Cruising Alaska's Glacier Bay

     It was a beautiful sunny morning when we cruised into Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park on Holland America Line's MS Zuiderdam, July 20, 2011. There were very few clouds in the clear blue sky, and glacier viewing conditions were excellent for this highlight of our Alaskan Inside Passage cruise. We entered the park at 6am, with two park rangers boarding shortly afterwards. Throughout our stay in Glacier Bay, they provided informative commentary as we slowly made our way north towards Margerie Glacier in Tarr Inlet, located near the Canadian border.

Beautiful sunny day in Glacier Bay, mountains reflected in the calm waters.

     The greenish-blue waters of Glacier Bay were extremely calm throughout our cruise. As we slowly moved through the park, the near-perfect reflection of the ice-capped mountains in the still water lent an air of solitude and tranquility to our visit. Although we spotted an exiting Princess cruise ship in the distance at one point, it was otherwise quite easy to imagine that we were all alone in the unspoiled natural beauty of the park. Wildlife could be spotted all around us, from sea lions and whales in the water, to bears on land and seagulls in the air.

Sea lion, come back!

One of two brown bears playing on the beach opposite Margerie Glacier.

     The Zuiderdam spent about a full hour in front of the massive Margerie Glacier at the top of Tarr Inlet. Captain Timmers allowed plenty of time for everyone on board to see the glacier fully, turning the ship slowly so that the port, stern and starboard all faced the glacier for a significant amount of time. The air was chilly, but the sun was warm, and we were in luck, as the Margerie Glacier was actively calving. The sound of the ice breaking away from the glacier was like great rumbling thunderclaps, echoing towards us over the water. Seagulls circled over the pools of ice formed by the crumbling chunks of glacier, looking for fish. It was an awesome spectacle of nature - not to be soon forgotten, and highly recommended to all.

Calving from Margerie Glacier

Related posts: 
Photo Tour of Zuiderdam's Penthouse Suite #7046  
A Balcony With a View: Penthouse Suite 7046
Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage on HAL's Zuiderdam
Shore Excursion: Gold Panning in Juneau
Shore Excursion: Supper at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake in Juneau 
Shore Excursion: White Pass Railroad in Skagway
A Taste of Tracy Arm Fjord

Bu: Montreal restaurant and wine bar

     Now that the weather is cooling off, Montreal's bars and restaurants are closing up their terrasses for the winter and patrons are retreating inside from the autumn chill. This is probably welcome news for the owners of Bu, a wine bar/restaurant located on a not-so-trendy stretch of northern St-Laurent Blvd, just north of Fairmont Avenue (5245 St-Laurent). When we were there this past summer, on a warm Saturday night in July, the place was completely empty when we arrived at 10pm.  The restaurant livened up only slightly when a passing group of four friends, looking for a place to chat over a glass of wine, decided to accept the obligatory purchase of a food dish even though they weren't hungry, and took the table next to us.

Bu: empty on a Saturday night in July

     Our waiter/sommelier, Alex, had all the time in the world to explain to us how things work at Bu, and also told us that summer is their worst season, but that winter nights are completely different. This does reflect our past experience, having had to wait for a table one Halloween evening, and again on a snowy Saturday in February last year, when we were finally seated at a table next to renowned Quebec film director, Robert Lepage. The advantage of being only one of two groups of clients at a wine bar, is that you benefit from very personalized service. We had an interactive wine-tasting session with Alex, who willingly answered our many questions and offered a very interesting and thorough description of all we were drinking.

Caprese Salad

     Bu has been around since 2003, and is officially a restaurant with a liquor license rather than a true bar. This means that everyone must purchase food from its menu of simple yet flavorful Italian antipasti-style dishes in order to taste the real star of the show at Bu: the extensive and constantly-changing list of privately-imported wines from all over the world. Wines are available by the bottle or glass, and contrary to most restaurants, the choice of wines available by the glass is both extensive and excellent in quality. Bu's wine menu also includes wine trios: three 2 oz. glasses of wines grouped together by some theme, such as geographical region or type of grape.

Brandade de morue

     On this visit, I had the trio of chardonnays from Burgundy ($20), and my husband chose the Languedoc-Roussillon trio, with one white wine and two reds ($21). These were accompanied by the Caprese salad ($11) and the brandade de morue ($6), a whipped concoction of codfish served with two pieces of toasted french bread. Both dishes were fresh and tasty, and served as an excellent backdrop for our wine tasting.
     Alex brought out the bottles of wine for each trio separately, and displayed each label as he described the wine's composition and flavors before pouring each glass. He was knowledgeable and also clearly enjoyed his work, taking time to answer our many questions with enthusiasm.
     Although we were initially surprised to find Bu practically deserted on this beautiful summer Saturday night, it worked out to our advantage, as we had more attentive service, and the opportunity to really question our sommelier about the wines we were drinking. I recommend rushing over before the crowds come back!

