Author: Peter

Bear Neccesities As everyone who has spent some time in mountain wilderness knows, preparation will yield great pleasure and can even save lives. Poles Preparing for ‘four seasons in a few hours’ is a basic rule – proper trekking shoes

June 13-17 June Jasper We had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for Jasper and Banff for almost a month, anxious that our expectations for good weather might be misplaced. Arriving in Jasper, we were to learn that

11 – 13 June Au revoir Vancouver Our last night in Vancouver. A thoroughly nice city, open, friendly, fresh. We enjoyed all our activities, all our restaurant experiences. Time for a last evening meal, before we leave next day. Our

8-11 June Vancouver  We disembarked the Queen Elizabeth, with rucksacks on our backs at 9am. We were so speedy that we found ourselves on the street, outside the port terminal, before we’d got our bearings. When we arrived at the

June 5th-June 8th Sitka Our second port of call in Alaska was Sitka, a small town on Baranof Island, which was Russian until 1867. The town is five miles away from the cruise ship terminal, but we were able to

June 3-4th Seward After seven days at sea, we berthed at Seward, 60 degrees North in Alaska. We were looking forward to getting ashore, but first we had to queue for over one hour to get through US Border Control.

31 May- 2nd June International Date Line Since leaving Japan, the ship’s clock has moved forward one hour every day at noon until on 31 May (Day 1), we were 13 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Then at

31 May There is no shortage of activities should we choose to participate – the programme offerings stretch to three pages every day.  Musicians, including a harpist and pianists play in various locations, producing a genteel ambiance. Our activities have fallen

Wednesday May 31 We’ve read that the average cruiser gains between 1-2 pounds (1/2 to 1kg) per day on a cruise. We’re not surprised as it looks like you could eat practically all day from 6am until 9.30 pm, with

The Ship The temperature is plummeting. Wind is now ‘Stiff Gale’, wind speed 44 knots, though the sea is calm. Perhaps because of the great depth under us, 6,000m. It is misty, and the Queen Elizabeth is powering its way