Alaska: Day One (well, really Vancouver)

On Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, May 19

We are HOME!

And what wonderful experiences we had!

In case you've been reading, and you're confused because there were new posts over the last week, I figured out how to schedule posts so they would get published while we were gone so that no one would know we were away and rob us (or kidnap our adorable and fantastic felines!)

I will be publishing one post on each day of the trip so you can experience Alaska, too.  

Today's post is about Day One, May 15th.

We flew to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  And I must say, I love Canada!

The people are interesting the population is diverse, it seems like Europe but a new-world Europe, and the scenery (even in the city) is gorgeous.

the foliage right off the busy street on which our hotel was situated

a wall of green at the airport

totem poles at the airport

It was cloudy and in the mid-60s while we were there - perfect, in my opinion!

beautiful tall trees

the mountains from our hotel hallway window

under the bridge in the photo above -
I thought it would make a neat spot for a high-fashion photo shoot

Even the money is cool; it's see-through!

Oh, Canadians, how urbane and sophisticated you are compared to us Americans!

My sweet friend Jihae said we HAD to try Poutine while we were in Canada.  

Poutine is french fries with mozzarella cheese and brown gravy.  

So we did!

Greg was enthusiastic.  He tried all sorts of unusual foods on this trip 

(mostly seafood he wouldn't normally eat).

I only had one bite because of the gluten-free thing . . . but I wanted to taste it!

After we found the Poutine, we asked at the front desk of the hotel about salad options within walking distance and were directed to Moxie's.

Not only did they have a lovely salad for me (I brought my favorite dressing, which I used every single day of our trip!), but . . . 

they had gluten-free cheesecake!

Then the whole group went to Tim Horton's for dinner.

(left to right: my Dad, my Mom, my brother Mark, my niece Cora in the stroller, Mark's wife Jillian, Greg)

It's named after a hockey star.

Mark, sweet Cora, my Dad

And then we talked for a long time and went to bed and
I did some yoga (let me just say: hotel carpet - ew!)
and that's day one!

P.S.  I'm sure everyone who hasn't been on a cruise will wonder - even though there will be a LOT of  talk/pictures about food in my descriptions of our trip, neither Greg nor I gained weight on this trip.
In fact, I even lost a couple of pounds; it was an active trip and really not much snacking in between the delicious meals.