Juneau Alaska shore excursion ideas

Sharon and I recently spent 2 days in Juneau prior to embarking on an Un-Cruise Adventures small-ship adventure.  We were fortunate to have great weather and we found some activities that would make excellent shore excursions for someone visiting Juneau on a conventional cruise ship.

Mendenhall Glacier: the glacier is easily visited by taking a shuttle bus from the cruise terminal.  There are two buses that seem to be on a similar schedule.  We took the 'blue bus' that leaves every half hour on the hour and half hour with a round-trip fare of $16 (cash only if purchased from the driver).  The ride to the park takes just under 30 minutes and our driver provided a commentary on the outbound direction.  By visiting the glacier independently you can spend as little or as much time as you like (within the limits of the ship's departure time and the bus's last return time). 

The park has two walking trails that can be accomplished by anyone and several hiking trails that require a reasonable degree of fitness.  The bus drops you off in a parking area that is close to the Steep Creek Salmon Viewing Trail.  This is a half-mile well maintained boardwalk trail that offers the chance to see salmon and black bear in the summer season.  We were too early in the season for this wildlife but we did manage to see a porcupine in the bush.  Another short trail, the Photo Point Trail, is about 0.3 miles and sets out from near the visitor center and provides great views of the glacier..


Mendenhall Glacier from Photo Point Trail

We also did one of the more adventurous hikes, the East Glacier Loop Trail.  This trail can be accomplished by someone with a moderate level of fitness and provides great views of the glacier and waterfalls.  It can be done as a 2-3 hour loop or as an 'out-and-back' (our approach).  The trail passes through a beautiful wooded area with lots of ferns and huge rocks along the path.  

along East Glacier Trail

 

Mendenhall Glacier from East Glacier Trail

We heard good things about the displays at the Visitor Center (small entry charge) but we didn't have enough time to visit it.

Mt. Roberts Tram:  If the weather is clear the tram is a fun excursion.  There is no reason to book this as a ship excursion as the tram station is right at the cruise port.  The $31 fare includes unlimited rides for the day.  We rode up and enjoyed the cultural presentation before heading out to explore some of the trails departing from the upper tram station.  A recent heavy snowfall prevented us from exploring too far but we had a great time at the top.   It is also possible to hike up to the top but the visitor center advised that recent heavy rains had made the trail up very muddy. 


panoramic view from the upper tram station

 

Tracy's King Crab Shack:  skip lunch on the ship and find Tracy's near the north end of the cruise port.  Good king crab is not cheap, even in Alaska, and Tracy's is a bit pricy.  But the crab is great and the $34 combo includes 10-12 oz. of crab, four small crabcakes and a cup of crab bisque.  This was enough for a light dinner for the two of us and could be augmented with a few additional items for a larger meal.  http://www.kingcrabshack.com/

Crab Combo at Tracy's

In conclusion we had a great time in Juneau.  It is a very walkable city.  The weather was so good that we didn't make it to the state museum but I'm sure that we will be back.


Hiking in Italy: Cinque Terre

In April Sharon and I added a 6-day stay in Italy at the conclusion of a Holland America Eurodam transatlantic cruise.  We are avid hikers and the Cinque Terre region is well known for its scenic hikes.  Cinque Terre consists of five villages nestled in the cliff side in northwest Italy.  The region is about 4 hours by train northwest of Rome and about one hour south of Genoa.  Rick Steves is generally credited for creating interest in this region through his videos and Italy guidebooks.


Cinque Terre is in northwest Italy

After spending 4 1/2 days in the Cinque Terre region, the one word that I would use to describe it is "unpretentious".  Unlike Rome and Florence, there is no list of "must see" museums and churches.  It's all about the ambiance: wandering  the streets of the ancient villages and exploring the surrounding countryside on nicely maintained hiking trails.
Homebase accomodations:  Each of the five villages has its own charms.  I allocated five nights to stay in Cinque Terre.  I briefly considered splitting the stay between two of the villages but decided that the logistics of moving from one hotel to another would cut into our available daylight hours. 

After lots of research I decided to stay in Monterosso in the "old town" section.  I made a booking with Manuel's Guesthouse (www.manuelsguesthouse.com).  I found it in Rick Steves, then used Tripadvisor reviews for confirmation. We booked a 'view' room and were given a room with a nice balcony on the top floor. The room was quite large with a comfortable bed.  It was quite austere with no decorations, inexpensive furniture and a tiny shower.   But the views from the room and the balcony plus the outstanding service provided by Lorenzo and his uncle make this place a special destination.  The cost of the 'view' room was 120 Euro/night, just over $150 at current exchange rates.  One challenge of this place is the hike up from the town, just over 150 steps.  So this hotel is not for those with mobility issues or those that believe in packing heavily.  But the hike up to the guesthouse ensures a wonderful view.

