In Seward, there are two main companies that give tours on the Kenai Fjords area. I've read only good comments about both of them. So it's matter of reading what they offer and picking based on individual tastes.
Kenai Fjords tours
I decided to use Kenai Fjords Tours, and the experience was excellent.
Kenai Fjords Tours
It's very recommended to take the longer tours, that go deep into the park. The shorter , 4 hours, tours just stay on Resurrection Bay. The 7 to 10 hour tours are very well worth the time and money spent. The captain was very knowledgeable, telling about the sealife and animals all the way back and forth, and adding a lot of very good humor to the story. Also, he gets very close to sea animals, and to interesting places.
Resurrection Bay - Bald Eagle
Kenai Fjords - Wale
Kenai Fjords - Puffin
Kenai Fjords - Sea Otter
Kenai Fjords - Mountain Goat
Kenai Fjords - Seals
Kenai Fjords - Bear
Kenai Fjords
Kenai Fjords - Puffins
Kenai Fjords
The ship stopped very close to the glacier, less than 1/2 mile away, giving a very nice opportunity for taking pictures and enjoying the view. Also, at this point, the wind stops and it doesn't fill so cold.
Kenai Fjords - Glacier
In order to enjoy the tour as much as possible, be ready for cold weather. Dress in layers, and take winter clothing and gloves. The weather at Seward port and Resurrection Bay is milder than closer to the glaciers, where it gets quite cold with frozen wind. Free coffee is available inside the ship, it's a nice resource.
One of the tours includes a 1 hour stop at Fox Island for a great dinner of Ribs and Salmon... all you can eat!
The first town to visit was Talkeetna, about 120 miles north of Anchorage (2.5 hour drive). The road was very nice, surrounded by pines of all tones of green.
Talkeetna Historic District
US Post Office - Talkeetna
Tip: Public restrooms are available at this place
Talkeetna Air Taxi
Art shops in Talkeetna
TIP: If you're looking for souvenirs, always check the country of origin. As everywhere in the USA, most cheaper stuff is made in Asia. There are beautiful crafts from local artisans, more expensive, but since we're in Alaska the idea is to get native artwork. Some nice and less expensive native souvenirs can still be found.
Talkeetna is a small town, but there's quite a lot of people walking around. Probably because lots of tours to Denali depart from this location. If somebody is looking for a flight seeing tour, this is probably the best place. There are several companies to choose from, and most of them offer some kind of discount (either through their web site or free travel magazines). The weather changes very fast, and the flight seeing tours will be cancelled if the weather isn't optimal (refunding the deposit).
Talkeetna has some good beer, it's a good place to have a beer and a meal. People is also very friendly, as in most of the other places we visited in Alaska.
The Seward Highway
After a few hours in town, it was time to continue to the next destination, Seward, 5 hours driving to the south of Talkeetna. After passing Anchorage, the Seward highway has magnificent landscapes and view points. There are lots of places to see, and thanks to the long Summer days, it's possible to be driving late at night and still be able to enjoy all views.
Seward Highway
Indian Valley Mine
Indian Valley Mine
Indian Valley Mine
Indian Valley Mine
The Indian Valley Mine is a good stop on the way. The people who own the place are very friendly, they invited us some tea and told their stories. It's a good place to stop by. The entrance fee for their small is only $1. They can also teach how to pan gold (didn't have time to try it, don't know the cost).
Bird Point
Bird Point - Seward Highway
Seward Highway
Seward
We reached Seward after 10pm. Hungry, but all restaurants were closed. Fortunately, the supermarket (Safeway) is open until midnight, which saved our dinner.
Safeway at Seward
The hotel for Seward's night was the Harborview Hotel. I would categorize it more than a Motel rather hotel. But the price is good (compared to the other options), located about 5 blocks of the port. The hotel is safe, clean, offers free WiFi and free parking. However, it will be kind of noisy after 7pm, when guests start waking up and turning on showers.
At the airport, I rented a car. Something to note is that rental car companies have to charge high taxes at the airport. I've heard that it is cheaper to take a cab to the hotel (about $20), and rent a car in Anchorage city where taxes are lower. But I couldn't find a rental car agency that was open on Saturday evening.
