Cabaret Au Château

Steve and I attended the Cabaret Au Château at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville last weekend.  It was a gala event sponsored by the Alliance Française de Seattle and it was the next best thing to being on a cruise in France. 

The evening began with a festive reception and silent auction featuring music by Danick.  As I sipped my bubbly apéritif, I enjoyed listening to the entertaining French conversations around me and after half a glass I was no longer reticient to speak some French of my own.  I did a better job speaking on this evening than I normally do in my French class on Thursday nights at Alliance Française so maybe I'll suggest to my instructor, Gwen Sauvage, that she bring a nice bottle of Chardonnay to the class.  It's amazing what a glass of wine will do to loosen the tongue.

One of the many reasons I enjoy France as much as I do is the way the French savor the whole dining experience.  I'm not just talking about the fabulous  French cuisine and the excellent wine; I admire how the French relax and take pleasure in eating, drinking and enjoying each other's company as if there were no tomorrow. 

This evening's delicious meal and our interesting dinner companions brought the French joie-de-vivre out in us.  The roasted chicken breast with proscuitto-sage stuffing and roasted shallot sauce melted in my mouth. And, I would not have traded the gingerbread cake with brandy sabayon, caramel sauce and warm apples for a rich chocolate dessert even though I'm a confirmed chocoholic.  The Chateau Ste. Michelle 2008 Muscat Canelli was a particularly good choice with the gingerbread cake.   During dinner, we had the pleasure of listening to Rouge, with vocalist Janet Rayor bringing French music to life at each of our tables.

   

A Voyage to Remember

For the past few weeks, I've been asking my friends, family, colleagues and clients to post a photo on my Cruise Holidays Facebook page of their most memorable vacation.  To encourage them to take the time to do this, I've been offering a $25 onboard credit on the next cruise they book with me.  One of the most interesting responses I received was from Carole Casper, former owner of Cruise Holidays of Seattle.

Carole's most memorable cruise was with Theo Fabergé on the Silver Whisper's "Baltic Reflections" inaugural voyage, July 27- August 7, 2001.  Just being on this voyage would be remarkable but it turns out that Carole was instrumental in bringing Theo Fabergé on board and designing Silversea's Romanovs Remembered package, a rare opportunity for guests to experience the hidden wonders of St. Petersburg and receive a limited edition, commemorative Silver Whisper Egg designed by Mr.Fabergé.

 I asked Carole if she knew Theo Fabergé before Silver Whisper's inaugural voyage and she said, "No, I didn't know him but my Slavic heritage encouraged my love for all things Russian.  I've admired his family's eggs for my entire life so I just started online trying to find him."  Carole not only found him but introduced him to Silversea because she thought a Theo Fabergé Egg and a special tour of St. Petersburg would be a perfect fit for the Silver Whisper's inaugural voyage.  Silversea executives obviously agreed with her and commissioned Mr. Fabergé to design a numbered, limited edition "Egg" to celebrate the inaugural season of the line's newest ship.  Carole developed the ideas for the tour program in St. Petersburg with the help of recognized Russian imperial art historian Lynette G. Proler.

I need to take a page from Carole's book.  I'm an avid francophile and a member of Alliance Française, where I'm working hard to improve my French.   And I love culturally rich cruising experiences.   I have group space on Uniworld's Grand France river cruise from Paris to Arles on September 18 - October 2, 2011 and although this will be a wonderful cruise, it doesn't include any exclusive experiences designed by "yours truly."  I'm just going to have to let my imagination run free -- do you think a glass of fine French wine would help?

River Cruising: A Unique Way to See Many Places in Our Beautiful World

I love river cruising because it combines the best of ocean cruising and land tours. You unpack once and your floating boutique hotel takes you into the heart of both bustling cities and charming villages while you sit back and enjoy the picturesque scenery along the way.

Ocean cruising certainly has its advantages. Since the ships are much larger, more activities, entertainment and dining options are available on board. But as discerning cruisers have discovered, more isn’t necessarily better. If you’re more interested in delving into the history and culture of the fascinating regions you’re visiting than being entertained on board, a river cruise is ideal. Unlike most ocean cruise ships, river cruise ships overnight in many ports of call giving you the opportunity to explore the area by day and to experience the night life. Think about Amsterdam; its personality changes as the sun goes down. If your ship sails at 5:00pm, you just might miss the most vibrant element of a city’s DNA.

If you’ve been on a lot of land tours, I can assure you the river cruise ship is a lot more comfortable than the roomiest of motor coaches. And you won’t have to pack your bags and put them out the door for pickup by some ungodly early hour every morning because on a river cruise you unpack only once.

In Europe, you can take an unforgettable journey across the heart of Europe from the North Sea to the Black sea on three historic rivers: the Rhine, the Main and the Danube. If you’re a connoisseur of everything French, you can experience all of France by cruising on the Seine, Saône and Rhône rivers. You can also travel Europe’s spectacular UNESCO World Heritage-designated river valley through Portugal and Spain on the Douro River.