View across Monterosso Old Town from our balcony

Each morning we enjoyed a substantial breakfast on the communal patio. Highlights included a meat plate with ham, prosciutto, and salami, fresh focaccia, assorted yogurts, fresh fruit, cereals, juices, coffee, tea and assorted pastries. A few afternoons I enjoyed a cold beer and some snacks there also.


Breakfast at Manuel's Guesthouse

Cinque Terre hiking:  A major highlight of our stay was the hiking. The villages are connected by a network of hiking trails.  Trail #2 connects the five villages with a cliffside route, 9 kilometers from end-to-end.  There are also several trails that go up into the terraced hillsides to connect the villages. 

Unfortunately in October 2011 a major storm hit the area with landslides and flooding causing major damage to the villages of Monterosso and Vernazza and to some of the hiking trails.  When we visited in April 2013 Trail #2 was officially closed but locals advised that the segments from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia were safe and were being hiked. 

In addition to hiking trials the villages are interconnected by the local train (about 2 Euros per trip) and by local boat service (somewhat more expensive than the train).  The boat service is weather dependent and is often cancelled when it is windy.   It is possible to create an interesting day by taking a boat to one village, explore it, hike to another village, then return by train.

looking back at Monterosso from the hiking trail

As an experienced hiker I found the trails to be easy to moderate in difficulty.  The most difficult of the cliffside trails, Monterosso to Vernazza, is only 3 km in length and elevation changes are modest by California standards.  There are many opportunities for scenic lookouts so the hiking pace tends to be pretty leisurely.  We found that the other hikers were extremely friendly and it was great fun to share dining tips and hiking tips with them.  These trails can be hiked by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.

relaxing on a bridge over a stream

During our visit we did three hikes: Monterosso to Vernazza cliffside, Vernazza to Corniglia cliffside, and Manarola to Corniglia through the terraced hillside.   We heard about the hillside hike from some hikers from Boston that we met in Riomaggiore.  This hike begins by taking a shuttle bus from Manarola to a hillside village called Volastra.  After briefly exploring Volastra we set out on a path through vineyards and olive trees high above the sea.  The trail went through a forested area before dropping down into the village of Corniglia. 

Corniglia viewed from the hillside trail

a portion of the hillside trail

Exploring the villages: We visited each of the five villages.  Our home village of Monterosso is divided into two portions connected by a tunnel.  The 'new town' has the train station,  upscale restaurants and some opportunities for nightlife.  The 'old town' is more sedate.  We found good moderately priced restaurants and an excellent pizzeria in old town.

our first Cinque Terre pizza at Smorfia Pizzeria

Of the other villages I found Vernazza to be the most scenic.  It has an ancient castle with a tower providing great views over the village and the countryside.  This village is purportedly where Rick Steves stays when he visits each year.

Vernazza viewed from the hiking trail

In conclusion, Cinque Terre was a great holiday destination enhanced by our stay at Manuel's Guesthouse.  I have posted more photos at https://picasaweb.google.com/115166928325222148124/HikingCinqueTerre#  No registration is required to view these photos.

Travel tips:
--Visit duration: many visitors attempt to cover this destination on a shore excursion from a cruise port or as  a day trip from another city but such a quick visit provides merely a taste.  Rick Steves recommends staying 2 or 3 days with a minimum of 2 nights and one full day.  I decided on five nights with four full days so that we could fully appreciate the ambiance and to allow for a day or two of rain.  In late April we ended up with one cool and blustery day and one morning of rain but otherwise it was clear and nice.
--trip timing:  you should avoid crowds by avoiding the summer.  Much of the area closes for winter.  April/May or Sept/Oct should be fine.
--local trains: be careful to validate (stamp) your train tickets before boarding the local trains.  They are very serious about this and they target tourists for traveling with unvalidated tickets.  We saw two couples targeted and the fine was 50 Euro.
--airports:  When flying to Italy, particularly if you are trying to use frequent flyer tickets, take a look at some of the lesser used airports.  This region is easily reached from Genoa, Pisa and perhaps Milan.  If you are visiting multiple destinations in Italy consider an open-jaw routing to minimize local transportation time and cost, perhaps flying in to Rome and returning from Genoa.
--transatlantic cruise: a great way to get to or from Italy is a transatlantic cruise, generally to Italy in April and from Italy in the fall.  These cruises tend to be very attractively priced and cruising avoids one long plane flight.  The Cinque Terre region is 3 1/2 hours by train from the Rome cruise port.