So we got cut loose by Viking this morning when we got dropped off by coach at Anchorage Airport where we had booked a rental car, so we are now having to fend and think for ourselves again!!!!  

Sadly, our last port on what has been an incredible 10-day cruise.   In previous blogs I have alluded to William H Seward, President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State who purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, and we are now in the city named after him. 

Named after a Spanish Secretary of the Navy,  Antionio Valdes y Basan, Valdez enjoys a breathtaking setting at the tip of a deep-cut fjord in Prince William Sound. 

We’ve got the next two glorious days relaxing on the boat, cruising around and admiring the spectacular scenery of Alaska.

What a day we have had today.  We arrived here around 8.00am this morning, beautiful sunshine and surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  Skagway is set in a stunning glacial valley and built on the economic shoulders of the bustling mining industry that once thrived here. 

Juneau, nestled at the base of Mt Juneau, was named the capital city of the State of Alaska in 1906 and has a population of around 33,000 people.  It is the only capital of the continental US that is not connected by road to the rest of North America

Sitka is the only town in Southeast Alaska that faces the Gulf of Alaska and has long been inhabited by the Tlingit people.

We left Vancouver last night on a very lovely, sunny evening – made even more celebratory because we were joined by good friends Jo and Earl, who left Auckland a few days after us.

A cheeky Bellini to celebrate our departure from Vancouver on our Viking Orion Cruise to Alaska and the Inside Passage

Well, we made that flight but what a shocker of a flight it was, a Boeing 737 on a 6-hour flight, all squashed in and no space, it was like a domestic flight in New Zealand. 

We’re off to the island of Kaua’i today – so back to Honolulu airport we went, dropped off the Mustang and checked in for our Hawaiian Airlines flight to Lihue. 

Hard at work.

Welcome back everyone!  It’s been a while but I’m now back with more adventures to share with you.  I’ve just left Auckland for another amazing holiday and I’m looking forward to posting stories and photographs so you can see what I have been up to and join me on my travels.

We left Procida and took the ferry into Naples, a tasty couple of pastries and coffee at the station and then we were on the high speed Italo train which went to Genoa, with a first stop Rome, only an hour at those speeds

We had a lovely sail back to Procida today, the water was blue and calm and we enjoyed sailing back past Ventotene, all around the islands of both Ischia and Procida, stopping enroute for Geoff to have a swim whilst holding onto a rope – last thing I wanted was for the boat to drift too far without him on it!!!

Looking so pretty as we sailed into the harbour in the late afternoon sun, the family have a very special connection to this island. Clarissa’s family own a delightful little house in Ponza and she spent all her childhood summer holidays here,

We’re up early and on our way!  Geoff, me, Clarissa, Stella and Chloe – all (minimally) packed and off to Rome Termini to catch our train to Naples. 

We’re here and staying in a delightful little apartment belonging to Clarissa’s Mum, Patty’s, friend which is in a great location, near to their apartment in the centre of Rome.   A lovely reunion with Stella and Chloe from the school bus and a wonderful family dinner to signal the start of the last leg of our Italian holiday

We’re now on a little road trip heading towards Rome, to arrive on Thursday. Cristiano once again came to our aid and drove us back to the carpark with all our gear, and also his admiration for us travelling for months’ with so much luggage!

Less than a three hour drive from Milan the road to Bologna was empty and straight, and very easy….until we looked at the instructions from our Air BnB host and noticed that you are not allowed to drive your car into the centre of this medieval city!