Baked Eggplant and Chicken with Green Beans and Artichoke Salad

Juneau, Alaska

Juneau was really pretty. Of course, the place where we ported was super touristy, but you could totally tell there was a real city in there if you only had the stamina to walk to it - which we didn't. The most beautiful mountain was right next to the city, and it had a waterfall all the way from the snow-capped part to the lowest part you could see. I took a ton of pictures of it, and I actually said, "Good-bye, beautiful mountain!" when we were leaving.

We also saw a bald eagle that landed on this green building. He would fly away for a while, but he always came back!

An interesting fact about Juneau is that it is inaccessible by road from other cities in Alaska. If you want to go to Juneau, you have to either fly or sail. So weird! And it's the capital of Alaska! And you can't even drive there!

That evening, my whole family went on a whale-watching tour.

We saw several humpback whales, and that's another thing I can cross off my "List of Things To Do Before I Die." I loved it!

Homemade Pate (From Scratch!)

Sitka, Alaska

On the cruise's 2nd day, we ported in Sitka which doesn't have a deep enough harbor for the cruise ships, so we all had to pile into the lifeboats and tender to shore. I was excited about this port because Sitka was a Russian colony, not a US colony, and I figured I would learn a little something something while I was there. I was pretty wrong. It was full of jewelry and chatchki shops (hey - is that a Russian word?). I wanted to go to the Orthodox Cathedral, but they CHARGED YOU TO GO TO CHURCH! It was $2 just to get in the door. Considering I am morally and religiously opposed to charging people for walking in church doors, I skipped it. My brother made a comment about how I should have gone and overturned all the tables. I should have. I could have brought a whip and screamed, "You vipers' brood!" That would have been awesome. The Russian Orthodox church in Nice also charges. What's the deal, Russian Orthodoxy? Why so greedy?

Anyway, I was pretty disappointed in the town. I only took two pictures: one of our boat from the shore, and one of Jonathan in front of the "Pioneer's Home." I don't really even know what that is, but it's on all the postcards. Ha! It might have been better if we had signed up for an organized excursion at this port. Ah, well. We did see like 20 bald eagles just flying around, though, which was very cool.

Broiled Veal Chop with Broccoli and Rye Bread

Alaska - Day 2

The first day on the cruise was just sailing. They woke us up at 6:15 am to see these really amazing glaciers in the College Fjords. It was really beautiful, but I was sooooo tired.

After we started sailing away, I tried to go back to bed, but the ship's naturalist kept squawking on the intercom, and I couldn't fall back to sleep! So, I was kind of a cranky-pants. We had a great time on the boat, though, watching TV, reading, looking at the gorgeous scenery, and generally taking it easy.

That night was formal night, and we dressed up. It was fun, but the rented tux wasn't worth it. Dad treated us to the Captain's supper club which is a much nicer meal than in the general dining room. The food was good, and we had a great time!

Stuffed Eggs