The first night, we'll stay at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa. Alaska hotels are more expensive than in the rest of the US, and they get even more expensive the farther we get from Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Sheraton Anchorage
The hotel is very nice, but it does neither include free parking nor free Internet WiFi. However, some Starwood membership levels (SPG) include WiFi for free and complimentary lounge access. The lounge is small, but it has very nice views of the mountains and is open between 6am and 9pm, serving breakfast, finger foods, and drinks. The hotel parking is $10 per day, but during the weekend, the car can be parked on the street for free. During weekdays, on street parking is free between 6pm and 9am (just in case, read the notes on the meter!)
This Sheraton is very nice and comfortable, with ample room and good views. The downtown is an easy walk of 3 blocks.
Sheraton Anchorage room
Sheraton Anchorage room
Here's a sky view of Alaska at 9pm.
Alaska - sunlight after 9pm
At the time of this writing, it 12:30am and it is just starting to look as sunset, but not dark yet...
Late, I paid attention to the holiday schedule and noticed one coming up by the end of May... cool opportunity for a long weekend trip. I've been thinking about traveling to Alaska for a few years now, and this time I'll stop postponing it and just do it. The weather should be pretty good at this time of year.
As usual, I like to prepare my own tour and learn about the place before going. The reference material I'm using is the following:
Books:
Alaska for Dummies , Wiley : Very good source trip planning. Not only gives it a lot information about Alaska, but the author takes the assumption that Anchorage is used as a base for traveling to other places, which is exactly what I was planning to do.
Alaska Ports of Call , Fodors: This book is mostly for Cruise travelers, but has a good and useful brief description from each town and short activities that can be done.
Alaska , Lonely Planet : Nice book, also good size for taking it on a trip. It includes a lot of good information for trip planning, but also a few pages with Alaska history and some other information. I'll take this book on my trip.
DVD:
Alaska, Spirit of the Wild : Mostly about nature. Not very for trip planning but good to understand the majesty of this place.
Alaska, Globe Trekker: More useful for adventure travels. Shows different towns, that I won't be able to visit due to lack of time. But still informative to get an idea of how Alaska is.
Alaska Travel information Web sites:
Alaska.org : Very informational, with up to date schedule and prices.
Fjord Tours from Seward: (I've ready very good reviews for both companies bellow, so it's seems that the choice is related to what the traveler wants to do)
Alaska.org deals : This page contains many discounts that are free to use.
Alaska Tour Saver :
This is a book with coupons that can be purchased. Check the coupons before ordering, as they provide full information online. Some coupons are valid during certain days only, or are restricted. They could help saving hundred of dollars, if they match the plans of the traveler. The book sales for $99. It can be returned if unused.
I haven't paid much attention before to the different type of seats available in American Airlines planes. Today I took a few minutes and cleared my doubt.
SEATING OPTIONS
American Airlines has enhanced its seat choice offering to provide a more customized travel experience.
Pre-Reserved Seats
You may select an available seat based on seat inventory when you book your flight or any time prior to departure at no charge
If there are no seats available or you choose not to
select a seat, you will receive an automatically-assigned seat at no
charge at check-in as early as 24 hours before departure
Preferred Plus Seats
Reserved exclusively for premium* and full-fare customers,
Preferred Plus seats are window and aisle seats toward the front of the
aircraft and include exit row seats
Preferred Plus Seats offer the same number of desirable
seat options as always and are set aside at no charge for premium and
full fare customers
Preferred Seats
For customers interested in desirable seats near the front
of the main cabin, Preferred Seats are available for purchase when you
book your flight, up until the airport check-in cutoff time, beginning at $4 USD per flight
Preferred Seats can be purchased through AA.com, AA.com mobile, Self-Service Check-In machines and AA Reservations
Premium and full-fare customers have complimentary access to Preferred Seats
Preferred Seats are also complimentary for active U.S.
military and their family members traveling on a military or government
fare in the same reservation. If not traveling on a military or
government fare, active U.S. military can request a Preferred Seat from
an airport agent if available.
