Mrs. Fine’s Travel Blog

As you can see, I changed my header for this blog. This was taken yesterday by our friends, Kathy and Mike, who are traveling with us. It was taken at Trafalgar Square.

Here’s a recap of our journey so far:

We arrived in London after about a 12 hour trip (Bham-Atlanta-Heathrow) which means we flew over night for us, but arrived at noon London time. A little weary but excited, we went to baggage claim and the first bag off was mine. Unfortunately, after waiting for ALL the bags and confirming they were all unloaded, we discovered Ron’s was missing. This is not a great start to our trip. It seems his bag has been on its’ own vacation - Ohio, Chicago, New York…. and has STILL not made it here. The other thing that happened is the phone that we made a special trip to Verizon to purchase and was assured it would work here - did not. After many emails to them … it finally works.

Anyway, I digress. We were picked up by a driver who drove who through some of the craziest traffic I have ever seen. Thank goodness this worked out. We arrived at our B and B in Southgate and met our charming hosts. Our room is lovely and the breakfast is great.

Yesterday was my first experience on the tube - I have never even been on any type of subway before (I don’t think Disney World monarails count;) We managed to find our way to the heart of London to Piccadilly Square, a place my Dad has mentioned. It reminds me of Times Square - large, crowded, and busy. We had reserved tickets for one of those on again, off again double deckers. It was a great way to see the highlights of the city. After the tour, we walked to Westminster Abbey. It is magnificent (from the outside). Unfortunately, we got there too late for the tours. Today we plan to do a river cruise on the Thames - but this is debatable since my knee is not cooperating and Ron got a bit of a sunburn (can you believe it - sun in London?). Tonight we plan to see a play in the West End.

Before we can do anything else today, we have to find Ron’s bag. Tomorrow we are getting on the 12 day cruise, so it’s getting into crunch time. We may be spending the day shopping for some clothes.

I will post my pictures on Picasa later, so keep posted.

Next week, we will be leaving for a cruise around the British Isles. Our stops will include St. Peter Port - Great Britain, Cobh - Ireland, Dublin-Ireland, Liverpool - England, Belfast - Ireland, Greenock - Great Britain, Invergordon - Scotland, South Queensberry - Scotland, La Havre - Paris, France. Before the cruise starts, we will have two days in London. One day we plan to visit Oxford. After the cruise we have a day planned to visit Leigh-on-Sea, the home of my mother.

I hope to post pictures along our voyage, depending on our internet availability.

Master carver Wayne Hewson has been carving since 1989. He is a Tsimshian from Metlakatla, a Native community on Annette Island, 17 miles from Ketchikan. In addition to poles, Wayne is an accomplished creator of wooden spoons, bowls, paddles, canes, talking sticks, masks, hats, panels, halibut hooks, transformation masks and box drums. His work is featured in collections throughout the U.S. and at international art centers. He is a recognized story teller, and a participant in traditional Native song and dance performances. Several poles carved by Wayne Hewson are displayed at the Sanctuary.

This rainforest is part of the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is the largest national forest in the U. S. and is considered a temperate rainforest.

Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s “First City” because it is the first major community travelers come to as they journey north. Located on an island, Ketchikan comes from a Tlingit phrase that means “eagle with spread-out wings,” a reference to a waterfall near town. In the early 1900’s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan. The growth of these industries helped make this Inside Passage port Alaska’s fourth largest city. (Princess Patter)

David got these pics while fishing with Lisa, Parker, and Peyton.

In recent geologic times, (within the last 400 years) a glacier sat at the mouth of Tracy Arm depositing large amounts of gravel and rock producing a recessional moraine bar which can be seen at low tides. The ebb flood of water into Tracy Arm has carved a narrow opening which our ship sailed through. Once we went inside the bar, the water depths increase rapidly to over 1000 feet. The tremendous steep fjord walls, hanging valleys, waterfalls and glacially polished rocks are quite a sight to see. (Princess Patter)

Skagway was the gateway to the gold fields for the thousands who flocked to Alaska and the Yukon with the hope of striking it rich. Skagway may have boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it wasn’t the easiest. Over the White Pass route through the Coast Mountains and the shorter but steeper Chilkoot Trail were used by countless stampeders. Many a would-be miner perished on the treacherous Chilkoot Trail. The gold rush was a boon and by 1898 Skagway was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000. Skagway residents as well as the 10,000 people living in nearby tent city of Dyea. But when the gold yield dwindled in 1900, so did the population as miners quickly shifted to new finds in Nome. Today Skagway has less than 1,000 residents. (Princess Patter)

For our excusion today, we took the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad.

Tomorrow we will be going to Tracy Arms Fjord, where I am sure there will be no internet service:) I will report again in Ketchican.