GlacierBay 10 July 2017

Breakfast is usually quite late as Dillon and Lou are not allowed in the dining area before 10:30. So this morning I nipped up to grab a cuppa and some fruit and yoghurt. As I was walking a family started pointing at something in the water. A sea otter was gliding along rolling intermittently on the smooth surface. 

The day was lovely, blue skies and the only cloud was snuggled up around the mountain peaks. Whilst eating my second breakfast we saw a whale glide by, just a couple of fins slipping under the water. So we shot upstairs to the open decks to get a better view. There was a stall from the shops on the ship and I got Dillon to negotiate a special price for some binoculars. Now we already have a couple of pair at home, but they are not here with me so it was an emergency purchase. In fact it was a great investment, because seconds later the ranger announced that there was a bear along the shore. With the naked eye he looked like a large rock, but through the binoculars I could see him walking alone and stopping to look around the water's edge. It would have been even better if I had known about the zoom capability that Dillon showed me soon after. Never mind, I was thrilled. One of my wishes was to see a bear in the wild, not in some enclosure, and now I can tick that off my list. 

Lou'ana and I headed for the viewing platform by the bridge. We had superb views, but the wind was icy cold and today I am suffering from some wind burn. The views were magnificent and the water was littered with ice. At one point we saw something in the water, a couple of fins, but I am not sure what it was. 

I spent about an hour up there until finally the wind dropped and the Margerie Glacier came into view. It was just like you would imagine a Glacier to be. Startling white columns packed together with azure blue in the crevices. With a crack like cannon fire huge pieces would crumble into the sea. There were points were it could be seen where the Glacier used to be, but has now receded due to climate change. 

The ship got incredibly close, which indicates how deep the water is here, in fact this whole bay was a huge Glacier only 250 years ago. I wandered down to the pool bar for something to warm me up. But the sun hit me and the word "mojito" just leapt out of my mouth instead of "hot chocolate". So there I was, sipping a mojito and leaning on the rail watching this magnificent Glacier slip by. 

As I sat having late lunch with Dillon and Lou we moved into another area and saw 2 more glaciers. I have run my phone down twice by taking so many photos. It is a truely magnificent place. 

Two Many Chiefs played at 5, 7 and 9pm and I sat in on every set. We nipped off for dinner between the 7 and 9 set and I had a salmon fillet. It was nice, but not as fatty and creamy as our salmon. And lighter in colour.