Resurrection Bay, Alaska

Add Resurrection Bay, Alaska To Your Itinerary

Dolphins dart in and out of the waves as they keep pace with the boat, sea lions bask on the rocks along the shoreline while seabirds circle in the sky and nest in the crevices of the nearby cliffs by the thousands. Sightings include Otters, Bald Eagles, Osprey, Puffins, Dahl Sheep, an occasional Bear or Moose and even a whale or two as the excursion boats cruise on into the waters of Resurrection Bay, Alaska.

As the excursion boats leave and cruise out into Resurrection Bay the first thing you’ll realize is just how wild and remote this corner of the world is. The area covered by the bay is some twenty-five miles long and six miles wide and with the exception of the town of Seward itself, there are no signs that man has touched this region at all and the wildlife is everywhere. On shore, in the water and filling the sky the whole bay is simply alive.

Seward is also home to several of Alaska’s favorite destinations that include:

The Alaska SeaLife Center which is the state’s only public aquarium combining the aquarium with marine research and education as well as wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Visitors experience the ‘windows to the sea’ with close encounters with puffins, octopus, sea lions, and other marine life.

Kenai Fjords National Park, described by National Geographic as “the essence of coastal Alaska” a place where Mountains, Ice, and Ocean Meet. Only a short trip out of Seward at the edge of the Kenai Peninsula is a land where the ice age lingers with almost forty glaciers flowing down from the Harding Icefield, the Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests around this vast expanse of ice

Whale Watching cruises through Kenai Fjords National Park and up the areas coastal waters is one of the best locations to see whales in Alaska. Local captains are experts at spotting and safely navigating near these incredible mammals, offering a unique experience to observe them up close. The best times to see specific whales varies by season:

  • Orca Whale May to June
  • Gray Whale – March-May
  • Humpback Whale May-August
  • Fin, or Finback Whale, are the second-largest mammals May -September

Visiting Seward and Resurrection Bay

Seward is the Alaska port where cruise ships embark and disembark passengers catching the Alaska Railroad stopping in Anchorage and Denali National Park and Fairbanks. While Denali is the premier Alaska destination, Resurrection Bay offers probably the best opportunity to experience Alaska wildlife up close. So regardless of what your Alaska travel plans may include, do not miss an opportunity to spend time on Resurrection Bay.

A majority of the visitors that come to Seward are there for the train trip to Denali and arrive (or leave) on cruise ships. Many cruise lines offer combination fares that include an Alaska cruise and an Alaska Railroad trip to Denali. Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity operate observation dome railcars in Alaska with several different individual cruise line dome cars added to the Alaska Railroad trains.

Before booking that combination consider the options of making the Denali trip a separate booking*. That would allow you to spend more time in Seward with a number of good hotels available in town. It also provides the option to spend some time in a number of other Alaska towns on your trip. There are also a number of tour operators that provide booking on the Alaska railroad including the railroad itself.

*Before you make your plans it is important to make sure that your land tour includes admission to Denali National Park. Entrance to the park is very controlled and on your own you will have to make reservations with the Park Service months in advance. Admission is usually included with most land tours.

Coffee in Rüdesheim, Germany

East of Frankfurt on the Rhein River is the very picturesque town of Rüdesheim Germany with a local hot coffee drink that has helped make the town famous.

Rüdesheim am Rhein in the heart of Rhine wine country is a town that has become maybe too cute for words. A favorite day trip destination for area Germans, its streets are packed with cafes, restaurants and gift shops. The town is also famous for its local brandy and Rudesheimer Coffee. The center of the cafe district is Drosselgasse, a walking passage that takes you past wine gardens, shops, restaurants and cafes.

The fortunes of the town are indebted to a local distiller. In 1892 Hugo Asbach opened the company Asbach & Co. in Rüdesheim. He created a brandy giving it his name and it remains as popular in Germany today as it was in the late nineteenth century. In 1937 the company coined a marketing slogan that added to the fortunes of the brand, “The spirit of wine is in Asbach”.

in 1957 Rudesheimer Coffee was created, a popular coffee drink with Asbach and cream that has become the signature drink in the town and is served in every good Café. Similar to Irish Coffee it is the perfect hot drink for the winter months and special occasions. There is even a signature shaped cup that’s supposed to be used with this concoction.

