Alaska Get Away (Juneau)

I finally have a few moments to write some of our wonderful memories of our recent trip. It was heavenly to have a whole week with Russ, exploring the beautiful landscapes, wildlife, and natural history of Alaska. We boarded the cruise ship on Sunday from Seattle. We attended a local ward for church, and were overwhelmed by the kindness of the members. One member saw us waiting for the cab to take us to the port (about 20 miles), and offered to drive us there himself. While we were talking to him, another member came running out making sure we had a ride. We sailed on the Norwegian Pearl, which was completely full, with over 2900 people on board. Monday was a day to relax and check out the ship. We went to the gym, took a tour of the ship, played lifesize checkers and shuffle board, and went to some educational classes. (By the end of the week I had learned how to fold towels into animal shapes, use a ULU knife, make pizza, and juggle scarves.) We saw a fun show on board with ballerinas dancing from hanging nets, ropes and sheets of fabric. Tuesday we arrived in Juneau and went straight to Mendenhall Glacier. We saw a bear as we traveled there on a bus. We spent most of the day on a gorgeous hike all around the glacier. We also got a little shopping in on our way back to the ship.