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Sue & Mark - Canada 2023Sue & Mark - Canada 2023
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Sue & Mark - Canada 2023

September - October 2023
A 23-day adventure by Sue Read more
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  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 1

    Day 1 - travelling

    September 16, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Set off from home at 10am after running around trying to leave the place spotless.....a miracle might happen and we could get a buyer for the house!!!
    Didn't feel too excited, last couple of weeks have been stressful with Mark finding out he has high blood pressure and then doing his back in!!!

    Pretty uneventful journey, everything went smoothly until we landed in Vancouver and no taxi!!!! Ordered and paid for in advance but nowhere to be seen. Rang the company to find they only wait 60 mins and then disappear. Our plane was slightly late and baggage took a while....not our fault!! Cheers taxi company. You can imagine Mark's face....huffing and puffing 😡.

    Finally got another cab and got to hotel, Vancouver Auberge, about 8pm local time (4am UK time). Found a really nice steak restaurant nearby and had a meal and a glass of wine and finally realised WE'RE ON HOLIDAY 😊    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 2

    Day 2 - Sail Away

    September 17, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Cruise day 😊
    Short walk from our hotel to the cruise terminal and 3 ships all about to sail (pic is of the biggest.....not ours...it was vast).
    Lots of in and out of buildings for this check and that check, thousands of people all doing the same thing, queues galore. The security line took about an hour, so many people (average age about 65 👵). For some reason I didn't realise it was going to be just like an airport security system but in a large hangar.
    Anyway, we made it onto the ship and found our room on Deck 7 out of 14 (nice big bed thank goodness). Luggage not there yet so went for an explore, get the impression it's not a party party ship as lots of quiet areas dotted around. Shame.....we only came for the nightlife 💃🕺🪩.
    Amazing choices for lunch in the buffet restaurant - Mark beware!! Danger of eating to excess 🤣. Waiters and waitresses on hand to look after your every need and keep the wine flowing - Sue beware!! Danger of drinking to excess 🥂.
    Went up on deck for the sail away and took lots of pics leaving Vancouver (great skyline against Stanley Park) then back to the cabin to unpack and catch up on some much needed sleep before dinner. Had a lovely meal, waited on hand and foot by what seemed like about 4 different waiters to each table. All the staff are of ethnic background, without exception I'd say - Asian and African if I had to hazard a guess - and all so lovely.
    Chatted to the couple on the next table for a bit (socialising in small doses). They're doing the same trip as us but have ended with the cruise (and they travelled around in an RV). Said it's the best thing they've ever done and the scenery is spectacular. Very excited for the next 3 weeks.
    Watched middle aged couples on the dancefloor for a while....live band playing all types of music. Oh how we love people watching 😉. Those that can really dance and those that really haven't a clue - very entertaining.
    Ended the evening in a lovely quiet bar with a nice glass of wine listening to a cello/piano duo. Very civilised and very chilled.
    Made it to midnight!!! So nice lying in bed with the sound of the sea through our balcony doors 🛳️    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 3

    Day 3 - At Sea

    September 18, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    A day at sea and time to get our bearings properly on the ship. It was quite choppy so I took a seasickness pill just in case, but it did make me feel a bit woozy. Probably not helped by the fact that I was still tired from the journey.
    Breakfast buffet - amazing!!! Didn't know where to start with so much choice. Fresh fruit, yogurt, English, Canadian, Chinese 😧, eggs of any kind, omelettes, breads, pancakes, muffins, waffles, french toast...... my idea of heaven.
    Decided to have a browse round the few shops and spent a loooong time in the jewellers. Mark offered to buy me an eternity ring for my 60th so it would have been rude to say no! Think he was regretting the decision when I was still trying on rings 2 hours later 😉. Well I ended up with a beautiful diamond and sapphire ring - thank you husband!!!
    After lunch I was flagging a bit so went to the cabin for a chill about 4pm and I'm sorry to say that was the day over 🤣🤣🤣. I went into a very deep sleep and slept through till 4am in the morning - only woke up briefly when the cabin attendant knocked on the door at 8pm and I thought it was morning, couldn't understand why I was in bed fully clothed with my makeup still on.
    Needless to say we had no dinner and not a drop of alcohol all day!    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 4

