Author Archives: janeinspain.blog

Today we are heading for Mt. Christoffel National Park. David is going to take on the mountain. Hikers need to register with the park office by 10:30 am or they are not allowed to climb. The heat and humidity become an issue later in the morning. The well travelled trail is pretty much one mileContinue reading “Curacao: Climbing Christoffel, Hanging with Peacocks and I ❤️ Jaanchie’s!”

Today we’re moving to the west end of the island. We’ve had a great time in Willemstad but are eager to explore the quieter side of the island. Westpunt is the western most point and mostly known for being surrounded by beautiful nature, scuba diving and shores. The whole island from east to west isContinue reading “Curacao: The Other End of the Island”

David started the day with something called the Açaí bowl. It was purple, cold and thick like ice cream. It contained fresh fruit, oatmeal milk, granola nuts and dried fruit. Very refreshing in this hot and humid weather. Running parallel to most of Curacao’s north coast, are cliffs that were formed 200 million years agoContinue reading “Curacao: Headed for Hato”

First order of the day after coffee, was to find a place to watch the World Cup Soccer match between Holland and the US. We walked through our neighborhood looking at street art. It’s everywhere in this very colorful city. The Kura Hulanda Museum shows the turbulent period that involved the Slave trade between theContinue reading “Curacao: Street Art & Beaches”

Bon Dia! That’s good morning in Papiamento and Bon Bini means welcome. Two common phrases heard and seen all about Willemstad. The Queen Emma bridge is hinged and opens regularly to enable the passage of ocean going vessels. On the opposite end from the hinge is a small shelter where an operator controls two dieselContinue reading “Curacao: Exploring Punda and Otrobanda”

Where?? That’s the common response when I mention a trip to Curaçao. A map is needed to explain this one. Located in the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, Curaçao was a Dutch colony for a long time. Since 2010, Curacao has been an independent country within the kingdom of the Netherlands. They areContinue reading “Jane Not In Spain: Curaçao”

Next stop Pacific City! A beautiful drive down the coast and it seems to be even more remote. After a little wine, we realize it’s a long drive back to Pacific City and we don’t want to miss the sunset. Back in the car and a beeline route back. The week ended with a bonfireContinue reading “Pacific City Oregon: An Awesome Weekend”

Another cloudy cold day on the Oregon coast. David and I are headed to the Portland airport to pick up a few wedding guests. It was another beautiful drive through the hilly forest. No stops along the way. We were trying to arrive at the airport in a timely manner. We planned to squeeze 5Continue reading “Buckle Up … Back to Portland”

It’s Monday and just after noon. My flight landed on time in Portland. My husband, David, flew from Minneapolis this morning and will be picking me up shortly. We will be attending a beach wedding at the end of the week and doing a couple airport pick-ups mid-week. The trip ends with a weekend atContinue reading “Jane Not In Spain: Oregon’s Cannon Beach”

Typically on cruise ships, passengers are asked to have their packed bags in the hallway by 10:00 pm the night before. The crew picks up the bags and organizes them for disembarkment in the morning. In the morning, everyone needs to be out of their stateroom by 9:00 am. Rather than have 5,000 guests tryingContinue reading “Alaskan Cruise: Ship to Shore Seattle”

Sunday morning at sea … the further south we went, the better the weather. Our challenge of the day was to see if it would be possible to find today’s Packer game somewhere on the ship. YES! We found the Packers vs Buccaneers game at one of the ship’s bars. It was very odd becauseContinue reading “Alaskan Cruise: Last Day Stop In Victoria”

Today we start the journey back to Seattle with a brief stop in Victoria tomorrow night. Plenty of activities on board during the ‘At Sea’ days. It’s not raining today but there are gale force winds rocking the boat. The closed pools were sloshing and outdoor activities were cancelled. We took a visit to theContinue reading “A Day at Sea: Alaska to Seattle”

Juneau is a mountain town and a coastal community surrounded by extremely rugged terrain making it one of the most scenic capital cities in the United States. It’s so rugged, it’s virtually an island with all goods and visitors coming and going by plane or boat even though it is part of mainland Alaska. TheContinue reading “No Roads Lead to Juneau”

Our ship was scheduled to go to Skagway but had a last minute change substituting Icy Strait Point because of high winds in Skagway. Along with Icy Strait Point, a shuttle to the village of Hoonah was available. Icy Strait Point is a purpose-built cruise ship port that offers activities and excursions. The port isContinue reading “Visiting Icy Strait Point & Hoonah”

First stop is Ketchikan. Located at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s Inside Passage, the ship works its way through a network of waterways and some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world. Ketchikan is known for salmon, incredible scenery, totem poles and rain … it is the rain capital of Alaska and on averageContinue reading “Ketchikan: A Morning of Crabbing”

Our ship is in and we’re ready to roll. Weeks before embarkation, we were required to download the cruise line’s app and complete required check-in information online. Also required within 48 hours was a verified covid test and receipt of a QR code with the results. Another “joyful” experience was completing the ArriveCAN app forContinue reading “Cruising to Alaska”

Back on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. Today we’re hopping off at Seattle Center. The number one thing we wanted to see this weekend is the Chihuly museum. Like everything else, we had to buy tickets in advance and reserve a time slot. Pike Place Market is a popular spot but today we don’t have timeContinue reading “Sunday in Seattle: Exploring City Center”

Seattle is called the Emerald City because it has a vast number of evergreen trees that remain green and beautiful all year long. Hotel rooms in Seattle are very expensive. The moderately priced ones start around $200 per night. Since Theresa and I have experienced many albuergues in Spain, we were curious about American hostelsContinue reading “Seattle — the Emerald City”

We’re off on another adventure but this time it’s not in Spain. Theresa and I have just arrived in Seattle for a couple days and then we board a ship for Alaska. If I were a superstitious person I would have concerns right now. Joining us on the cruise will be my mother-in-law Sally whoContinue reading “JANE NOT IN SPAIN: Seattle & Alaska”

We are definitely ready to go home. I wouldn’t call this trip a “vacation”, it was more of a journey. Our Air Europa flight from Barcelona arrived in Madrid early afternoon and we were settled in the hotel around 2:00 pm. It was a beautiful afternoon so we decided to take a final wander aroundContinue reading “Goodbye Spain!”