Category: Experience

 

Find content I have written about by a specific experience topic.

My Many Alaska Cruise Excursion Experiences

Alaska is a popular travel destination, and there is no easier way to see southeast Alaska than on a cruise ship. Use my Alaska cruise excursion tips for Alaska’s most popular cruise ship ports to help you plan your best bucket list Alaska trip.

I love cruising and have sailed all over the globe. But, I think that if you ever only take one cruise in your whole life, it should be to Alaska. This is a huge state with some of the least accessible national parks in the US, including the very popular Glacier Bay National Park which can only be visited by boat. The various ports of call and the many cruise excursion options offered on an Alaskan cruise provide opportunities to easily see more of this incredibly scenic state.

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PhotoPOSTcard: Saving Bears

One of my Alaska cruise excursions in Sitka took us to The Fortress of the Bear, a non for profit sanctuary that saves orphaned bears. When a bear mother dies, her orphaned cubs cannot survive without her and would have to be euthanized by state game officials. The Fortress of the Bear organization has converted old, unused water clarifier tanks from a defunct paper mill into large habitats for orphaned Alaskan brown bears and black bears. The sanctuary serves as both a rescue and rehabilitation center and as an educational facility. It’s probably the closest you will ever be able to get to a bear and see them behave as they would in a the wild.

 

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Just A Man And His Dog

A cruise with one of the major cruise lines is certainly the easiest and most economical way to see Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. But when looking at the glaciers from the top of a huge ship it can be difficult to get a sense of size without something else nearby for perspective. In this case, a kayaker and his very well behaved dog provide the much needed scale to be able to get the true sense for how tall the Margerie Glacier really is.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Pretty in Pink

During my stay in central Alaska this summer, I saw fireweed blooming everywhere. It is a colorful pink perennial which easily grows in sunny spots along the roads and the shores of lakes and rivers. It is one of the first species to come up after a fire, which is how it got its name. Supposedly it is also a harbinger of winter. I was told that the flower blooms from the bottom up and when the blooms at the top are done, winter will arrive in six weeks. I clearly caught it in mid bloom and mid summer.

Please note that my visit to Fairbanks was hosted by Explore Fairbanks. All content is my own.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

 

A Date With a Chihuly Glass Exhibit at Kew Gardens

I love the work of glass artist Dale Chihuly, so I could not resist seeing the Chihuly glass exhibit at Kew Gardens in London.

I admit it-I have an obsession with all things made by master glass artist Dale Chihuly. I love the vibrant colors, the movement, and yes, the engineering and science that it takes to make his towering art installations.

Throughout my travels, I go out of my way to see his work if it is on display nearby. So, when I was in London the summer of 2019, I made it a point to have a date with the Chihuly glass exhibit at Kew Gardens.

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PhotoPOSTcard: A Taste of the Bubbly

I’ve tasted sparkling wines, but never true champagne from France. One of the special excursions on my European Waterways barge cruise on the Burgundy canal was a private and fascinating behind the scenes tour for our group of the Alexandre Bonnet champagne production process. Afterwards, we were treated to a tasting of four of their vintages which provided a delectable introduction to this bubbly version of Bacchus’ elixir, a taste I could definitely get used to.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Tapestries in the Chateau de Commarin

One of the most unique aspects of our tour of the Chateau de Commarin were the original heraldic tapestries made for the castle in the early 1500’s. The tapestries depict family armorial designs alternating with alchemical symbols. As a precursor to chemistry, I was particularly fascinated by the alchemy references. Sadly (for us), some of the tapestries were trimmed down to fit the existing space, so some of the panels were no longer complete. However, despite the centuries, the colors were still vivid and all the detail quite impressive. The tour of the Chateau de Commarin was the first excursion on my European Waterways barge cruise on the Burgundy canal.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

 

PhotoPOSTcard: At the Abbey de Fontenay

One of the excursions on my European Waterways Burgundy Canal cruise was to the UNESCO listed Abbey de Fontenay. The abbey was founded in 1118 by a group of Cistercian monks.  On our tour, I leaned that the Cistercian order was established in response to the excesses displayed by the Benedictine monks. The Cistercian’s believed in hard work in a simple, austere environment and they built this large abbey to insure that they would be self-sufficient. Much of the original abbey architecture remains to this day, including the cloisters seen in this photo.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Slow Cruising on the La Belle Epoque

The canals of France were built in the late 1700’s to provide a means of transporting goods. Barges were loaded with timber, limestone, wine and other desirable products and they were pulled along the canals through the many locks that controlled the flow of water. Today, the canals still support boat traffic, but these historic barges have now been converted into luxury floating cruise experiences that offer a unique means of exploring the French countryside. For the next six days, I will be enjoying a one of a kind cruise on the La Belle Epoque along the Burgundy Canal, one of the many barge cruising options offered by European Waterways.

Thanks for visiting

Rose