    Day 4 - Sitka

    September 19, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Day started off very early! After falling asleep yesterday afternoon and not waking up for dinner I was fully awake at 4am. Mark woke up....or was more likely disturbed by me.....soon after and we got up and went to find coffee at 5.30am. Amazing how many other early risers were wandering around - who knew people got up so early 😀.
    Breakfast opened at 6.30 so we were at the buffet bright and breezy. Quite enjoyed being up at the crack of dawn, and it was a beautiful sunny morning, clear blue skies.
    We docked at Sitka today and hadn't booked any excursions so the day was ours to wander as we pleased. Sitka is classed as a city but it's tiny and only has 8,000 inhabitants. Some fabulous clapboard houses like you see in the films.
    We walked the one street which was a bit like something from an old American movie. We looked in the Russian orthodox "cathedral" (tiny), and had lunch at the Crab and Burger Shack. This was pretty much a fast food place, really good food but very expensive.....70 dollars for fish and chips and burger and chips (about £56 😱). We then wandered round the coast path to the National Historic Park which has wooded walks and a totem pole collection dotted along the paths. They are huge and amazing carvings.
    There were signs warning you that bears are around and what to do if you come across one - we just prayed we wouldn't 🙏🐻.
    Loads of salmon to watch leaping out of the water (Alaska is the salmon capital of the world) and we spotted a sealion 🦭 bobbing in and out of the water. Tried to get it on camera but it was really hard to keep track of 😀.
    By 4pm my knees and Mark's back were aching so we went back to the ship and chilled till dinner.
    A great day!    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 5

    Day 5 - Hubbard Glacier

    September 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Today was at sea and sailing to the Hubbard Glacier. The weather was awful, raining hard and miserable 🌧️ so I wondered how much we'd see in the murky greyness. Having never seen a glacier I didn't realise it's really white and you can't fail to see it whatever the weather 🤔. Hubbard is the largest in the North American continent and is still growing, in contrast to most glaciers which are shrinking - 11,000 feet above sea level and 76 miles long. It was stunning even in pouring rain - very white and blue. Googled why it looks blue but it's a very scientific explanation which I don't understand (physics wasn't my strong point much to my dad's dismay 😉).
    After taking all the pics, and getting soaked, we got changed and went to sit in one of the lovely quiet bars with a coffee and a gin and tonic to do some crosswords. Are we showing our age??
    Had a chilled afternoon and then I went to the spa for a 75 min massage and facial - was quite painful to be honest, particularly down the sides of my legs and my lower back, which the therapist said was due to the tightness because of my knees. I've booked Mark in for an acupuncture session to try and ease his back.
    We'd booked dinner in one of the speciality restaurants, which you have to pay extra for, and the whole experience would have been lovely except I was starting to feel ever so slightly seasick 🤢. The sea was really choppy and the restaurant was right at the back of the boat, our table (apparently one of the best) looked out over the water. Had it been really calm this may have been amazing but looking at waves bouncing up and down in the dark wasn't any good for me and I struggled to enjoy the food.
    We'd wanted to go to the Abba singalong and dance but sadly I just wanted to lie down and take a sickness pill 😦. It did the trick anyway and I went straight to sleep. Happy days 😋    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 6

    Day 6 - Juneau

    September 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Whale watching boat trip in Juneau today 🐳. Lovely rainy day so we bundled up in waterproof jackets with our thermals underneath and headed off the ship. Entertaining bus driver to take us to the boat - a middle aged lady from California who said she comes to Alaska every season to do this job and has done for 19 years. Doesn't see her husband from May to October each year, maybe that's the secret to a happy marriage 🤔🤣.
    We did see about 3 humpback whales and a colony of sea lions but got very wet trying to take pics of whales who appear on the surface for about 2 seconds.
    The onboard naturalist was informative and we learned a lot about whales, which was interesting. Each whale has unique markings on its tail (or fluke) a bit like our fingerprints, so they can all be identified. They eat all summer in places like Alaska to build up blubber and then migrate to warmer places like Hawaii for the winter when they don't eat at all for a few months. Apparently most whales don't have teeth, but they have baleen plates which filter out the small fish (eg crill) as their throats are only the size of a grapefruit and they can't swallow large things. Fact of the day: if you end up in the mouth of one of these whales, don't worry, you'd be spat out again because you're too big to go down the throat ☺️.
    We were back on the ship about 4.30 so had a much needed drink to warm up and had a chat to a couple next to us about the Rockies. Mark went off for his acupuncture which he thinks helped ease his back a bit. May need more sessions once we're home....not at cruise prices hopefully!!
    Lovely dinner. The food onboard is very good and all the staff are so friendly and can't do enough for you. Can't fault the service at all.    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 7

