Au Cochonnet Marin

I started my long-awaited vacation on Monday, June 19. That evening I met my friend Nina at the SF airport where we enjoyed a light dinner. We then departed San Francisco and flew for about 5 hours to the city of Anchorage.

On our first day, we drove for about 4 hours to visit the Portage Glacier.  We stopped intermittently to walk. Everything was so beautiful that we couldn’t stop taking pictures

On the second day, we visited a sleddog kennel. We met Martin Buser, a three-time winner of the “Iditarod“. This famous race takes place every year on the first weekend of March and attracts participants from all over the world.

In the afternoon we drove to some very high peaks and saw the historical Independence Mine which stopped working in 1951. Unfortunately, I was not able to walk to the little museum to see the history of this mine because there was a lot of snow and ice, and I was a little bit scared to walk.
We then drove to the Matanuska Glacier, and everyone was very excited to walk and touch the ice.

In the evening we stopped in the city of Glenallen, seemingly located at the end of the world. Our hotel was surprisingly nice and comfy.

The next day (after a miserable breakfast) left very early and drove to the port of Valdez. It took us about two hours and a half of a very difficult drive through the mountains to reach that city where a cruise ship was waiting for us.

We took a 6-hour Columbia Glacier Cruise to Wrangell-St Elias National Park and saw one of the largest tidal glaciers in the world. It rained all the time, and it was extremely cold.

After the boat trip, we went to a fish restaurant, which was not very good and very expensive. We were back at the hotel late and very tired.

After a long  3 hours drive, we reached the city of North Pole. We stopped at a very cute shopping mall to buy some souvenirs and visit the Santa Claus House, and then we drove to Fairbanks.

Surprisingly, it happened to be a very nice city with shops, restaurants, and a  nice University campus. We then went to a Moldavian restaurant where we had a very good meal. Great blinchiki and tea.

Our next stop was the wonderful city of Seward. In the morning we took a 6.5-hour cruise along the Alyaskin Bay in 9 Kenai Fjords National Park and had a very good lunch on Fox Island.

It is a very beautiful town with a harbor of the Kenai Fjords, a lot of shops, restaurants, a museum, a library, and some cultural buildings.

The water scenery was spectacular. In the evening we walked around the city, and we were surprised to discover how nice it was.  We also had an excellent fish dinner.

On our last day of the trip, we went to visit the high-elevation Exit Glacier. The weather wasn’t nice, it was drizzling and cold but we still enjoyed walking around the city. We also visited the Sea World Center.

On the way back, we stopped at the Conservation Center to watch the fauna of Alaska. We then drove to the Alyeska ski resort, where we rode the gondola to the top of the ski station. Brrrrr, scary…

I also want to acknowledge our tour guide.  He was extremely knowledgeable and sincerely cared for every person in our group.  I also want to mention that we had the same experienced bus driver for our entire trip.

Altogether, it was a wonderful adventure and a pleasure to explore Alaska, one of the most beautiful states in America.

Tamara

PS: be sure to watch pictures of our trip

You look at your mirror every day, and you barely ever notice it. But, unbeknownst to you, it is happening… you are growing older by the minute.

This phenomenon is subtle and sneaky; when you are young, you are probably never aware of or concerned with it. You have too many projects bubbling in your head, and your face is too familiar to notice any changes.

But much later in life, especially when you have not seen a certain person for a while, you become aware of the change. It seems that this person has aged 10 years in 6 months… How could that be?

For we only see others grow old. We are too familiar with our own bodies to pay attention to minute details. Losing your hair, for instance, is so subtle that you practically never notice the gradual loss… until you are suddenly bold. How could this have happened without my approval? Am I not the master of my own body? Sadly, like the grotesque abortion issue, it does not seem to be the case.

Your cronies probably think the same way about you, but nobody has the impertinence to say so. Better be silent than speak ill.

“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” Andy Rooney

Ain’t that so?

Those who profess that the “Golden Years” are the best time of their lives probably believe in the Rapture.

As for me, I don’t believe in such nonsense and wouldn’t mind growing old if it didn’t come with penalties, like ills of all kinds. I would be more accepting of the aging process if it didn’t involve the decline in health and well-being that often accompanies it.

Any outside-the-box ideas anyone?

Alain

Desertification is not a word that you would commonly hear in America, but it is often mentioned in French news broadcasts.

The Oxford Languages dictionary defines desertification as “the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.”

But this term is not exclusively reserved to define land conditions. In France, it is usually used in a social context.

Deserted streets and closed shops… This is the problem that plagues many small communities… and probably the world over. Due to the exodus of young people to cities and intensified Internet competition, many small businesses (grocery stores, butcher shops, bakers, doctors, etc.) have closed and left the locals in a state of social desertification.

But besides regular commerce, what locals miss most are cafés, bistros, and restaurants. Social waterholes. The disappearance of these meeting places significantly degrades their lifestyle.

Traditionally, friends would meet at cafés and bistros to chat and vent. The local café visit could be seen as a substitute for a shrink’s visit.

But France is not the only country suffering from desertification. The problem is worldwide, also observable in America. Surprised? How many cafés or bistros do you have in your community? Probably none or very few. And fast-food businesses or dreary bars do not qualify as cafés.

Starbucks establishments, by the way, are not authentic cafés. They are just pale imitations of the real McCoy… Bistros tend to focus more on a friendlier atmosphere and less on getting patrons in and out the door.

We don’t need more freeways and shopping centers. Human beings are very similar to canines. They are pack animals, and to be contented they need to socialize. Why do you think that hounds are so eager to visit dog parks?

“I think we should have more coffeehouses, more cafes, more “third places.” More places where people can get together that’s not work, not home, and where they can interact with people who are different from them.” ~ Eric Weiner

Amen!

Alain