How nice to celebrate my birthday by entering the Glacier Bay US National Park.
Perhaps because my birthday arrives in the middle of summer, I have found myself in cooler places during recent years. In 2022, I was in Reykjavík, Iceland. Further back, on the day I turned 60, we were also in Alaska and took a helicopter to the top of a glacier near Skagway.
Glacier Bay is always both fascinating and beautiful. Just as on previous trips, we picked up a park ranger at the visitor center on the way in. That occurred at around 6:30 am. He or she stays and periodically narrates throughout the day. As we leave, we do a drop-off. Only two cruise ships are allowed per day but visitors on smaller vessels and even kayaks are allowed to enter the unique and special location.
This cruise was unique because our friends were aboard as well. We've been eating in the main dining room for dinners. Both our anniversary and my birthday happened to coincide with Holland America Lines gala nights. We brought along suits so we could totally participate in dressy evening attire. On HAL cruises, it is a tradition that working staff come to celebrate birthdays. As many staff have customarily come from Indonesia, they clap and sing a unique song. Tonight I was one of several who received this honour.