    Day 7 - Ketchikan

    September 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Spent a chilled morning by the indoor pool and in the hot tub as we weren't docking in Ketchikan till 2pm. Could get used to this lifestyle ☺️.
    Once off the ship we had a quick browse in a couple of shops before joining our tour. We had a bus trip round the town with a running commentary from the driver. The towns in Alaska are like something from centuries ago, very quaint. We visited Saxman Totem Park and were told the history of some of the totem poles. Apparently they only have carvings of live creatures (humans or animals) and they all have different spiritual meanings or stories.
    After the bus tour we went to a Lumberjack Show which was entertaining if not a bit staged 🙂 🪚🪵. The audience was either on the Canadian team or the American team and had to shout for their own side as the lumberjacks took part in various competitions. It was good fun!
    Back onboard the ship we had a glass of wine before getting ready for dinner - Evening Chic dress code so posh frocks and smart shirts 👔👗.
    Sat in the bar and watched the ship's dancers perform to 60s music, followed by fellow passengers on the dance floor. Love people watching 😉.
    Can't believe we've only got one more day on the ship and our first week will be over 😔.    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 8

    Day 8 - last day on the ship

    September 23, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Sadly all good things come to an end. Our last day on the cruise 😔 and we were at sea so just chilled. Read my book, had a nap (cos we haven't had enough sleep this week 🤣🤣), and generally did absolutely nothing. It's been such a nice week and so relaxing - feel very rested and ready for the next two weeks of adventures.Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 9

    Day 9 - Vancouver

    September 24, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Woke up in the early hours and checked my phone to find that we are grandparents again ☺️. Rhia gave birth to a baby boy, Griffin Byron Whittaker, this morning at 6 o'clock (British time). Fabulous news, so happy for her and Sam. Needless to say we didn't get back to sleep for a while.
    Disembarked from the ship in Vancouver at 8.30 and everything was quick and easy. Left our luggage at the hotel (the same hotel as our first night - Auberge Vancouver) but couldn't get into our room so went off to explore Downtown. Had breakfast in a great bakery and then pottered around in Gastown. It might have been because it was Sunday but the vibe was very chilled and relaxed, not like a city, until we headed for Chinatown and suddenly we were in a really rundown district with loads of homeless down and outs and beggars.
    Walked back to the cruise terminal and carried on round the "sea wall" towards Stanley Park. It was a lovely sunny day so we hired bikes and cycled round the sea wall (basically the perimeter of Stanley Park and by the sea), and into the park. Cycled about 10k in all, it was really lovely.
    Got back to the hotel about 5.30 and got our room key...... wow! Wasn't expecting a suite but that's what we've got 👍. Lovely sitting area, kitchenette and massive bedroom and ensuite. It's amazing 😀. Popped 100 yards round the corner to The Lions Pub (very British) and had a quick evening meal and then got back to the room to chill for the rest of the evening.
    Really good day 😃    Read more

  • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
    Day 10

    Day 10 - Vancouver

    September 25, 2023 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Bit of a wet drizzly day so decided to go to Granville Island, which is renowned for its indoor public market. We walked there, which was a bit of a trek in the rain and involved going over a very long suspension-type bridge. Mark was freaking out (his irrational fear of bridges hasn't got any better 😦) so I had to "talk him" from one side to the other. Once there we went straight to a bar for a big glass of wine to calm Mark's nerves 🍷and then mooched around the market and the shops for a few hours. Amazing market with the most fabulous stalls selling meats, cheeses, fruit and veg, pastries - never seen such massive steaks (see pics).
    By 5pm my knees were aching so took the lazy way back to the hotel and grabbed a cab.
    Went to the hotel leisure club for a swim in the 25m pool - we actually swam 500m which I was quite impressed with 🏊‍♂️. We then sat in the hot tub (more of a pool than a tub) which was 40 degrees and absolutely wonderful for my poor aching legs. Felt so relaxed after! We made the most of our suite and stayed in for the evening with wine and cheese from Granville market.
    A really good day 😀    Read more

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