Dancing Whales: Alaskan Adventures

Last week, I stepped off of a 7 day Alaskan Cruise. No big deal.

Just kidding. It was a big deal and it was awesome. There were 23 members of my extended family aboard this ship and it was a blast. On this vacation, we saw whales aplenty, a couple glaciers, flipping salmon, adorable seals, fantastic performances, beautiful scenery, ate fine cuisine, and danced our butts off. I don't get to see my extended family often, and this vacation, now that I'm 21, it felt like a lot of doors were opened to that I could get to know them better. And by doors, I mean the doors to the club. I hope that doesn't sound stupid, but you know? When you're under 21, you kinda have a limited time with people. You live on a different sleep schedule then those who have the privilege to go out at night.

Speaking of going out at night, this vacation, I totally got my groove back. I don't know why, but the last couple years, I haven't been myself on the dance floor. I've been self-concious and just trying to be silly instead of seriously dancing. Maybe it was just being around my crazy family that brought it back out, but I danced my heart out almost every night of vacation. One night, I actually was given the fabulous opportunity to compete in Dancing with the Stripes (like dancing with the stars, except you're dancing with the officers of the ship). Based on audience applause as judgement, I believe I got second place! The winner was a cowboy who flipped his dance partner--after that, I knew my chance was probably gone. But for the rest of the cruise, I got compliments from strangers on my performance! It was sweet.

Here are my TIPS from this trip:

Pre-Disillusionment of Frog Legs

• Frog legs do not taste like chicken. Unless that chicken was braised in fishy river water.
• When you go on a cruise or to a resort that charges extra for everything, either buy packages for things like drinks in advance, or have a budget prepared. Those Pina Coladas could add up. I was very grateful for my package!
• Don't bother paying for internet unless absolutely necessary. There will always be time to find an internet cafe or a Starbucks in port. 
• When you travel to someplace new, you have two options:
• Either a) Care and learn about a little bit of history about the destinations before you arrive! It is so much more exciting to see famous landmarks when you know why they are famous.
• Or b) Go on excursions! It's an easy and fun way to learn about the landmarks and quirks of the area, especially if you have a friendly tour guide (so make friends with him/her).
• On a cruise ship, you are going to be around the same people for a week. Get to know the people you are eating lunch by! I met people from all over, and almost all of them could talk about theater (which made a happy Debbi!)
• Bring two sweaters and a waterproof jacket. Your dad will thank you when he doesn't have to give his up because your sweater got soaked with glacier water. 

Mendenhall Glacier

The COOLEST Things I Saw

• The Hubbard and Mendenhall Glaciers. I've heard it said that soon, all of the glaciers will be gone. It was absolutely mind blowing to see something so old and to actually hear the thunderous breakage of it's melt. 
• The Whales. I mean I never saw one full out porpoise (which means jump out of the water like every stereotypical dolphin), but the blast from they're port hole (if you will) and appearance of the back and flip of their tale was an amazing enough sight for me. 
• Leaping Salmon. I couldn't BELIEVE how many salmon I saw and they were all continually shooting feet out of the water! SOmething to do with trying to break their egg sacks... Ketchikan, our third stop, is the salmon capital of the world. It's so funny to me that in the lower 48, salmon makes a fine meal, but in Alaska, of course, its poor man's food. But that doesn't make it any less delicious. 

I'm signing off now from my layover in Montreal. Did I mention that I'm on my way to Athens, Greece right now? To study abroad for three and a half months with my dear friend, Anna? Our first flight left Sioux Falls early this morning (shout out to my WONDERFUL boyfriend Bobby who drove me to the airport before 5 am) and it still hasn't sunk in that I won't be at USF this semester. Keep us in your prayers! And look forward to a blog very soon. <3

YOLO

Hello from Canada! Figured this would be a good time to update you on my adventures. Because s*** is about to get serious. I'm writing to you now from a (super fancy) hotel in Vancouver. My dad is taking the philosophy of "YOLO" very seriously this vacation. He went all out and treated myself, mom, Liz and Matt (sorry Becca!) to a pre-family reunion reunion. We've spent a few days exploring the BEAUTIFUL city of Vancouver and the fabulous ISLAND of Victoria before we meet up with cousins and aunts and uncles and so forth on a cruise to Alaska.

