This morning we awake to what we are told is typical weather for Alaska this time of the year - overcast and with temperatures in the low teens. We arrive in Juneau at 1:00 pm and just before we disembark we buy tickets for the chairlift (here called the Mt Roberts Tramway). It is right beside the dock and operated by the local Tlingit First Nations people. We see a bald eagle up close and a few others while descending back to Juneau from the vertigo inducing hei...

A 'relaxed but no time to ourselves' day as we head towards our cruise ship back in Vancouver. First an early breakfast and then onto the coach for the ferry crossing from Sidney over to Tsawwassen at Vancouver's Southern end. Some people are leaving the tour and we say our goodbyes before bussing right into the ship terminal to go through security, Canadian customs and of all things USA customs before boarding the ship. Impressions of the Volendam are very posit...

A short trip by coach from Whistler to Horseshoe Bay (North of Vancouver) - then coach and all onto the ferry for the 90 minute crossing to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. On our way south to Victoria we stopped for lunch at the quaint village of Chemainus, and being a public holiday most shops were shut. Still, it was nice to get some feel for life in Canada away from the usual tourist spots. We found Victoria pleasant enough but did not consider it a highlig...

Our tour went a short couple of hours drive up the road from Vancouver today along the scenic (and twisty) Sea to Sky Highway, to Whistler. And Wow! Whistler is a ski resort (think Thredbo but much bigger) which hosted the 2010 Olympic and Para-Olympic Winter Games. And it's gorgeous! It was somewhat cloudy so the scenery wasn't as spectacular as Banff but as a package it had it all! The village is closed to traffic and so is very pedestrian friendly with hordes ...

We're back in Vancouver (for the second time) which was the finish point for our Rocky Mountaineer train journey. We loved, loved, loved the train - Bill's trip highlight so far. We did the train trip on the recommendation of friends - thank you Robyn and Neale, Wendy and Dave!! Impressions of Vancouver; - A modern city with really interesting buildings - A picturesque harbour which is very busy - with cruise ships, freighters, tourist helicopter flights, seaplan...