There was smooth sailing overnight, and we both awoke well rested. Sharon readied herself for mass, while John worked on finishing yesterday’s blog. He got mostly through it when he dressed to join Sharon in the Wajang Theatre; however, mass finished a bit early and we met at the staircase to the fourth deck. We went back to the stateroom, finished the blog, and posted our sea day adventures. We went up to breakfast in La Fontaine, and John ordered his almost-everything omelet and Sharon had French toast with bacon. Behind us we could hear people who were complaining about some of our ports of call. One gentleman was saying, we could do without Homer and Kodiak; also we should have skipped Icy Straights altogether, and you would have thought there wasn’t anything to see or ... read more

We had a morning arrival in Sitka, with rainy overcast skies, docking as we were having our breakfast. We turned in our RSVP for the Master Chef dinner this evening. John had the American breakfast, and HAL has proven that they know how to make eggs over medium, as they’ve been perfect every time they’ve been ordered. Sharon had her scrambled eggs and bacon, our short tour not being until after lunch. There are hints of blue in the far off skies, but they are also becoming increasingly gray. Though in point of fact, I don’t think we can complain about the weather on this cruise, it’s been pretty much perfect. We sat with a couple from Seattle, and a single lady and a single man. We had a relaxing morning, taking time to get a ... read more

Just Kidding! Just couldn’t come up with something with a “K” that applied. With a 6:30AM arrival in Kodiak Alaska, we were just rising, sleeping in a bit before our 11AM tour of Kodiak sites and Russian Tea. We had a leisurely breakfast, and John resumed his eggs benedict with sausage and potato cakes, and Sharon had a French toast. Our tablemates were a couple, the man had eaten lunch with us on the boat tour while the Amsterdam was docked in Anchorage (and after a bus ride thru the tunnel to Whittier) and his wife. His wife wasn’t on the earlier expedition, and he had alluded to her not feeling well, but Sharon and I were both surprised by her saying that 14 days on a cruise was too much and she was ready to ... read more

Huffin’ and Puffin’ in Homer John got adventurous and had the Dutch Breakfast, eggs sunny side up over Gouda cheese, a slice of ham and a thick slice of toast, but sausage and hashed browns were added to that. Sharon had French toast. We disembarked in Homer at 9:45AM, assembled ashore, and later walked to the pier where our boat The Discovery was berthed. All other tours were bussed by school busses. And then we saw “the ramp” down to the tour boat. We had received a letter with pictures warning people about the ramp so they could cancel the tour if they didn’t think they could navigate it. But they didn’t do what we saw justice. The ramp was a steep iron mesh walkway, with the right side with triangular bars added to prevent slipping. ... read more

Mass was at 8AM, this morning and we both made it on time hearing the sermon about the Immaculate Conception of Mary on this date. This was new to me, and even Sharon said she hadn’t heard this part of her faith until seven years ago, because she hadn’t been taught that as a child. For breakfast we both had the American Breakfast, mine with eggs over medium done exactly right with two potato cakes and sausage and sour dough toast, and Sharon with her scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and white toast. I got an iced tea instead of juice, but Sharon stuck with her apple juice. We had breakfast with another couple from North Carolina. We next made our way to morning bingo in our bath robes (to get the extra game card for the ... read more