One week. Dozens of Joneses. Hundreds of adventures are about to go down.

So yeah, you definitely have some more blogs to look forward to this week.

Liz, Matt & Dad

DAY ONE: I've been very curious to see what traveling with my parents as an adult would be like. The last time I've vacationed with them for this amount of time was probably when I was 13. Though I could be wrong. Mom has been having some difficulty walking the last couple years too, so getting through the airports took a little bit of patience. TIP: NEVER wait until you get off of a plane to eat lunch. Especially if the plane is landing in a foreign country. Also, always carry granola bars. Always. By the time we had made it through customs, and retrieved our bags, and taken (MY FIRST EVER) limo ride to the hotel, it had been about 9 hours since the last time I had eaten. And, fun fact, by the time you feel hungry, your body has already gone into starvation mode. "Hangry" is a real thing and it doesn't help anything while traveling.

But like I said (as you can probably tell from the fact that we took a LIMO), my dad went all out. We're not only staying in a fancy hotel that is ocean front with a heated outdoor pool and a terrace garden where they actually grow and harvest herbs and such, but we are staying in the fancy hotel within the fancy hotel. We are on the ninth floor which not only has continental breakfast, but also has continental tea time, hors d'oeuvres, and dessert hours. There is an ocean view, heated outdoor pool, separate terrace, and concierge services. To top it all off, our bathroom mirror is also a television.

This night, we explored the area for a while and ended the night with a couple rounds and fried pickles at a nearby pub. There is nothing so good as sit-down sibling time and beers. And fried pickles. Matt and I have also decided to be work out buddies on this vacation.

Stanley Park

DAY TWO: Today, there was an anime convention taking place across the street from us. The costumes were amazing! There were also quite a few Pikachu staying in our hotel. We took an afternoon City Tour of Vancouver and discovered many new sites in the city! We saw tropical birds, totem poles, and an amazing market on our stops. After the tour, we met with my Aunt Ruth, Uncle Bill, and cousins Eric and Chris for dinner. The cousins just graduated from Vancouver Film School--it was that event that prompted this whole shindig! We tried poutine, which is one of the few national Canadian foods. Fries with gravy and cheese--as delicious as it sounds!

DAY THREE: This morning, we hopped on a float plane, which is a plane which takes off and lands in the water. So cool! We headed to Victoria Island and explored the city. Next is a tip I have discovered useful in almost every country and place I have traveled to. TIP: When in doubt, there is always a bathroom at Starbucks. Buying a drink is worth that fact. Then, we explored the Butchart Gardens. They were SO BEAUTIFUL! If anyone is looking for a wedding location, this would be the place. I like gardens a lot more then museums. In gardens, you don't have to look at every flower to appreciate the whole experience. After the gardens, we took the ferry back to Vancouver and enjoyed the view of mountains, islands and the sunset along the way.

Tonight, we met up with our cousins again for a night in town. TIP (for the ladies): If you're ever looking for a little confidence boost, the bathroom of a gay club is the place to go. I have never been called so many sweet things (beautiful, adorable, cute, etc) by so many men and women at the same time. I really found my element at this club--we danced like mad! Its so cool to be able to dance somewhere without the fear of people attempting to grind on you! It was a wonderful ending to a fantastic little vacation in Vancouver. Today, we embark on a cruise ship to Alaska and the real adventure begins! Then, on September 2nd, I'm off to Greece for a semester.

Did I forget to mention that? Oh yeah. Like I said, s*** is about to get serious. You only live once!