Recipe for Rudesheimer Coffee

Ingredients

  • 1.5 ounces Asbach Uralt Brandy
  • 3 cubes of sugar
  • Hot coffee (regular or decaf)
  • Whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar
  • Grated milk chocolate

Instructions

  • – Warm the brandy by using a double boiler or very low flame in a pan. Do not bring to a boil!.
  • – Place 2-3 cubes of sugar in an original Rudesheimer Coffee cup, and pour over the heated Asbach and light it by using a long match.
  • – Stir with a long-handled spoon to dissolve the sugar completely.
  • – Let it burn for about 1 minute, then pour in hot coffee to about 1 inch below the rim.
  • – Top off with freshly whipped cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate or dust with cocoa.

Don’t have any Asbach Brandy (it’s not available in the U.S.) or the proper cup? We wouldn’t let that get in the way because this recipe is a good challenger to Irish Coffee. Substitute any good brandy and a tall mug, but follow the recipe.

Repositioning Cruises, A Cruising Opportunity

In the early days most ocean liners were luxury transportation getting people from one part of the world to another. Trans-Atlantic cruises were the most common but there were routes covering the entire globe. Now cruise ships are a whole lot more than just transportation and they have seasons where they run itineraries around the world’s popular regions.

A repositioning cruise traditionally is when a cruise company needs to move their ships from one seasonal location to another. Winter is cruising season in the Caribbean while Europe is a Summer market. For that reason dozens of cruise ships head out across the Atlantic every Spring and return in the Fall. These Atlantic crossings are by-far the most common repositioning cruises but there are also other repositioning cruises. They include Fall Alaska cruises leaving to take ships back to the Caribbean or out across the Pacific. Another opportunity is a late Summer reposition movement down to South America and cruising back north in the Spring.

Just a decade or two ago these cruises were tremendous bargains with 12 to 15 night cruises going for fares of four or five hundred dollars per passenger. While those days are gone they are still less expensive than most other cruises. The down side was that you would spend seven to nine straight days at sea. The up side was that the ships provided the same entertainment, the same great cuisine and the same attentive service. Additionally most of these cruises also provide a port of call or two at each end of the cruise.

Lately, as cruising gets more popular and more people become frequent cruisers the ships have less trouble filling these repositioning cruise cabins and the pricing has regularly adjusted upward as a result. Even so, if it’s the cruise experience you enjoy these cruises are still a good value considering the length of the cruise relative to price.

Royal Caribbean at anchor Grand Cayman

In addition to the value these cruises offer, some cruise lines will add additional programs for passengers to add something extra to those sea days. They can range from classes and demonstrations to lectures on a number of topics taking advantage of college professors, art historians, archaeologist, naturalists and adventure travelers and explorers.

If you love cruising and are looking for new cruise opportunities, take some time and explore repositioning cruises.

Port of Call Montevideo, Uruguay

A Day in the Port of Montevideo

Tucked in between Brazil and Argentina along the South American coast is the county of Uruguay. Its capital and major port is the city of Montevideo where over half of the countries population of three million live. A frequent port on many South American cruise itineraries the city is located near where the Rio de la Plata flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It is two-hundred fifty miles down river and east of Buenos Aries.

Where You Dock

Cruise ships normally dock at the Terminal Puerto De Montevideo which sits at the tip of a peninsula which covers most of the Tres Cruces barrio. A barrio is neighbourhood or district and Tres Cruces means “three crossings”, referring to the three major transportation routes which meet in the area. The port is well developed but does not offer a terminal adjacent to the pier. However only a couple of blocks outside the port is a shopping district and public restrooms are available in the Port Market*.

Transportation

While Montevideo is a large metropolitan area, Tres Cruces is the heart of the historic city with most of the sites within walking distance. Getting outside this area usually requires a taxi. While Taxis are common they are not cheap as gasoline is expensive here. A majority of drivers only speak Spanish so be prepared with written names of your destination. Expect to pay about UYU100 for a ten minute ride. Tipping is not usual, but rounding up is common.

Getting To and From the Airport. A shuttle is available between the airport and downtown for about UYS 800/950 or US$45. A taxi should cost about UYU 1500 or US$70.

Currency

Currently a Uruguay Peso (UYU) is worth about US$0.03. Most merchants in popular tourist areas will accept Dollars and Euros and most major credit cards can be used. If using currency expect small change to be in Uruguay Pesos.

