All posts by neighbourmark

Our Ratings, USA, World

Northern Exposure

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We rose early on Wednesday and reported to our departure lounge ready for our 06.25 disembarkation. The port of Whittier was grey and foggy and the rain was pouring down, fortunately the Alaskans know how to deal with these conditions and we followed a covered walkway across the quayside to our waiting train. The trip to Mt McKinley Lodge took about 6 hours, the first five were in a glass domed railway carriage which gave us a great view of the Alaskan landscape as we headed inland and north. We were sharing a table with a couple from the Midwest who, like everybody else wanted to talk about Brexit, and after that to find out what we think about Donald Trump!!

Santa
Santa’s little helper!

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USA, World

North to Alaska…

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IP 1
Island Princess In Juno

We boarded The Island Princess at Canada Place and looked down from the deck to people watching from the spot where we had stood three days earlier. The weather was glorious and the seaplanes were buzzing around the harbour as we prepared to set sail. We left Vancouver sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge which provided a nice symmetry to our arrival in New York under the Verrazano Narrows bridge three weeks ago (can it only be three weeks?). Continue reading North to Alaska… →

Canada, World

A step back in time

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Some of you might be aware that my family spent a year in Vancouver in 1970, I had my 8th Birthday in Canada. We moved here from here Isle of Wight, as a child I just took that in my stride but looking back now I can see what a huge step that was for the family. Now, being back in Vancouver 46 years later I was keen to find our old house and the school that Carl and I attended.

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Canada, World

Vancouver

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Van 1
Vancouver with Boots

We are starting to get complaints that we aren’t posting often enough (!) so in an attempt to catch up, and before we lose our internet connection for a week here are our thoughts on Vancouver…

Wow, what a beautiful city. Vancouver is built on a peninsula between the Burrard Inlet and English Bay. Our hotel is on Denman Street in the West End, a block from Stanley Park and running almost North-South with water at each end – idyllic. Across the Inlet is North Vancouver with its three mountains, Cypress, Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour, they are covered in forest and look fantastic against the clear blue skies.

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Canada, World

The Cascades Train Seattle to Vancouver

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The rail trip up to Vancouver was fantastic, it followed the coast, hugging the shoreline most of the way up and we saw eagles and very large herons a plenty. The journey took four hours but did not feel like it, there was so much to see in perfect weather conditions. On arrival the Canadians let us through immigration and we got a taxi to the Times Square Apartments near Stanley Park. We have got a self-catering studio apartment, it is just what we need after 4 weeks of hotel rooms and restaurants it is a place where we can relax, do our own thing, do our laundry!!

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I wonder what Vancouver has to offer….