Disney Crusie to Alaska - More Seattle

Walking back to the waterfront from Pike's Market we stumbled upon Post Alley and this...

 

It's chewing gum stuck all over the outside of this building.  Apparently this "gum wall" is a famous landmark in Seattle:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall.  This is so gross and so cool at the same time. 

Disney Cruise to Alaska - Before the Cruise in Seattle

We decided to fly into Seattle and drive up to Vancouver which saved us enough money to almost cover the cost of our shore excursions. Since we had never been to Seattle we arrived a day early and stayed at the Maxwell Hotel near the Space Needle. Here's my review on TripAdvisor.   I will definitely stay here again on future visits. During our short visit to Seattle we took the hotel's free shuttle to the waterfront near Pikes Place Market.

The market was filled with vendors selling mostly seafood and flowers with craft vendors sprinkled in between.

Crab and Shrimp!

We stopped at a Starbuck's (102 Pike St) across the street from the market thinking it was the original but it wasn't. After finishing our drinks we meandered around the corner and found the original store (1912 Pike Place)with a long line out the door. I'm glad I didn't have to wait that long for my Frappuccino.

After shopping we stopped at the Hard Rock Café for a drink then headed over to Fisherman's Restaurant on Pier 57 for dinner. This seemed appropriate after seeing all that seafood at the market. The food was delicious. We shopped a little more after dinner.

I discovered my new favorite store, Pirates Plunder. This place is pirate heaven.

Then we headed back to the hotel to rest before our big drive to Vancouver the next day.

Disney Cruise to Alaska

We recently returned home from a Disney cruise to Alaska.  It was wonderful.  It seemed like land was visible during most of our daylight sailing hours and most of it was so pristine.

 

I'm so glad we went.  I was reluctant at first.  Alaska was one of those must see places on my bucket list, but it seemed like one of those places I should visit when I'm "older" after I've been to all the exotic destinations.  Plus trying to decide when and where to visit was a daunting task.  There are so many places to see and things to do, we knew it wouldn't be possible to see it all in just one trip.  It was difficult to decide where to start and how much could realistically fit in one trip so we put it on the back burner.  And then it happened, the first trip to Alaska presented itself to us. 

Two years ago we took our first Disney cruise to the Bahamas on their new ship Disney Dream.  The best description for the ship itself is whimsical elegance.  It has the look of the classic cruise ships infused with everything that makes Disney so magical.  We spent the first day exploring the ship.  We had so much fun, that at the end of this first night, we looked at each other and said, "If we're going to see Alaska someday, let's do it with Disney!". There it was, the solution we were looking for was all around us.  The next morning we went to the future cruise desk and booked our Alaskan cruise.  The cruise we selected sailed the Inner Passage from Vancouver to Tracy Arm Fjord, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, then back to Vancouver.

 

Stay tuned for more....

Capilano Suspension Bridge

We just visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge north of Vancouver, BC Canada.   Here are some great images that show how incredible this place is: http://www.springadvertising.com/capilano/kiosk/images/bg/treetops.jpg.

Good Eats at ORD

Almost every time I depart for a trip I stop for a torta at Tortas by Frontera.  Egg and Chorizo Torta is my favorite but make sure you plan in the extra 10 minutes it will take them to make it.  If you don't have time to spare, try the mollettes, also delicious.

Packing

I was just reading an article in National Geographic Traveler magazine February-March 2013 issue titled, "Excess Baggage".  It's a short article and gave some great tips on packing.

Weeks before departing for a trip I start thinking about what to pack.  Okay, its more like obsessing.  I remember my first trip to China.  I was going to Beijing for 3 weeks on business.  I took 2 suitcases and a carry-on bag.  The next trip I took 1 suitcase, one carry-on roller-board and a wheeled briefcase. My load on the departure was lighter than the first trip but then I had to buy a suitcase in Beijing to accommodate all the treasures I purchased.

Now I start planning what to pack a couple days before a departure.  Regardless of the purpose of the trip, I try to limit my wardrobe to items that are versatile for daily wear or dressing up.  Knowing whether laundry facilities will be available or not also helps with packing for trips more than a few days.

I've also learned that you can only plan for what you know.  My most recent travels took me to Malaysia and China.  I knew the weather in each location I would visit and my planned activities.  I knew Malaysia would be hot (somewhere in the 80 Degrees Fahrenheit range) and Chengdu, China would be much cooler (somewhere in the 40 Degree F Range).  The key for this situation was layers, simple long sleeve tops accessorized with a scarf.  During this trip, most of my planning paid off.  Malaysia turned out to be hotter than expected.  Chengdu was exactly as expected.  I had not originally planned to venture out of the airport in Beijing before my return flight home, but our plans changed at the last minute and the temperature in Beijing was 20 degrees F.  Luckily I purchased a sweatshirt in Chengdu which  came in very handy walking around the Forbidden City (that's another topic all together).  There's only so much you can plan for, the rest you have to improvise.

Nice Knockers

I started noticing door knockers on my travels in China and then later while visiting Europe.   I had seen them on doors at Buddhist Temples.  It wasn't until I was visiting the water town of Wuzhen where I started paying more attention to them.  The following three photos were taken of knockers on doors in traditional chinese houses.  I just love their faces.  On this same trip, I spent a couple days in Shanghai before returning home and was delighted to find a couple stalls outside Yu Yuan Gardens selling knockers! 


Photo taken in Wuzhen

 


Photo taken in Wuzhen




Photo taken in Wuzhen

 

 

We found this knocker below while exploring the old city in Barcelona, Spain.  You have to look closely at the center to see the little face.

 

 

The remaining knockers were found when we visited the ancient walled city Mdina on the Island of Malta.  Who knew there were so many different kinds of knockers.

I think I've seen this one in a couple Disney movies.