In July of 2005, we went on a cruise to Alaska aboard a Holland America ship, the Oosterdam. We went for a week with Theresa’s parents, her sister, and brother in law.

Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to, and we both agreed we would love to go back, but on our own instead of on a cruise. I’m not much of a cruise person, but this one was a good introduction to Alaska.

The cruise left from (and ended at) Seattle, Washington. Theresa and I stuck around for a few days after the cruise to take in the city.

The cruise went to Juneau, Hubbard Glacier (in Yakutat Bay), Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria (British Columbia) before returning to Seattle.

My favorite parts of the cruise in Alaska were Hubbard Glacier and Sitka. The Glacier is simply amazing in its size, and it is hard to comprehend how large it is until you are less than 1000 feet away like we were. Sitka is a very tranquil city on a beautiful bay. In Ketchikan, we visited a Native American village and saw lots of bald eagles. Victoria is a lively Canadian city with a nice harbor side promenade.

Here are some of the pictures we took on the trip: