Eternally, Alaska

Alaska is, in a word, an Experience. Vast, never tamed, glorious.



A couple million square miles, with a coastline longer than all other US states put together, it has miles of forest & wild country. Crisscrossed by tall mountains, with lakes and rivers numbering in thousands, the scale of things here takes your breath away.



In our week long trip, we used Anchorage as our hub. This major city of 265K houses over half of Alaska’s population. A haven of urban comforts, ANC still stands apart – the real skyscrapers are usually thousands of feet tall and still snowcapped.The waterfront affords you spectacular sunsets, 20 foot bore tides and on good days, a chance to canoodle with the Beluga whales.



Glaciers Everywhere!

A day cruise into the calm waters of the Prince William Sound to see Glaciers was memorable. Mile after gorgeous mile of timeless frozen masses of ice. A smaller one might be a sq. mile in size; a large one – well, how about bigger than a US State. Often a soft blue in color, they travel slowly, in water, or down the mountains, with large chunks of breakaway ice crashing into the water from time to time. Glaciers are Alaska’s big draw – they number in thousands, and you see them in water, by air, or even hike to some. Each is different, each beautiful.



The Wild - Life & More

To merely say that Alaska has some wild life would be too tame. Since most of the state is forest, the Bear roam free and wild, as do Moose, Caribou , mountain sheep, fox and so forth. Our animal interlude took us into the Denali National Park. One can travel within Denali only in the Park bus, which helps because the guide can spot wild animals way better than we could. We saw the grizzly bears with their cubs, the largest land predator in these parts. Plus all the others mentioned above. But the prize – and I quote – the rare privilege in Denali is to spot the Alpine Wolf, so elusive, even the rangers rarely see it. And we had one, just come out of nowhere and walk past the bus, for a fantastic 40 seconds. Wow.



The Park landscape is harsh due to the Arctic winds, dotted only by the Tundra and Taiga vegetation. South of Denali lies the Alaska range, a long chain of mountains, topped by Mt. McKinley, North America’s tallest. At 20,300 ft, the mountain – the locals call it just Denali – is often shrouded in clouds. We managed to catch several glimpses from the ground, but really saw it during our Flightseeing trip. In a twin engine, six seater plane, you can go to 20,000 ft. and get real up-close and personal. Buffeted by stiff winds, you weave around the range, surrounded by awesome snow laden peaks, and suddenly you come face to face with Denali – standing tall & magnificent! Ah, those few minutes of circling the Great One – if there was a moment when nature went beyond majestic, this was it.



When it comes to the ocean, Alaska is not shy either. Rugged coastlines, sparkling Fjords shimmer green against craggy mountains, the coastal climate made milder by the Pacific Ocean. And abundant is the marine life too – we saw seals, sea otters, porpoise, sea lions, whales and native birds by the hundreds. When we left the calmer inland waters of the Fjords, the Gulf of Alaska was choppy, but exciting, a great ride in itself.



Experience the Unique

We also went to Fairbanks, the other major city. Most of Alaska is fairly remote, reachable only by air or water. Nope, they don’t have so many runways; they just fly floatplanes – with special gear to help them land in water. Come winter, when most of the landscape freezes up, the planes are fixed with skis to enable landing on the same lakes. It’s no surprise that small aircraft abound and tons of people have pilot’s licenses.



We saw so much, experienced many new things, but found that it only left us with eager plans to explore more. Our days were filled with great sights, and nights… What nights? ‘Tis the land of the midnight sun. Yes, in May the sun is around for 21-22 hrs which means virtually no darkness.



The moods of Alaska are many, especially in spring. We encountered sunshine, light rain and blinding fog all in less than an hour. But that didn’t diminish its charm – quite the opposite. The same landscape took on such fantastic hues – the mountains were picture perfect in the sun, darkly brooding under an overcast sky and ethereal in the soft spring rain. Alaska’s otherworldly beauty maybe common, but it’s never, never ordinary.



We took pictures. By jove, we did! And reams of video too. And yet, we realized that we’d the left the best of Alaska behind. How to capture the essence of a landscape, that stands so vivid, so indomitable – that too, in the minute frame of the camera.



Looking back, Alaska lives on as a lovely after taste. I do realize that in time, it too shall become just a great memory, a post card, if you will, in the mind’s eye. Sure that will happen – oh, but oh, think what a glorious postcard it would be!

Unforgettable Switzerland

Switzerland is beautiful, enchanting; it’s all the clichés come to life – yes, the journeys are as fascinating as the destinations. The travel system indeed works like clockwork. And yes, most of the country is postcard perfect.

The cities and towns range from quaintly charming to cosmopolitan, but the real gem is the swiss countryside. Like moving from one calendar page to another. When my train meandered through valleys and around hills, the only dilemma was whether to look left or right.



The lovely contradiction is that the landscape calms your spirit as much as it stirs your senses. Breathe in the mountain air aden with scents of grass and pine, or to enjoy the silence broken by the sound of the cowbells. And the sights! Rolling meadows in a green so rich, topped by snow capped mountains; sparkling blue lakes, brown chalets and huts dotted along the landscape.



Town & Country

Our first stop was Geneva, which frames Lake Leman (or Lake Geneva) on 3 sides. Busy and bustling, it is your classic European city of period buildings and very modern amenities. Apart from housing the likes of the Red Cross and the United Nations, it's also the watch capital of the world. But not just any old variety. We admired the Cartiers, and the Patek Phillipes, but the closest we came to owning a Tag Hauer was in a photograph. Geneva’s other highlights are its Banks. Again, only the supremely wealthy need apply. The city’s vaults hold a big chunk of the one trillion dollars of legit and not so legit money of businessmen & politicians from around the world. The other chunk is held in Zurich.



Towns like Lausanne and Montreux – also on Lake Geneva – are charming and touristy, especially the latter. Splendid water fronts, with views of misty mountaintops, rolling vineyards and pretty homes perched on hills. North of Lausanne lies the cheese and chocolate region – more cow country there. Montreux is called the Swiss Riviera, thanks to its balmy climate. Luzerne, at the base of the Alps, has incredible old world charm right down to the medieval buildings and cobbled stone streets. Its mountain views and lakefront are only a bonus.



A couple hours by train took us to Interlaken – which as the (German) name suggests, lies between 2 alpine lakes. In the heart of the Alps, it is also the base town to visit the famous Jungfrau Mountain, with the highest train station in Europe. The views enroute through Grindelwald and the Lauterbrunnen valley were mindblowing. And when you get to 12000 feet perched above everything else, it's truly a top-of-the-world feeling. Imagine a white, white world, broken by occasional views of rocks if the snow blows away momentrily. Blowing at 100 kms per hour, the wind on the Jungfrau is merciless, and such is the dazzle of the snow that you’re fairly blinded without sunglasses.



Small but Wonderful

The Swiss people are friendly, polite and very pragmatic. Though one of the highest per capita nations, people live simply and folks are big on tidiness and order. They speak four different languages, which might not seem much, but considering that the country is smaller than Indiana, it’s probably 3 languages too many.

The travel system is a miracle. Roads run into far reaches – like high mountains and remote valleys. The train/ bus system is great, with frequent service and well-timed connections to hundreds of stations. We also took 2 trips on Scenic Trains. While there is no bad scenery in Switzerland, these rides are assuredly the highlight. Our reactions ranged from stunned silence to the endless ‘oh wows'. Sure the mountains are gorgeous elsewhere too. But like the Swiss cheese, there is an extra dash of flavor to be had here; from the subtle to the sublime and a few shades in between.



I think for the first time I truly understood the line – so beautiful it breaks your heart.