Alaska 2015

AK-15 Alaska (USA) Date of travel: Feb 12 - Feb 17, 2015 ITINERARY: In the morning on Feb 12, 2015 I leave Vista in a car from Enterprise for San Diego airport. There I board Alaska Airlines plane to Seattle. This time I don’t have a check-in luggage. From northern California, above Oregon and Washington I take pictures of Cascades with their snow-covered volcanoes. After 2.5 hours flight the plane lands in Seattle, Washington. Here I change to another Alaska Airlines plane and fly to Anchorage, Alaska. The plane lands there late in the afternoon. I am picked up by my friends Alena and Petr both originally from Chrudim, where I spent my childhood. They take me to theirhouse. It is my second visit in their home. The first was 25 years ago. Next day I visit their shop where Petr repairs clocks and watches of every type. Later, Petr drives me to the center of Anchorage. There is snoweverywhere. I enter “Captain Cook Hotel.” It is the most interesting hotel v the city with an appealing lobby and a great view from its upper floors. In an underground floor there are large paintings showing Captain Cook’s travels in Pacific. Then I walk through the main Anchorage streets and because there is quite cold I spend some time in the “5th Avenue Mall.” To celebrate birthday of their younger daughter we go to a nice restaurant in the city. In the morning on Feb 14 Petr takes us to the “Hilltop Ski Area.” Here their younger daughter has ski lessons. In the afternoon the older daughter comes with 2 of her 3 sons. The following day Petr shows me a Kincaid Park around which there are now empty rocket silos from the Cold War. Then we visit a gigantic canvas tent covering a football stadium and other sport facilities, so local people can use it the whole year. In midafternoon neighbors come and their older daughter with her husband and 2 sons to celebrate their younger daughter’s birthdate. On Feb 16 we spend time in their shop talking about times long gone. I invite them to dinner to thank them for the nice time I had with them. After that they take me to the airport. I board Alaska Airlines plane to Seattle. The plane lands in Seattle at 2 AM on Feb 17. My plane to San Diego leaves 9 hours later. After 11 AM I leave Seattle on Alaska Airlines plane for a 2-hr and 15 min. flight to San Diego. There I rent a car at Hertz and drive the 40 miles home to Vista where at 3:30 PM. Travel office: I arranged the trip myself. Who took part: I traveled alone and in Anchorage spent time with Alena and Petr.