Galley Tour aboard Holland America Line's ms Zuiderdam

     A typical cruise on Holland America Line's ms Zuiderdam might carry almost 2000 passengers and 800 crew members. Preparing food to feed all of these people is an immense task, and during our recent sailing on the Zuiderdam, cruisers had the opportunity to take a short "behind the scenes" tour of the main galley, where most of the passengers' meals are prepared.
     We entered the galley through the service entrance in the Vista Dining Room at the aft of the ship. We were greeted by galley and dining room staff, who gave us a flyer with facts and details about its layout and how it functions. We were free to walk through at our own pace to observe the staff at work. Displays had been arranged at several stations to illustrate the work done there.

Garde Manger or Cold Kitchen, where all cold appetizers, sandwiches, cheese plates, salads and juices are prepared.

     The galley is tucked away behind the walls of the corridor that runs from forward to aft past the Pinnacle Bar and the Explorer's Lounge to the Vista Dining Room. It is separated into many stations, each with a particular task, such as beverages, dishwashing, soup preparation and pastry baking. All stations are made of stainless steel, with plenty of room for the 13 demi-chefs, 31 assistant cooks and three apprentice cooks to work their magic. The cooking is overseen by one executive chef, one second executive chef and three sous chefs.

Grilling chicken breasts at the meat station.

      Posted on the walls of the corridor running through the galley are photos of the various dishes that make up the Zuiderdam's daily menus, with detailed instructions on how to plate each course correctly for presentation to the dining room guests.

Photos and instructions for preparing each plate.

     The seven pastry chefs have their own station towards the front of the galley. This is where all the cookies, cakes, chocolates, petit fours and other pastries are prepared. The ship's five bakers prepare over 20 kinds of different breads, including regular bread, French bread, dinner rolls, croissants and danishes each day. However, this part of the galley operation takes place on the B deck, although a baker was demonstrating his craft at the pastry station.

The pastry station: cookie anyone?

Preparing decorative breads.

     The Pinnacle Grill specialty restaurant has its own chefs, who work in a separate galley within the main galley complex, located adjacent to the restaurant. The Pinnacle Chef is in charge of running operations there.

Pinnacle Grill Galley

Table with a view in the Pinnacle Grill

      Our tour ended as we exited the galley through the Pinnacle Grill restaurant. It took about 15-20 minutes to wander through the galley, stopping for samples or to have a closer look along the way. It gave us an interesting glimpse of the behind-the-scenes workings of what is probably the busiest part of any cruise ship.

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Tea Time on Holland America

Tea Time on Holland America Line

      Tea, however British it may seem today, was in fact cultivated and commonly drank in China for centuries before being discovered by the Western World. Dutch traders were the first to import tea from China to Europe in the early seventeenth century, and it soon became popular in Holland. However, legend has it that it was the Duchess of Bedford, one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting,  who invented "afternoon tea", to curb her hunger in the late afternoon. It was she who made this practice into a social event by inviting friends to join her for tea and small cakes at her residence.

Tea time on the Zuiderdam

     The British "afternoon tea" has become a very popular tradition, and is typically served in the late afternoon as a light meal between the main morning and evening meals. It usually consists of small sandwiches, scones or pastries served with tea. It is also referred to as "low tea" because it was usually served on low tables in a social, living room setting. The term "high tea" is sometimes used incorrectly to describe this tradition. High tea actually refers to a more substantial meal, served from high tables (therefore "high" tea), and includes heavier, more filling dishes, such as those with meat.
     The formal afternoon tea tradition is alive and well on Holland America Line, and carries on the Dutch tradition of tea drinking, developed so long ago. On our recent 7-day Alaskan Inside Passage cruise on the ms Zuiderdam, some form of afternoon tea was served in the main dining room between 3 and 4 pm every day.

Here is the tea schedule from our cruise:

(3-4pm each day, Vista Dining Room)

Sunday: Royal Dutch Tea

Monday: Afternoon Tea

Tuesday: Afternoon Tea

Wednesday: Cupcake Tea

Thursday: Afternoon Tea

Friday: Indonesian Tea Ceremony

     We were also able to have afternoon tea served in our stateroom, an added benefit for those sailing in a Deluxe or Penthouse suite. On the first day at sea, rather than attending the Royal Dutch Tea in the dining room, we asked our concierge at the Neptune Lounge, Charmaine, to arrange in-room delivery of tea and goodies to celebrate a birthday. At 3:30pm, as requested, two large trays laden with teapots and assorted tea bags, cups and saucers, milk, honey, lemon and sugar, and a plate full of goodies were brought to our cabin.

In room tea service for 9 (and 1 baby on his first birthday!)