We're excited to provide you with even more options to customize your travel experience based on your needs.
Want more information about Preferred Plus Seats and Preferred Seats? Check out our frequently asked questions for details. Terms and Conditions
*AAdvantage Executive Platinum®, AAdvantage
Platinum® and AAdvantage Gold® members, as well as AAirpass®, oneworld®
elite customers, and their traveling companions on the same reservation.
Also, Alaska Airlines MVP® Gold and MVP® Gold 75K members.
Early in the morning, we woke up, had a quick breakfast in the lounge, and went to the gate. Passed security and customs with almost no wait, and took the flight back home.
Boeing 747 at Athens Airport
BTW, I asked at the gate for a print out of the tickets. It's actually not easy to go around with just the 'electronic' tickets. Also, I realize that we would have been left outside if we didn't have carry on bags and had to check them in (we would have had to wait until the departure desk opened at 6am!)
There are still too many interesting and amazing places in this country, left for a future trip...
We woke up early in the morning, as the tour departed at 8am. I ended up contracting a tour for this Meteora trip, as they had a great 2 day package including transportation, hotel, and meals. After looking several days, I ended up finding a website with lots of tours for Greece, good prices in US dollar.
The whole morning was dedicated to Meteora, what an amazing place. We visited a couple of monasteries. Originally, there were about 26, but only 6-7 remain. Initially, I thought that visiting only two was too little, but this seems to be enough.
Meteora
Meteora
Great Meteoro
Great Meteoro
The first monastery to visit is Megalo Meteoro, the biggest and oldest one.... just try to figure out how the built all these monasteries, by using ropes to lift the construction materials. The first constructions started around 1400, but there was neither road, step, bridge to this place until 1800s. In old times, up to 300 monks used to leave here. Currently, only about 20-30 monks can be found.
The second monastery visited is St. Stephen, for nuns only
After the visits, the tour stopped for lunch and later drove 5 hours back to Athens (with a couple of small breaks on the way).
They dropped us at Syntagma square, where we took the Metro to the airport. Since the flight departed at 8:15am and we would have to be there at 6:15am for an international flight, it looked better to try to sleep at an airport business lounge, rather than staying at an hotel for a few hours. By the time we got there (after 9pm), the airline had closed and we didn't have a way of checking in to go through security into the lounge! Fortunately, free wi-fi is available at the airport , but just for 60 minutes, and we could go through security by showing the boarding pass on the laptop screen. I would recommend making online check in and printing the boarding pass before hand. It took me a while to get the whole thing done.
Last year, I signed to a promotion from Priority Pass which gives world wide Lounge access. The plan was to spend the (few hours left from the) night in the lounge, avoiding paying one day of hotel and having to wake up at 4am, and find transportation to get into the airport. Priority Pass charged $54 for two people (this is going to be billed to the credit card associated to the account, no payment is due when entering the lounge).
Only two lounges, both from Olimpic Airlines but serving other companies as well, are open 24 hours: Aristotle Onassis Lounge and Melina Merkouri Lounge. Aristotle Onassis Lounge is closer to British Airways, which was going to take us back home. This lounge doesn't have shower, offers drinks and snacks (cookies, sandwich). But at this point, we mainly wanted to sleep on the Sofa (they are small, but can put two together in a row).
The last two days of this Greek trip are going to be spent in a tour that goes to Temple of Delphi and Meteora. I usually prepare the itinerary by myself, but for such a long trip (around 800 km.) in only two days, and having to be back on time in order to take the plane, I preferred to take a tour and not to have to worry at any schedule or preparation details. There's a pretty nice tour that I could book online from this site (add link).
The tour is two days departing from Athens, stopping at the Temple of Delplhi (3 hr drive from Athens) and then at Kalambaka (4 hours from the temple). In this town, we overnight, and the 2nd day we are taken to two monasteries. I'm typing this text after visting the Temple of Delphi. So far, excellent. They picked us up at the hotel on time (they offer free pick up/drop off to a broad list of hotels). The tourist guide is very fluent in English, and spent a big part of the first 3hr ride describing places, and telling interesting Greek mithology stories.
