals on the buildings around the township.
Before dropping the car off in Victoria we went to Butchart Gardens which have been created on the site of a disused quarry and are 55 acres of the most magnificent gardens.
The harbour in Victoria was buzzing with people and entertainment. I could have spent my month’s holiday on Vancouver Island – that’ll be another trip! That night we cruised back to the mainland by ferry.
We sailed out of Vancouver on the “Radiance of the Seas” for our 7 night cruise to Seward, Alaska via the Inside Passage. I’ve never had the desire to go cruising but this was obviously the best way to see Alaska. As you can only get to Juneau, the capital, by sea or air it seemed the cruise was the way to go! I must admit that this cruise was amazing value for money – the stateroom was very comfortable, the food and entertainment were great and the service was outstanding.
Ports of call were Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait Point. There are lots of shore excursions on offer or you can do your own thing. The highlight for me was a helicopter flight over the Alaskan Ranges, landing on a glacier where I drove a dog sled – words cannot do justice to the scenery and the dog sledding was exhilarating.
We also did a train ride up the White Horse Pass following the trail of the great Yukon gold rush.
Wildlife was also on the agenda and seeing bears in the wild is pretty memorable.
One night on board I managed to glimpse the Northern Lights – not as spectacular as they are in winter but the Northern Lights none the less.
After a very early wake up call one morning we cruised to within 400 metres of the Hubbard Glacier. This marvel of nature is the longest river of ice in North America and is 10km wide. The sound of a calving glacier is like a huge explosion. We breakfasted in our huge revolving restaurant as the ship did half a dozen 360º revolutions in front of the glacier and mountains – brilliant, just brilliant!
On disembarking in Seward we coached to Anchorage. All the way the scenery was again awesome and to top it off we saw beluga whales swimming up the Cook Inlet.
The harbour in Victoria was buzzing with people and entertainment. I could have spent my month’s holiday on Vancouver Island – that’ll be another trip! That night we cruised back to the mainland by ferry.
We sailed out of Vancouver on the “Radiance of the Seas” for our 7 night cruise to Seward, Alaska via the Inside Passage. I’ve never had the desire to go cruising but this was obviously the best way to see Alaska. As you can only get to Juneau, the capital, by sea or air it seemed the cruise was the way to go! I must admit that this cruise was amazing value for money – the stateroom was very comfortable, the food and entertainment were great and the service was outstanding.
Ports of call were Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait Point. There are lots of shore excursions on offer or you can do your own thing. The highlight for me was a helicopter flight over the Alaskan Ranges, landing on a glacier where I drove a dog sled – words cannot do justice to the scenery and the dog sledding was exhilarating.
We also did a train ride up the White Horse Pass following the trail of the great Yukon gold rush.
Wildlife was also on the agenda and seeing bears in the wild is pretty memorable.
One night on board I managed to glimpse the Northern Lights – not as spectacular as they are in winter but the Northern Lights none the less.
After a very early wake up call one morning we cruised to within 400 metres of the Hubbard Glacier. This marvel of nature is the longest river of ice in North America and is 10km wide. The sound of a calving glacier is like a huge explosion. We breakfasted in our huge revolving restaurant as the ship did half a dozen 360º revolutions in front of the glacier and mountains – brilliant, just brilliant!
On disembarking in Seward we coached to Anchorage. All the way the scenery was again awesome and to top it off we saw beluga whales swimming up the Cook Inlet.
Travelscene Samford would like to thank Betty for this great article, stay tuned for the last instalment in the next Dayboro Grapevine. Don’t forget that only Travelscene American Express lets you travel anywhere, any time and pay with your membership rewards points so contact us on 3289 3700 and let us help you turn your American Express membership rewards points into your next trip.
