Tag Archives: cruise

September 5, 2012 · 12:00 am

After Skagway—Spending the Day Cruising Glacier Bay


One never gets tired of traversing Glacier Bay.  It’s just that beautiful and awe-inspiring.  And on this voyage we were treated to some spectacular examples of glacial calving at Margerie Glacier.  As you stand on the deck of the ship, you usually hear the crack of the ice before you see the ice falling into the water unless you’re fortunate enough to be looking at the precise location of the calving event.  If you hear first, the main spectacle is already well underway by the time you see it.  That makes capturing the event in a photograph very tricky indeed.

While calving may be the most dynamic sight at Margerie Glacier, it’s the intense blue of the glacial ice that makes for some of the most impressive images.  The closeup images below have not been saturated, so that’s the true color.

Also impressive, but not as approachable, is the John Hopkins Glacier.  Closest approach is about two miles because of the large chunks of ice that continually break off the sheer face of this advancing behemoth.  But, while ships must keep their distance, that does not detract from the surrounding majesty of the mountains and the odd, cloudy green water of the John Hopkins Inlet, caused by the rock flour suspended in the water.

Photographically speaking, Glacier Bay is a treasure.  Hone your panoramic stitching skills before making the journey.  Realize that closeup shots of snow-covered mountains and blue-white glacial ice mean that exposure compensation is in order.  Most of the glacier shots you see below were made by increasing exposure by ⅔ of a stop.  Also, you may want to set white balance manually to make sure you capture correctly the intense blue of the glacial ice.

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August 20, 2012 · 6:00 am

Catching the MS Statendam to Alaska


Our latest travel excursion began on Saturday, August 12, with a flight to SeaTac International Airport.  One of the neat things about SeaTac is all the aviation history hanging from the ceiling, such as Voyager.  Voyager (N269VA) was the first aircraft to fly nonstop and unrefueled around the world.  Voyager was designed by aeronautical genius Dick Rutan, and flown by Dick’s brother Burt Rutan and Jeannie Yeager.  Having contributed to the project many years ago, I still have a large, framed picture of Voyager autographed by both Rutans and Yeager.

After a night at a nearby hotel, we went back to SeaTac the following morning to catch the Quick Shuttle to Vancouver, British Columbia.  The Quick Shuttle is a marvelous way to get from SeaTac to Vancouver because not only do you get spectacular scenery along the way, you also get WiFi the whole trip.  Not bad for only $53 a person.

At the border we braved the daunting Canadian Customs.  Canadian Customs did their usual thorough job of diligently checking to make certain that no one dared smuggle into Canada untaxed booze.  After all, heaven forbid that a bottle of Canadian Club fall into the wrong hands priced approximately one-third of what one must pay in the country of origin.

Our bus snaked its way through the winding streets of Vancouver to the Canada Place cruise terminal.  Canada Place has some really unique architecture, with huge sail-like structures jutting into the blue Canadian sky from atop the terminal roof.

Following a brief hike through Canada Place we made our way across the gangway to our home for the next seven nights—Holland America’s MS Statendam.  Yes, this is a near repeat of our trip of last year, but this time we were reversing the course and the weather would be much, much better.  As such, the photography this trip far exceeded the results of the previous year’s voyage.

The official start of any trip out of Vancouver’s Canada Place rightfully begins when you pass beneath the Lion’s Gate bridge.  Oh, and don’t forget the lifeboat drill.

So, for the next several blog entries, sit back and enjoy a pictorial guide through the Alaskan wilderness, old frontier towns, whale watching, death-defying tramway travel, quaint steamboat rides, and other exciting adventures.

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April 30, 2012 · 5:43 am

In Bruges—Part 1


Continuing on with our transatlantic cruise from earlier this month, this week we’ll take a look at one of the most picturesque cities I’ve ever encountered.  Following our landing upon the Invasion Beaches of Normandy, we continued on from Northern France to the port city of Zeebrugge, Belgium.  We gathered off the ship with our Cruise Critic group for a taxi and self-guided tour of Bruges.

If you’ve not seen the movie In Bruges, and if you enjoy dark comedy, you simply must view this film.  If you enjoy beautiful scenery, you simply must view it.  If you enjoy great acting, you simply must view it.  If you enjoy irony, you simply must view it.  In short, In Bruges is simply a must-view film on many different levels.  And, while Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson may have gotten top billing, it’s the scenery of Bruges that really stars in this film.

How picturesque is this place?  Well, I got enough really great photographs that we’ll be exploring the beauty of Bruges in all three of this week’s scheduled blogs.

The city center of Bruges is a town architecturally frozen in time—a UNESCO World Heritage Site loaded with medieval architecture.  When you plan your trip bring comfortable shoes, an umbrella (the weather changed on us every fifteen minutes, it seemed), a couple of cameras, and lots of spare camera batteries.

Here is just a sample of what you’ll find awaiting you:

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