Some comment the guide make, unrelated to the tour, was that the traffic in Athens improved a little in the last year. With the cost of a gallon of gas at €12, lots of people reduced driving considerably. In comparisson, a gallon of gas costs about €4 in USA.... what a difference!
The coach bus from the tour is in good condition clean, with air conditioner, but restroom door is locked not sure whether it works. The tourist guide asked to tell her in case of need to have an 'emergency' stop.
Temple of Apollo in Temple of Delphi
The ancient greeks believed built the temple at a place they belived was located the center of the earth, and constructed the temple of Apollo where the oracles would give answer to questions about the future. Quite an interesting history. It should be well documented somewhere on the web.
We spent about 1 hour at Temple of Delhi, and the passengers in the 2 day tour were taken to a near by hotel. About half of the initial group remained for a longer time on the Temple of Delhi, where they would visit the museum, and then have a long lunch. For the 2 day tour, the lunch time is at around 3pm, and we get about 30' minutes only. Before reaching the lunch place, we stopped for 5' minutes at the monument to Leonidas and the 300 Spartans that died in the fight with Persians. The brief story is that the 300 Spartans knew that they weren't going to return from this fight but they also expected to have to fight the Persians in the future. The Spartans decided was to send soldiers, who had at least one male child. The idea was that the children would replace their parents as soldiers in the next war against Persia. Another interesting item is that the ocean was much closer than what we see nowadays (several kilometers closer to the monument).
On the lunch stop, we could get some sandwiches (€4 each), and a scoup of ice scream (€2 , same as in other places). After a 30 minute lunch, we continued the trip towards Kalambaka. This is a modern town, with view to one Meteora monastery.
We stayed for a 30' stroll in town, but there aren't many points of interest compared to other places visited so far. Kalambaka downtown has the shops expected from a regular town (ATM, supermarket, bar, restaurant, bank, etc.).
We got taken to Amalia Hotel, located outside town. This hotel is very nice, rooms are big and hard wood furniture is old (but in good state).
The hotel includes dinner and breakfast. Dinner is at 8:15pm (the guide actually asked the group for a dinner time of our choice), and on the morning they pick us up at 7:30am. The room had 3 beds, and TV with English and Spanish channels (I didn't mention so far, but of course, every hotel had channels in Greek). Wi-Fi is available for free, but only works outside the room. Ask the password at the front desk.
The next morning, after a relaxed breakfast, we went for a walk until checkout time (noon) . We intended to walk to the beach, but although it is probably only 2 km away, the way is on hills. TIP: Later, we learned that renting a motorcycle was about €20 /day, somebody told us he got a car at €15/day, and this would have solved the up/downhill problem. But then, there are others such as safety for the motorcycle as Greek drivers are known for being pretty reckeless, or place to park a car (there are some, but not many). However, in the time spent so far here, I haven't seen any car accident or reckless driver. Actually, it seems pretty safe to drive so far. Still, bus is cheaper of course. Also, the few buses we took have been on time, although we were warned that they could delay 20-30 minutes from the scheduled time.
We spent the rest of the day walking in OIA , enjoying every inch of this place. The front desk of the hotel has a schedule of buses on display, and we started walking to the stop about 30' before departure. The bus was on time, we drove to Fira and from there we would take the bus to the New Port, where the Blue Star ferry to Athens departs . The next bus, would leave at 2:30pm and our ferry departed at 3:30pm. We had arrived shortly after 1:30pm to Fira, and it was going to be a long wait. But also, I had been told by the Blue Ferry agent that we needed to be at the port one hour earlier, so we just took a cab (€14 from bus station in Fira to the new port). The taxi stop is around the corner from the bus stop. TIP: Since many people will take the ferry at the same time, it is easy to find others willing to share a cab ride and slit the costs. Somewhere I read that the taxi driver would charge each party the full fare, even when they ride the same trip. Therefore, it might be better to make as if all of passengers were part of the same party. We arrived to the port early, giving time for a quick lunch and beer.
