My husband and I just returned from a Viking cruise on the Viking Orion through the Alaska Inside Passage. We started the cruise in Seward, Alaska, and ended in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a beautiful trip, with breathtaking scenery every time I looked around.
Much of the land looked the same as what I see in the Seattle area, but more so. Bigger. More extreme.
We have the Cascades and the Olympics in Washington State, but the Coast Mountains in Alaska rose straight from the water to rugged snow-covered peaks. We have evergreen forests and waterfalls in Washington State, but every mountainside in Alaska sported cascades descending the steep hills. There are a few glaciers still in Washington State, but Alaska has more and bigger glaciers, many descending all the way to the ocean, though most of the Alaskan glaciers, too, are receding.
Here are some of my favorite images from the voyage and our shore excursions.
There was a sameness to a lot of the scenery, but it was still stunning. Too many beautiful views to capture them all in photographs.
Here are a few pictures of the glaciers we saw:
The scenery was not all the cruise had to offer. The crew took excellent care of us. We ate well, with impeccable service from all departments on the ship. My husband and his friend (both Navy Reserve captains) even managed to get a tour of the bridge.
We learned a little about Alaskan Native culture, including the stories told by totem poles and the storytelling traditions of the local tribes. The sunlit totem pole in this image is tells one story, and the shaded pole is a memorial pole for a wealthy man.
I’d always wanted to go to Alaska, and now I’ve been. I only saw a corner of it, but it was well worth it. There is so much more to see of the interior and northern regions of Alaska that I doubt I will ever see.
And I don’t think I want to experience an Alaskan winter! We had beautiful weather for most of our cruise, and the bright sun and blue water are how I want to remember the state.
Now, the only U.S. state I have not been in is North Dakota. I wonder if a trip to that state is in my future, though I doubt it will be as memorable as this Alaskan journey.
What was the last memorable trip you took?
Beuuutiful pictures Theresa! You’re a great photographer as well as a writer. Alaska is on my bucket list.
Thanks, Ginger. I do a lot of cropping and straightening on my pictures. Alaska should be on everyone’s bucket list. Theresa
My last memorable trip was 2 days at a monastery I wanted to visit, but the actual memorable holidays were in 2022, Greece, Halkidiki. (The three-fingered peninsula below Thessaloniki, one of the extreme fingers being Mount Athos),
Marina, both the monastery and Halkidiki sound like wonderful places to visit.
Theresa
My last most memorable trip was Alaska. I was able to take a week long cruise and then spend two weeks on land with my roommate from college. It was so stunning and I felt like I needed a spinning head to take in all the beauty. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Alaska. I would love to go again sometime!
Robin,
I had the same reaction — stunning. I’m glad you got to make the trip with your friend.
Theresa
I had the opportunity to visit Alaska twice. The first time was with my brother and sister-in-law and we took a ferry to Ketchikan then flew from Juneau to Anchorage. My brother had back issues and flew home after we arrived in Anchorage to visit our cousin. So my cousin and sister-in-law continued our vacation camping in Denali National Park and Homer, Alaska. Camping was so cold in Denali we tried to attach socks to our ears to sleep. It was also where I started my coffee drinking habit. Later my husband and I went on a small boat cruise allowing us to kayak in the Inside Passage seeing bears feeding on salmon. Alaska is breathtaking beautiful. So happy you enjoyed as well.
Maggi,
You were much more adventurous than we were! No camping. No kayaking. Just the cruise ship and tame shore excursions. A decade ago, I think we would have done more, but not now.
Theresa
looks wonderful!
I think my most favorite cruise was from Ontario, Canada around to Nova Scotia and down the east coast to New York City. It was the last cruise we had, my husband and I.
Sally,
Nova Scotia is a place I’d like to visit. I remember you going on that trip, and I’m glad it brings back good memories.
Theresa