Discover the rich history and traditions along the imperial waterways of Russia including the Neva, Svir and Volga Rivers. Explore China’s mighty Yangtze River as you sail through the most impressive stretch of the river featuring the Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as the Three Gorges. Journey along the Nile River in Egypt and experience incredible sights that include ancient temples, tombs and local villages.

River cruises are now offered by leading river cruise providers on the exotic Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam where temples, trade routes and fishing villages in the river’s path are untouched by time.

Touring Anchorage with Good Friends

Our 13-day Alaska adventure ended in Anchorage, where Steve and I were lucky to have the opportunity to connect with old friends whom we hadn't seen in 16 years. Tim and Sharon Jackson have lived in Anchorage for a number of years so we felt privileged to have them personally show us around. Shortly after we arrived at the Anchorage train station after an eight hour ride from Denali, Tim and Sharon took us to the Crow's Nest at the Captain Cook Hotel for a glass of wine or two or more -- frankly I can't remember since we were having such a great time catching up. From the Crow's Nest, we enjoyed a panoramic view of Anchorage. Although Anchorage is Alaska's largest city with a population of 280,000, it isn't very big and you can get the whole lay of the land from the Crow's Nest.

A few days before we arrived in Anchorage, Tim had asked me if there was anything we particularly wanted to see in Anchorage. Since Steve had been craving for really fresh grilled halibut ever since we arrived in Alaska and hadn't yet had any, I told Tim that we were on a quest for halibut. The next day, after taking us on a brief tour of downtown Anchorage and Earthquake Park, Tim and Sharon took us to the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. Since Tim and Sharon used to work at the Alyeska Resort, everyone knew them there and we were treated like family. And Steve finally got his fresh halibut. Misson accomplished!

Alyeska Resort is Alaska's most luxurious property. The grounds are gorgeous and populated with some of the largest flowers I have ever seen. But then everything is bigger in Alaska, right? After lunch, we took the tram to the Seven Glaciers Restaurant, Alyeska's Four Diamond restaurant which Tim used to manage. We got our very own private tour of the restaurant (it wasn't open for lunch) and I enjoyed hearing Tim's stories about what it takes to get and maintain the AAA Four Diamond Award. On a clear day, one can see seven glaciers from the restaurant. Since we didn't have a clear day we didn't see the seven glaciers but still managed to take a few good pictures through the patchy fog.

Our trip to Alaska had it all -- stunning glaciers, majestic mountains, wildlife sightings, inspirational moments and a visit with old friends. I know I'll be back!

More photos of Anchorage

The Historic Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad is the most comfortable way to travel by land in Alaska, especially in Holland America's dome rail cars from which we got magnificent views of the stunning scenery gliding by. Given that we spent a total of 12 hours on the train (4 hours from Fairbanks to Denali and 8 hours from Denali to Anchorage), I was really happy about the wide reclining seats and ample legroom. One advantage of the train over the motorcoach is that you have the opportunity to get up and walk around which greatly decreases the size of the flat spot on your butt from sitting all day. Another advantage is the domed rail cars will allow you to not only look out but up as well; given how dramatic the landscape can be in Alaska, you really need to be able to look up as well as out in order to appreciate it. The beverage service is excellent so you can have a drink while soaking up the scenery.

I was also impressed with the dining car and the food. For breakfast I had the opportunity to try reindeer sausage which was lean (compared to pork sausage) and tasty. I also found the crab cakes surprisingly good. The dining car is directly below the domed rail car where we were seated and meals were done in two shifts in order to accommodate everybody in the rail car.

Our train conductors were amusing and would point out interesting sites along the way. One of the most intriguing landmarks was Clear at milepost 392.9, about 78 miles south of Fairbanks. Clear was originally a railroad station known as Clear Site. Now it is one of the world's three early warning ballistic missile sites (others are in England and Greenland). The 125 Air Force personnel receive overseas pay and are not allowed to have families on the base because of top security status.

The train conductors could also tell a good tale or two. When the railroad was officially completed on July 15, 1923, President Warren Harding drove the golden spike at Nenana to commemorate the event. Interesting enough, President Harding's wife and mistress both accompanied him on his trip to Alaska. A few days later, President Harding died in San Francisco and there was a lot of speculation about whether his wife killed him because she was tired of him playing around on her. Our train conductor told us that while he was telling this story to a group of passengers, one of them promptly informed him that she was President Harding's granddaughter. Although the conductor was a little embarrassed about telling this sordid tale in her presence, he did ask her if there was any truth to the story. She promptly replied, "You bet, Granny offed him."

At any rate, if you're planning to travel into Alaska's heartland, take the train! Although it can't stop on a dime to allow passengers to take photos of wildlife, it does have an outdoor viewing platform. Besides, I only saw one moose from the train and it was very fleeting. If you've got your heart set on viewing wildlife, take the Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali National Park. Even there, there are no guarantees but your chances are a lot better. Go with the flow and keep in mind that wildlife do not make appointments with tourists.