Attractions

Just outside the port is The Port Market. Outside are street stalls and local shops and inside the main pavilion is a collection of cafes, bars and restaurants. The area is particularly famous for its steak houses.

Within the Tres Cruces area are a number of attractions like:

  • Locks Fountain at Av. 18 de Julio
  • Ramírez Beach, a wide sand beach & popular hangout
  • Galeria SOA, Candombe pedestrian Curuguaty
  • Palacio Diaz at Av. 18 de Julio
  • Ciudadela at Av. Intendente Municipal Juan Pedro Fabini
  • Fountain Plaza Cagancha at Dr. Enrique Tarigo
  • Galería Caubarrere Convención at Restos de la muralla de la Ciudadela at Buenos Aires
  • Mausoleo de José Gervasio Artigas at Prócer de los Orientales
  • Monument at Plaza Independencia
  • The Black Gallery Arte Contemporáneo at Calle Perez Castellano
  • Palacio Santos at Av. 18 de Julio
  • Monumento a Atilio Narancio
  • Palmera de Juana de Ibarbourou at Manuel Vicente Pagola

Pledging Undying Love with Love Locks

Wurzburg, Germany

Love Locks – A Statement of Love or Vandalism?

A SHORT STORY

We were never aware of love locks before about fifteen years ago but recently as we travel we often come across collections of padlocks attached to bridges and other public structures. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what was going on by all the couples names engraved on the locks. But in the last five years or so it is becoming difficult to not notice these collections, they’re popping up everywhere.

The practice isn’t new but was virtually unheard of outside of a few cities, mostly in Eastern Europe. Early in the twenty-first century the practice has exploded worldwide. A love lock is a padlock which lovers lock to a bridge, fence, gate or monument to symbolize their eternal love. In recent years the lovers’ names or initials, and the date, are engraved on the padlock, and its key is thrown away usually into the river under the bridge to symbolize unbreakable love.

This simple and romantic practice seems innocent but more and more being treated by authorities as litter or vandalism, and there is becoming serious cost associated with damage and their removal. We’ve been told that there are places where authorities are embracing them as a tourist attractions.

Paris

A little research will show that love padlocks date back at least 100 years to a Serbian tale of World War I, about the bridge Most Ljubavi or the Bridge of Love in the town of Vrnjačka Banja. A local schoolmistress named Nada, who was from Vrnjačka Banja, fell in love with a Serbian officer named Relja. He went off to war in Greece, where he fell in love with a woman from Corfu. Heart broken Nada broke off their engagement and after some time died from heartbreak. As the tragic love story circulated young women from Vrnjačka Banja wanted to protect their love and started writing down their names, with the names of their loves, on padlocks and attached them to the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet.

Savannah, Georgia
Ha’penny Bridge, Dublin

In Dublin there is a famous pedestrian bridge called the Ha’penny Bridge. It is one of the more famous symbols of Dublin. Nearly 200 years old (1816) it is a protected structure, but in recent years Dublin City Council have had to remove thousands of padlocks from the bridge on a regular basis. They are considered unsightly and are causing damage by chipping paint and adding considerable weight to the historic bridge. Engineers have estimated that at some point, if not removed, they could cause the bridge to collapse.

While the key to many a heart now lies at the bottom of the River Liffey where couples in love have thrown them after securing their love locks to Dublin’s historic Ha’penny Bridge, a group is dedicated to breaking that bond. Almost as soon as the lovers have left, an expert lock-picking group arrives to tear these bonds of love apart and stop the locks from making the bridge structurally unsafe.

River walk Wurzburg, Germany

“It’s a fairly constant churn,” said Seán Nicholls, who set up the group when he was on his way to a professional lock-picking meeting. “I was heading to the meeting one day and I walked over the Ha’penny Bridge and noticed all the locks. In my mind it was defacing a city treasure. That’s kind of where the idea came from,” he said.

Dublin City Council embraced the group in the aftermath of a love-lock situation in Paris where the locks caused a section of the Pont des Arts bridge to collapse.

Just recently the practice has come to America and is growing in Savannah, Boston and a number of other cities. Since a number of locksmiths are now offering professional engraving on their padlocks the practice is likely to grow even more.

Ha’penny Bridge, Dublin
Savannah

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