As a destination, no one would choose Whittier. But as a connecting link, it is an important point on the map. Whittier is the port connection for Anchorage to Prince William Sound. The waters surrounding Anchorage itself are too shallow and sandy to allow for large ships. Prince William Sound is a great place to visit by boat, so there is moorage for craft of all sizes.
Whittier is where we emerged from the tunnel.
...and saw our cruise ship for the first time.
That's our balcony that I circled.
Whittier is where we went through the boarding process in that dockside building.
Which was harder for some of us than others.
Most of the residents of Whitier live in two buildings. This is one of them. There is a small hotel and restaurant with a general store and a one room maritime museum.
From the dock, you can walk there through this pedestrian tunnel that goes under the railway and the highway.
But unless you have run out of shaving cream or something, there is not much reason to do so. Because the fudge information is on the harbor side with a few tourist shops.
...and a variety of watercraft of all sizes.
I did say ALL sizes.
So all in all, if you have to go through Whittier, Alaska, it will be an interesting adventure. If you want to get out on some water, see some glaciers, it is a good place to start. If you have to spend much time there, well...
...you can get some interesting reflection shots.
5 comments:
How exciting! I did not go there as we were driving on land when I visited Alaska. I don't understand the last photo and words for it. . . hmmmmm
Cruising is not my favorite activity, but maybe if you continue to post such exciting stories. Had to post another reflection and referred to your site
I love the two last shots. :-) Actually, I'm probably going to have a hard time with reflections in Versailles! Not many glass buildings, no river... :-)
Paulie, it's just that there is absolutely nothing to do once you have walked along the block or two of little shops, bars, and snack places along the dock except look for pictures to take. The best pictures are reflections in the windows of the big dock building, or of the boats in the marina.
We arrived shortly after noon and were checked in and in our cabins within an hour. The ship did not leave Whittier till about 9 p.m. Exploring the ship was not even practical, as during boarding (which was going on all afternoon as different tours, trains, and busses arrived) normal ship activities were not going on. When luggage was delivered it took all of twenty minutes to unpack and organize. We could get off and visit the town, but there was nothing to do or see once we got there. So that was a long time to wander the block or two of dock.
... which was a good thing to get ahead of time for "Weekend Reflections"lol.
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