Photos taken on and from the train

Denali National Park and Preserve

Until the 11th day of our Alaska cruisetour when we took the Tundra Wilderness Tour to Denali National Park and Preserve, we hadn't had the opportunity to see any living big game. We saw the stuffed versions at the Wildlife Display Museum at the Westmark Inn in Beaver Creek and at the Denali Visitor Center but there's nothing like the real thing. At this point in our trip, you might say we felt 'wildlife' deprived. We had all hoped to spot some big game along the road or railroad tracks as we traveled through the Yukon Territory and Alaska but it didn't happen. At one point we thought we had spotted a black bear on the highway but were vastly disappointed when it turned out to be just a "Canis lupis familiaris" or dog.

At around 2:30pm on August 3, our group of 40 hopped on the Tundra Wilderness Tour bus, which you might find a bit tight if you're particularly tall or large. Only a single road goes into Denali which leads 93 miles into the wilderness and private vehicles are only allowed on the first 15 miles in order to reduce congestion and preserve the natural resources of the park. Park service buses and commercial outfitters, however, make trips as far back as the lodgings at Kantishna at the end of the road and they carry 350,000 visitors each summer.

River White, our bus driver and trained interpretive naturalist, promised he would stop on a dime for wildlife sightings and he didn't let us down! We saw Dall sheep grazing on a steep cliff face, grizzlies feasting on soapberries (in a single day, the grizzly can eat 200,000 soapberries!), caribou roaming in the tundra and one lone moose. One caribou seemed to be blissfully unaware of the bears in a feeding frenzy below him. I thought we were very lucky to see all of these beautiful animals in one trip because believe it or not, they don't make appointments with tourists!

The National Park Service offers the following three tours of Denali:

• The Denali Natural History Tour, a 4 1/2 to 5 hour tour 17 miles into the park


• The Tundra Wilderness Tour, a 7 to 8 hour tour that generally goes 53 miles into the park; however, because Denali (Mt. McKinley) was visible on our tour, albeit barely, we were able to go another eight miles down the road to Stony Hill Overlook


• Kantishna Experience, a 12 to 14 hour journey to the end of the road

The Kantishna Experience would be wonderful but a 12 to 14 hour journey in the tour bus would be a bit much. If you decide to go to Kantishna, you should seriously consider spending the night there.

More photos of Denali National Park and Preserve

A video of Mama grizzly and her cub:

There's Gold in Them Thar Hills!

August 1 was a day jam-packed with a lot of truly Alaskan activities. As much I enjoyed my visit to Rika's Roadhouse in Delta Junction, my peek at the Trans Alaska Pipeline, and the Alaska Salmon Bake and Palace Theatre at Pioneer Park, my afternoon visit to the authentic Gold Dredge No. 8 and the El Dorado Gold Mine nine miles north of Fairbanks was the most memorable.

Our visit to Gold Dredge No. 8 began auspiciously with a hearty miner's lunch of stew and biscuits. I had worked up an appetite just thinking about gold panning and was happy to sit down to a meal. I was even happier when I was offered a dish of gold nugget ice cream, a yummy flavor made with sweet cream, caramel and toffee.

After lunch we toured the dredge. Between 1928 and 1959, 7.5 million ounces of gold were extracted from this five-deck dredge which functioned as a gigantic mechanical gold pan. So if it takes many tons of ore to produce a single ounce of gold, can you imagine how much ore was processed through this dredge over 31 years? I don't know the answer and judging by the look of the innards of the dredge, a whole lot of dirt passed through there.

We then boarded the El Dorado Gold Mine Train out to the mine where we would seek our fortune. Our conductor, Earl Hughes, provided lively commentary about this land and the lifestyle of rural Alaskan families. Along the way we saw a small miner's operation similar to those which dotted the landscape during the gold rush and traveled through a short permafrost tunnel where we saw the kinds of mineral and rock formations in which gold was most likely to be found. I'm sure glad I entered this tunnel riding a train rather than riding down in an open permafrost shaft in a tailing bucket!

At the gold camp we were met by husband and wife mining team Dexter (pictured at left) and Lynette "Yukon Yonda" Clark, who looked like they could have been plucked right out of the gold rush era one hundred years ago. They were very funny as they demonstrated prospecting, panning and placer/sluice mining. About 99.9% of recovered gold is in the form of dust, called 'fines'; a mere 1/10th of 1% is in the form of nuggets. Yukon Yonda was wearing a gold nugget necklace and to show us how a nugget is defined she dropped her gold nugget in the pan and it went 'plink'. She explained that a nugget is a piece of natural gold large enough to make a 'plink' when dropped in the pan.

At the end of the demonstration we were all given a poke of dirt and a pan to try our luck. Would I or would I not hit 'pay dirt'? There is a real technique to gold panning and I needed all the help I could get. I wasn't jiggling my pan aggressively enough because I was afraid I would lose the gold with the dirt. Lucky for me I received a little help from an experienced staff member. Unluckily, Steve and I together only collected 42 specks or 'fines' of gold. Oh how I had wanted to hear that 'plink' in the pan! We had our gold weighed and our total take was worth $18. I guess I won't be giving up my Cruise Diva position any time soon.

More photos of our golden adventure and sites in and around Fairbanks