My cruise story is told mostly through pictures. This is part 1. Beside the overall decadence of the 15 day cruise with everyone serving you hand and foot, the ports visited in Japan, Russia and Alaska, there was also the endless eating and drinking, stretch and Pilates class, the dancing and meeting new people. I also read several books including the Hunger Games trilogy and another Vince Flynn book. I met numerous people, and was able to negotiate dinner with new found acquaintances - on all but one evening. In return, I experienced a moderate amount of drama.... related mostly to my dancing. And importantly, I had time to spend with myself, thinking about life, my good fortune, the vastness of the universe that I was witnessing, and the uniqueness and character of each person, port, and country that I visited. My favorite city was Hakadote in Hokkaido, Japan. It was quaint, distinctly Japanese, and relatively untouched by western civilization or contaminated by globalization. Not many places left to visit that are not in third world countries that can qualify for that distinction.
From last to first: This is a glimpse of Alaska:
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| Train from Seward to Anchorage |
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| A lucky shot |
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| And a lot of bird poo that comes with the seagulls |
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| Homer, Alaska landmark |
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| A little projection from an Alaskan glacier |
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| Beautiful train ride with much to see |
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more from Seward |
I don't remember or care whether I was on the Silver Shadow or Silver Whisper of the Silversea fleet. I have no grudge or score to settle. There were many who tried to make my cruise life enjoyable like the Silversea agent Lorraine Ross. But the truth is that this was my second cruise on the Silversea. While not trying too hard to be a typical complaining American.... I nevertheless whisper this thought....that the experience was a shadow of my first cruise experience. Seems like too many people going through the motion or on autopilot. There were exceptions. The Filipino and East Indian staff who cleaned the room and served you in the dining room were exceptional. It seemed like those highest on the status ladder were less enthused with their work, with several exceptions. The Cruise Director seemed to come alive, however, during his evening performances and great singing. The other ship performers paled by comparison, although they were all cute and were trying very hard. And to be fair, they were all in the early phases of their careers. And finally the lecturers, with the exception of Sylvia Rimm, were substandard. I enjoyed Sylvia's presentations very much and danced often with her granddaughter (I even caught a dance with Sylvia) who accompanied her on the cruise. Miriam is a brilliant MIT graduate who is on her way to conquering the world as a MD/PhD student interested in neuroscience and robotics.
More and more pictures coming as I have time to sort out those worthy (at least from my vantage point) of downloading to my blog. All pictures taken from my iphone.
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