ALASKA TRIP - MAY 2018 - A DAY IN KETCHIKAN - SATURDAY, MAY 12TH, 2018

You can learn more about this interesting city here.

I will add this on every post, just to let you know we have been back home since May 31st.  I am now sharing my journal of our holiday, which we took at the beginning of last month. You can click on the label below this post -  'Alaska Trip-May 2018' - if you would like to see the other posts written so far.

KETCHIKAN SATURDAY, MAY 12TH, 2018 - TODAY WE WALK AROUND KETCHIKAN 

8.09 a.m.  The ship has been in port since 7.00 a.m.  we will be having breakfast onboard and then are going ashore. 

4.17 p.m. The ship is underway, but we had a great walk around Ketchikan.  There were lots of jewelry shops, and if you lingered someone was out the door to whisk you inside.  There were also people at the doors hoping you would buy what they were selling.  I didn't waver, though I did enjoy looking in a few windows, this after I learned to look and just keep walking, taking photos on the fly, so that I could study the pretties later enlarged on the computer screen.  What can I say, I love looking at jewelry, even when I don't buy.

I looked in a few more windows.

The town was full of souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants.  

One really neat area of old-time buildings was called Creek Street. It was my favorite area.

There were wooden carvings and other sculptures.  

If ever I come here again I will be sure to visit when the salmon are running.  This river would be full of them normally, and there is a fish ladder you can watch them making their way up.

That's a cute print of the three cubs.

I cropped the photo so that you could get a closer look.

I liked this cute carving...

and this one. 

Here's another. It was right opposite the bear bench.

Very cute!

I have enough photos of this area to make another post sometime.  But this is all for now.

In the photo above that is a King Crab.  Gregg's sister and her husband went on a King Crab boat trip, and while we were out they sent us these two photos.  They were also shown a 7 lb. squid found in one of their crab pots. This is a regular occurrence.  Any squids caught are released well away from their pots, but they always make their way back, as they like the food used as bait for the crabs.  

We have become separated from our niece and nephew, and while Gregg went off to find them, I sat at a table in a small café, right across from where our ship is tied up.   Our other traveling companions/friends/sisters, came in momentarily as they bumped into Gregg just up the road. We talked for a while and then they left for the ship, which they had been heading to when they saw Gregg.  We told them we would be heading that way ourselves.  

Our niece's phone was working and she called.  We gave her directions to the café. They joined us and we hung around only long enough to drink my coffee, and Gregg his Frappuccino.  There were mermaids in various forms all over the café, this one a print on the wall.

We left and niece and nephew continued their walk. We got on board and so did they about an hour later.  The ship got under way on time, though I can't remember when that was.  If you ever missed it, then the responsibility of getting to the next port of call is up to you. They don't send out any boat taxi services, and yes I am smiling.  I am sure it has happened but it wasn't going to happen to us.

Getting on board was like going through security at the airport.  Metal detectors and putting coat and phone in a container to go through the x-ray machine.  As we reached security we showed them our room key, which as I mentioned before, acts like a credit card all over the ship when we need something; purchases, for food, that kind of thing.  In this case and very importantly, the young security guard scanned our card to identify us, our faces popped up and he said, “Welcome aboard Denise”, with a big cheery smile,  and the same to Gregg, and then to the next person in line.  

The staff on this ship is impressive and come from all over the world. They are warm, polite and friendly, and have to go through a tough hiring process.  They must also speak another language, and many speak multiple languages. 

Let's put another pretty flower on here. I took photos of these beauties on our walk.  Flowers always make me feel better when I look at them, and  I think I have a cold coming. My nose and throat are a bit tickly.  I just hope I don’t pass it on to anyone.  I don't worry about Gregg as he never catches a cold from me (and never did throughout this trip thank goodness).  Like in any other environment, I hear people coughing and sniffling on board. We are surrounded.  One thing I noticed first thing is that at every entrance at all the restaurants, and just about everywhere else, they have hand sanitizer pumps.  I have used them religiously but....well, here's another flower!

10.02 p.m. Gregg has gone topside to do some whale-watching. We have had a quiet time since returning from Ketchikan, and went out on the balcony.  Our niece and nephew were out on theirs (we have cabins next to each other). They had seen whales and seals.  We have loved watching the scenery go by. When leaving Ketchikan we saw Bald Eagles flying towards the trees, but too far away for photos. Their white heads and white tails are unmistakable.  (We had very little success taking photos of eagles on this trip BUT someone told us we need to go to Homer, further up north.  Now they tell us!  Nope, just go when the salmon are running!)  That's not an eagle in the photo below, it is a float plane.  Maybe I can hitch a ride to Homer.

As mentioned in a previous post, our Wi-Fi on the ship has been iffy, even in the computer area Gregg had a problem. When we got into Ketchikan it was a different story because our telephone company kicked in.  In fact, while we were in town my brother-in-law in Germany called me via FaceTime.  He thought he would have better luck calling me instead of his daughter.  He was able to chat with her, who was standing right next to me at the time. How great is that?  We were overlooking a river, and the connection was as clear as a bell. Our niece had a nice long chat with her Dad.  He was very happy as he had been trying to get in touch with little success. In one way it has been good to do without the internet but in another, when we are trying to keep in touch with family who are wanting to know how we are, it has been difficult.

11.00 p.m.    We are both about to call it a day.