MALAHAT SKYWALK

 ON AUG 9 myself and my sister ROSEMARY went to VICTORIA and went to see the MALAHAT SKYWALK wich is hour north of VICTORIA and has been opened for 4 years now . when we got to VICTORIA we boared a bus that took us from downtown victoria to the malahat skywalk wich i heard about on check tv news and the shuttle took us to the skywalk and only took us hour to get there when we got there we check in and got on to wooden walkway that took us all the way to the skywalk when we reach the skywalk it was very impresive looking tower to see and when we got on to the skywalk we went all the way to the top wich had great views of the MALAHAT and saanich inlet wich we could see BREANTWOOD BAY and all the way to the san juan islands and north to the gulf islands wich was amazing to see and the top of the skywalk was amazing to see to wich had intresting things like  a wooden eagle and slide wich goes from the 7th floor of the skywalk wich the skywalk is 10 floors high and on located on cliff wich i noticed . so after beeing on the top of the skywalk for a long time we heaed down to the base of the skywalk and headed  back to get the shuttle back to VICTORIA and on to home . the skywalk is worth seeing and amazing atraction on vancouver island  and having that shuttle that took us from downtown victoria to the skywalk made this trip worth taking and i recomed others see this skywalk it worth seeing on sunny day wich we had . for more info on the malahat skywalk go to there web site at www.malahatskywalk.com

NIEUW AMSTERDAM EXPEDITION

 ON JULY 7 myself and my sister ROSEMARY boared the NIEUW AMSTERDAM at WHIITER ALASKA and left for hubbard glaicer in YAKUTAT BAY . we left WHIITER at 7.45pm and on our way  out of WHITTER we went by PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND and saw were the tanker EXON VALDEZ ran aground in march 1989. but there was not lot to see inculding the town of VALDEZ in the disstance but it was intresting to see that part of ALASKA i have never seen before. the next morning we came into YAKUTAT BAY and onto HUBBARD GLACIER wich we did not come close to but a boat named ST .THEODOSIUS came and pick up some of our passengers and took them very close to the hubbard glacier but we did not pay for that but got good vieus of it and YAKUTAT BAY on our way out back in the gulf of alaska . the next day we came into GLACIER BAY and saw hupback whale near us and other wildlife and got close to the glacier at glacier bay wich we went to on our last cruise to alaska but has not change much in the last year we were there and glacier bay is worth seeing and very well protected  since it national park under the US PARK SERVICE . then atfer that we came to SKAGWAY and had to take a tender to get into town because of slide that happened next to the dock it was very crowded in the tender boat and it was intresting trip in it since i have never been in ships liferboat but it very short trip only took less 10 min to get to the other dock and back to the ship . wile we were there there were onther ships in town wich were the NORWEGIAN ENCORE and the SAPPHIRE PRINCESS wich were dock just across from us . wile we were on the NIEUW AMSTERDAM i got to look around the ship and see things that were intresting including the plaque of her beeing christing by the PRINCESS OF THE NETHERLANDS on july 4 2010 in ITLAY were she was built and other historcal things to do with the NIEUW AMSTERDAM wich is the 4 one built in the history of HOLLAND AMERICA LINE and other historcal photos of there ships long each deck of cabins wich was worth seeing. then after we left SKAGWAY we arived in JUNEAU and were only in town for only few hours because we been here many times seen ever thing but i was nice to see JUNEAU  and see if anything changed since we were a year ago but nothing has changed in this city from what saw . then after that we went onto KETCHIKAN were i got to see some ALASKA FERRIES wich one them was laid up wich was the COLUMBIA wich i rode on her from KETCHIKAN to BELLINGHAM WA in june 1999 wich was very intresting trip but since the ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY has been have financial problems in serveral years now there laid yp the COLUMBIA and her sister ship MATANUSKA too wich i saw her there in town that to bad the AMH has been having financial problems i hope the GOV of ALASKA get this shoreted out since the people  of ALASKA depend on the ALASKA MAINE HIGHWAY to get to were they need to go. the next day after we left KETCHIKAN we sailed south in hectate strait for VANCOUVER and just as we got close to PINE ISLAND the cruise ships CELEBRITY SOLSTICE and the BRILLANCE OF THE SEAS right behind us and followed all the way home to vancouver wich was great to see. when we passed PINE ISLAND at around 3.30pm the pilot came onboard from the pilot boat R.D RILEY and after he drop off the piolt for us they went onto the CELEBRITY SOLSTICE and the BRILLANCE OF THE SEAS wich we behind us . on the way to johnstone strait we passed a US cargo ship the COASTAL PROGRESS wich was on it way to ALASKA wich owened by COASTAL TRANSPORTION of SEATTLE wich use to see ads about them in shipping magainzes . then we entred johnston strait we came by two hupback whales and one came right up to the ship wich i have never seen one that close i was very big thing to see but the whale moved very quickly since he or she know there ship going by and had to get out of the way that pat of the coast you wil see whale and dolphins too wich i did further down johnstone strait and when we got just north of seymour narrows around  9.15pm i went to bed. the next morning we arvied in VANCOUVER wich was great to se were home and breakfast on the ship before we got off and headed for home overall the cruise on the NIEUW AMSTERDAM was worth doing because we got to see part of ALASKA we never seen and i got onther holland america ship wich had lot history of HOLLAND AMERICA and it home country of the NETHERLANDS  on this  ship and i found intresting so the cruise on the NIEUW AMSTERDAM was intresting and very ejoyable 