Blue Star ferry
A reference fost for the restaurant is a 12'' pizza for €10, and a 500ml beer for €4. TIP: Try Mythos beer, available almost anywhere. I tried 3 different types of Greek beers, but Mythos is the one I liked the most. The cost of Mythos is between €3.5 - €4 in restaurants, and €1.2 in small convenience stores or kiosks.
Mythos - One of the Greek beers
Also, now that I remember I should mention that the tap water in Santorini is NOT potable. It is potable on Athens and other places, but not on some islands. Santorini has a water shortage, they either gather rain water in cisterns, or bring it from somwehere else. This is something for considering, showers should be short, and water saved. Almost everywhere (Athens, islands) a small bottle of water (500 ml.) is €0.5, and a large one (1500ml.) costs €1.
The ferry departed on time, and it arrived at 11:30pm to Athens. On the way, it stopped at a couple of islands.
It's interesting to see the whole loading/unloading process. Also, we could see a very nice sunset on the way back, however, not as good as the one that can be seen from OIA.
The quality of the ferry trip exceed my expecations. Some highights:
Ship looks pretty new
Clean
Safe
Not crowded (we're still on low season; it isn't Summer yet)
WI-FI available (although I didn't try it): 120 minutes for €3.
Fast food restaurant on board, having sandwich, hamburguer, gyros among others. Average price is around €7 with a soda. They also have beer for €2.2 (quite good price for a ship, actually).
The ship offers business and economy class. The benefit of business is access to the business lounges, which are nicer, less crouded, and have comfortable seats. The business ticket cost is €52, about €14 more than economy. We actually spent the time on economy area, talking to other travelers and looking at the sea. Economy should be just fine for the trip.
Something I read on the guide books, and confirmed by other travelers that went through the experience, is that ferrys will cancel the trip in case of bad weather conditions. If this happens, somebody would get stuck at the departing port, or at an island on the way to destination. Passengers can remain and sleep on the ship, or go out to town until it departs. Also, it's hard to find a central place with the latest schedules for all ferries. For my trip, I just took the chance and purchased it online some weeks ago, without any problem. There are two ferry lines. Helenic Seaways and Blue Star. The schedules are available online.
In Athens, the public transportation stops at midnight. The ferry arrives after 11:30pm, and there's little time to catch the last train to the city. It can be done by just walking fast to the station, but although we were able to get into it , we had to stop at Plaka and walk, as we missed our connection at the metro. TIP: If taking a late train from Piraeus, make a hotel reservation close to a green line stop of the train green).
The next hotel, were we would overnight and leave early in the morning, wasn't at the most convenient location for us. From Monastiraki metro station at Plaka, we had to walk about 40' to the Acropolis Select hotel, which lies two blocks away from Acropolis. Although it was late at night, it didn't feel unsafe at all. Also, there are many cabs on the way.
Hotel Acropolis Select - Athens
Hotel Acropolis Select - Athens
The Hotel Acropolis Select looks pretty new inside, perhaps recently remodeled. But it has one big drawback, the rooms -at least the 506 that we got- face an avenue that has traffic the whole night. We were pretty tired after a long day and could sleep, but the place is quite noisy. Besides, the hotel includes TV (also some in English, one in Spanish) , air conditioner, includes good and abundant breakfast, safety box in room, and other standard amenities. TIP: the hair dryer is under the desk!
.JPG "Resurrection Bay - Bald Eagle")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords - Alaska")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords - Alaska")
.JPG "Kenai Fjords")
.jpg "Anchorage")
.jpg "Anchorage")
.JPG "Seward Highway")
.JPG "Indian Valley Mine")
.JPG "Indian Valley Mine")
.JPG "Bird Point")
.JPG "Bird Point")
.JPG "Seward Highway")
.jpg "Sheraton Anchorage")
.jpg "Sheraton Anchorage room")
.jpg "Sheraton Anchorage room")
.jpg "Amalia Hotel - Kalambaka")
.jpg "Amalia Hotel - Kalambaka")
.jpg "Amalia Hotel - Kalambaka")
.jpg "Amalia Hotel - Kalambaka")
.jpg "Hotel Acropolis Select - Athens")
.jpg "Hotel Acropolis Select - Athens")