Ju-neau, we just love Alaska

Hi, Welcome to Juneau, glad you are here, but there is no room, so you will have to tender….   There were five ships in port today. I did feel a touch of nostalgia as the Radiance of the Seas was one of the ships berthed. Ju-neau, I have never sailed on her, but I have certainly checked in a lot of people who have.  Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl, Star and Sun Princess made up the rest of the fleet in the harbour today.

It didn’t matter if you arrived today without a tour booked as there were lots of tour operator booths, all scouting for your business offering big discounts, especially if you turned up in a group.

We had a short tour of Juneau City already booked which also took us out to Mendenhall Glacier which is a short 30-minute drive away.  Ju-neau, glaciers, can’t get enough of them… we photographed  Mendenhall from every possible angle. So mesmerised that you could not stop taking photos of its beauty. Maps are provided showing the different tracks that lead you to vantage points for the spectacular views.  As time was limited we opted for the shortest one where both the Glacier and waterfall could be admired.  Once again it was the blue hues of the Glacier that were the star of the show.

A small track just off the carpark took you by a small stream where you could see the Salmon run, and if lucky enough, the odd bear may wander into view.  Unfortunately, we were there just a little too early.  As we boarded our bus to leave, a bear had nonchalantly crossed the road startling pedestrians that were walking past.  Making his way to the creek for a quick feed no doubt. 

 

Not a bear, but still cute

 A quick tour and history briefing of the city with a couple of photo opportunities made up the rest of the tour of this quaint little capital of Alaska.

Ju-neau, now I know why they coined the phrase “Alaska, the last frontier”.  With a feeling of stepping back in time, we walked the streets admiring the restored weatherboard buildings.  Definitely not the purpose they originally were built for, they now housed rows and rows of jewellery, souvenir, arts and craft stores.

It is always exciting when I happen to pass a Patchwork shop and with my favourite excuse “it’s a tax deduction,” I walked in to take a look.  As you can see there was a humorous and very apt display as we walked in …

Everyone tells us, “You can’t come here without a visit to the Red Dog Saloon.” Well, that is ok except when five ships worth of people are told this  and everyone turns up it is very hard to get past the swinging doors.  So instead we headed to another one of Juneau’s oldest hotels and had another har’ f of my favourite Alaskan White Ale.

When someone tells a joke, but Ju-neau it is really a dig, well here is a joke that was repeated at sail away by a couple who actually made it inside the Red Dog Swinging doors today….

The man playing piano yells out “Do you know the difference between a Canoe and an Australian?”

The Waitress’s reply: “Canoes Tip.“  Boom Boom……

And so it is “Sea La Vie” from the beautiful Sun Princess.