HOLLAND AMERICA 150 CRUISE

 ON JUNE 28 my sister ROSEMARY  and i went on ALASKA cruise from vancouver on the HOLLAND AMERICA ship VOLENDAM for a week. we left canada place at 3.45pm bound for JUNEAU and when we left i got to see english bay from a ship view and howe sound too . this cruise was to celebrate HOLLAND AMERICA 150 years in business . wile we were heading north i could see the SAPPHIRE PRINCEES right behind us i saw her behind us all the way until we got to DISCOVERY PASSAGE and it started to get very dark and showery a bit wile we were in DISCOVERY PASSAGE i got to see CAMPBELL RIVER and CAPE MUGE LIGHTHOUSE on QUADRA ISLAND . in DISCOVERY PASSAGE we passed the cruise ships SILVER MUSE and the VIKING ORION on there way to VANCOUVER after that i went to bed . the next morning i see we were in  HECATE STRAIT and to me that was very open water and times it got bit rough but the VOLENDAM handel it very well i could see HADIA GWAII in the distance and the inside passage to in the distance inculding going by GOSSE ISLAND . this was my first time going through HECATE STRAIT north bound the last time was wth my dad going from PRINCE RUPERT to SIKAGATE on the QUEEN OF PRINCE RUPERT in july 1996 . in HECATE STRAIT  there were lot  of humpback whales around and i saw one least 50 yards from us lot of my fellow passangers love seeing the whales it like a emergency when there you got to move fast to see them because they move fast too . wile in HECATE STRAIT  we passed few cruise ships heading south for VANCOUVER  or SEATTLE wich were long way off from us . on the ship i used the pool wich was good and had  all of  of our  meals were in a cafe stile cafeteria  system wich i realy like and lot of the passengers went to this cafe wich was called the LIDO MARKET and i found the food very good.  on june 30 we came into ALASKA and made a stop at TRACY ARM wich is inlet and cruise ship go to but we were not going there we made a short stop to drof off passengers onto a tour boat and they wil take the up TRACY ARM and onto JUNEAU but they were on differnt cruise with us this dit not inculed our cruise and we did not book for that tour so that was sperate from the cruise we were on but we got to see tracy arm from the entrance and worth seeing . after that we keep going on to JUNEAU and JUNEAU was not very far from TRACY ARM and i could see JUNEAU in the distance it was very rainng  there but it always rains in alaska. when we got to JUNEAU we were booked for tour to MENDENHALL GLACIER wich we went on to a tour bus and i have been to JUNEAU and MENDENHALL GLACIER before but this time the glacier is shirking and not much to see from that but on this trip we went to the falls next to the glacier wich was named NUGGET FALLS wich i never been to before wich got very close to the falls and was intresting to see. when the bus arived to pick us up from MENDENHALL GLACIER the tour  person toook us to onther part of JUNEAU named DOUGLAS wich is just on the onther side of town like suburb of JUNEAU there not much to see there so we just made short stop there and back to downtown JUNEAU . wile were in downtown JUNEAU we went to the shops and looked around and our dinner in town before we went back to our ship . we left JUNEAU at 10pm and heaed for SKAGWAY . the next morning july 1 we arived in SKAGWAY and we were booked onto the WHITE PASS train wich to us the the summit of WHITE PASS but before that we walked all over skgaway main street were lot of the  stores are and from what could see this town has not  changed a lot to but the train wich was was here last time i was here  in june 1999 and has not changed much either  . so after we walked around town we boared our train to the white pass summit and i have been on this train twice before so i know what is like and stil amazing to see it was trip that took only less then three hours wich was great and got to see a view of SKAGWAY from the top of the white pass. when we got back to skagway from the white pass summit we went back to our ship and  called it a day . on july 2 we wet to GLACIER BAY wich i have never been  to before and it worth seening we got up very close to the glacier and was great to see GLACIER BAY is a  US NATIONAL PARK and had a park expert on board telling us about glacier bay and its history  from the top of GLACER BAY we went to see onther glacier in the lower part of the bay named john hopkins glacier but we were not as close to this one has the one at the top of glacier bay but overal i realy like seening GLACIER BAY and it worth seening and kept in great shape and very well protected . then from there we heaed south for KETCHIKAN wich we arived the next morning on july 3  wile on our way into KETCHIKAN wich passed lighthouse on GUARD ISLAND and saw some ALASKA STATE ferries in the ship yard wich i knew two of them wich were the KENNICOT and MATANUSKA wich i have been on both of them on my travles in ALASKA in 1998 and 1999 . wile we were in KETCHIKAN we walked to creek street wich is a creek going by some old buildings and is very historic part of KETCHIKAN so every time i go to KETCHIKAN i like to go to creek street wich we did and after that we kept going all over KETCHIKAN wich was  sunny wile we were there wich was great to see  after we went to lot of the shops in town we went back to our ship we left KETCHIKAN at 6pm and heaed for vancouver . the next day july 4 we got to PINE ISLAND and had coast pilot boared us for the return home to vancouver i was happy to see pine island and the lighthouse wich was hit  by a big wave in feb 1969 but stil in operation today after we went by PINE ISLAND  we got to JOHNSTONE STRAIT and was great to see and on to SEYMOUR NARROWS wich i have been through there before but not cruise ship wich was great got too se lot of SEYMOUR NARROWS  and a  great view of CAMPBELL RIVER wich was between 7.30-8pm and was stil sunny at that time then after seening all that i went to bed . the next morning we arived in VANCOUVER at 6.30am and got up had our breakfast on the ship then afterwards got our  things together and got off the VOLENDAM cleared customs and went home  overal i like my time on the VOLENDAM and this was my first cruise to ALASKA and my first cruise on HOLLAND AMERICA wich i realy liked and onboard this ship had lot of history of this ship and the history of THE NETHERLANDS wich this ship and company is from wich they like to show proudly so we had great time on the VOLENDAM and meet lot people  from the USA and the UK and some from CANADA  wich was great to see it was worth doing this cruise since it was HOLLAND AMERICA 150 clebrations in 2023