Alaska Cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam ~ Ketchikan and the towel creatures!

Colourful houses dot the shoreline in Ketchikan Alaska.

The sign welcoming us to town claims that Ketchikan 

is the "Salmon Capital of the World."

We arrived in port greeted by a misty rain.

We wandered the streets and stopped for a delicious bowl of crab bisque.

There are many historic buildings.

 Murals refer to rich history of Japanese and Filipino cultures.

The red light district of heritage houses built on stilts in a creek 

are now occupied by shops.

The town was very busy as there were 5 large cruise ships in port.

I had heard about the towels creatures that the stewards would be making for us.

Crab

Octopus

Elephant 

Dog

Monkey

There was a towel folding class on one of the sea days!

We did not attend.

So many options to consider when on board 

especially on Sea Days.

Mah Jong, Bridge, Bingo, Casino, Live theatre, Music venue, Computer classes, 

Pools, Spa, America's Test Kitchen, Movies, Lectures, and more.

The last cruise post is on the blog now...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Alaska Cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam Skagway and Glacier Bay

Helicopters and seaplanes were waiting to take people up for tours.

There was a 8 hour train trip to The Yukon which was super popular.

We opted to walk around Skagway, visit the museums and explore the old town.

Vintage Train with snow removal equipment on the front.

The Gold Rush played a major role in the formation of these towns.

We stopped here for a cocktail...

there were tours of "the red light rooms" upstairs!

I love the driftwood on this building.

First Nations mask

Corrington Private Museum pieces

Trading beads

Love the signage.

After Skagway we made our way to Glacier Bay.

The glaciers were my favourite part of the cruise.

The water was turquoise...

these next photos speak for themselves.

We saw a few pleasure boats on our way to the Glaciers.

Permits are required to enter this area as it is a protected UNESCO park.

I will be back soon with more of the cruise highlights so watch for the next post.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Guo Pei Exhibit at Vancouver Art Gallery

We ventured across the pond to Vancouver for a few days.
To shop, attend a workshop and enjoy the sights and sounds of a big city!

One of the highlights was to see the Guo Pei Couture Beyond exhibit.

We were in line up at 10:00 am when the doors to the Vancouver Art Gallery opened and were able to take it all in on the very last day of the exhibit.

I will share a few pictures of the magnificent gowns...
IF you ever get the opportunity to see this show I highly recommend it.

Guo Pei is China's "preeminent couturiere."
There were over 40 of her haute couture designed gowns on display from the period 2006 to 2017.

Most of us will never wear a hand made gown such as the ones that were on display.

It was amazing to see the intricate bead work, the embroidery, details that would have taken many many hours if not months to create.

I'll share the photos next and hope that you will enjoy seeing them.

After seeing all the gowns and shoes we explored the rest of the gallery and then ventured out for a long walk in the sunshine.

A friend mentioned that she uses the IHealth app on her IPhone.

She showed me how it works and I am so excited as it tracks walking stats!

I am so grateful as it is going to be a new motivator in my goal to better fitness.

This was an exceptional day for walking...

I plan to aim for between 8,000 and 10,000 steps each day.

Hope that your week is off to a fabulous start...

thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~