Tea time goodies, delivered to our stateroom

     The tea selection included the ubiquitous Earl Gray, as well as several herbal tea choices, all of the Bigelow brand. At the Neptune Lounge, tea lovers can also choose from several flavors of Harney & Sons premium loose-leaf tea in silk sachets (a larger, fancier tea bag that allows loose-leaf tea to expand). The small cakes and pastries served with our tea were plentiful and delicious, and served well as a first birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Baby!

     We ventured to the dining room on Wednesday afternoon for the special "Cupcake Tea". Our group was seated quickly at a table by the window, and almost immediately surrounded by white-gloved waiters; one with a box holding a selection of Bigelow tea bags, another serving hot water to brew each person's tea of choice, and a third proffering a tray full of delicious-looking mini-cupcakes.

White-gloved attendants serve mini-cupcakes to accompany a hot cup of tea

Choice of 8 different types of cupcakes

     There were eight different flavors of cupcake from which to choose. Some were very similar, such as the two chocolate cupcakes, which differed only in the decoration on top (one had a cherry and the other a piece of dark chocolate). The raspberry cupcake was truly different, however, having a moist, raspberry-flavored cake covered with a sweet pink frosting and a fresh raspberry on top. It was also our group's overwhelmingly favorite cupcake.
     The cakes were surprisingly solid, and not overly sweet. Each one could be finished in two or three bites, so one could easily try a few different flavors without feeling overly greedy!

Enjoy!

     Cruisers on Holland America Line have many opportunities to enjoy the indulgent afternoon tea tradition, which is a delicious way to cure any late afternoon hunger pangs, and should not be missed!


Related posts:  
Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage on HAL's Zuiderdam 
A Balcony with a View: Zuiderdam Penthouse 7046
A Photo Tour of Zuiderdam's Penthouse Suite #7046
Galley Tour on the Zuiderdam
Cruising Alaska's Glacier Bay

Supper at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake in Juneau, Alaska

      After successfully collecting a few flakes of gold during our gold-panning excursion at Gold Creek in Juneau, Alaska, we were hungry and cold. Luckily, the second part of our ship-booked shore excursion included a trip to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake for supper. Our tour guide, Dig-In Dave, gathered us onto our mini-bus for the short drive in the drizzling rain. Upon our arrival, clouds of fragrant smoke, a giant wooden salmon and a folk-music singer welcomed us to the salmon bake site.

Welcome to Gold Creek Salmon Bake!

     The salmon bake is located about a 10 minute drive from the cruise ship docks. There are buses making regular runs back to the ships, so guests can stay as long or as short as they like. At a stand just inside the entrance to the salmon bake was a  friendly soup lady, handing out small cups of hot, creamy clam chowder to the arriving guests. Although the portions were quite small, the soup was tasty and satisfying, and we went back for seconds. For many of us, this was the best part of the meal.
     The fragrant smoke came from the burning alder wood, used to smoke the star of the show, fresh Alaskan salmon. The cook brushed each piece with his "special sauce" before grilling the fish over the open fire. There was plenty of salmon to go around, and an all-you-can-eat buffet stocked with sweet corn bread, wild rice pilaf, Chilkoot baked beans, Cheechako chicken, tossed green salad and Alfredo penne pasta.

Grilling Alaskan salmon over an open alderwood fire

     Free drinks included ice tea, fruit punch, hot tea and coffee. A bar located next to the soup stand and across from the grilling station sold beer and wine.

Waiting for drinks at the bar

     The eating areas were well protected from the light rain by white tarpaulin tenting, and outdoor space heaters kept diners warm. In the background, a Cat Stevens-esque singer, accompanied by his guitar set a folksy mood for this family-style outdoor barbeque meal. A small gift shop on the premises was a good spot to pick up some souvenirs, including a gold panning kit complete with pan, gold-laced Alaskan sand and instructions.

Covered eating area, singer in the background

     I found the food quality to be average, at best. Everything was edible, but not particularly memorable. The salmon had a sweet, smoky taste, which was judged to be good by some of us, but tasteless by others. The same can be said of the corn bread, which was pronounced "too dry" by some, and "delicious" by others. Overall, this stop was a pleasant ending to our day in Juneau, and provided a friendly spot to fuel up and relax after all that gold-panning out at Gold Creek.

Bon appetit!

This article recounts our experience on the second portion of the "Gold Panning Adventure and Alaska Salmon Bake" shore excursion in Juneau, Alaska on July 18th, 2011. It was purchased through Holland America Line on board the Zuiderdam, and cost $79 per adult, $54 per child. This excursion lasts approximately 3 hours in total, and we spent about half of that on the gold panning expedition to Gold Creek, and the other half here at the Salmon Bake.


Related posts: 
Shore Excursion: Gold Panning in Juneau
Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage on HAL's Zuiderdam
A Balcony with a View: Zuiderdam Penthouse 7046
A Photo Tour of Zuiderdam's Penthouse Suite #7046
White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad in Skagway 
A Taste of Tracy Arm Fjord
Cruising Alaska's Glacier Bay