Paradise Cafe Near the Juneau Airport
AdventureMan spotted this gem, near the airport, and said “I want to eat there!” We went inside, and what a surprise – it is eccentric, and quirky, and full of local people eating lunch. We noticed that thanks to the gorgeous display of sweet desserts and pastries, everyone also left with a box for ‘later on’ like coffee break.
They had a selection of ‘grillers’, no menu, everything is listed on the board or on display. It is so hard to focus on lunch when you are looking at flaky pastry confections . . .
I had the tomato pesto sandwich, and AdventureMan had a ham and cheese griller – both rich and filling. We sat at one of the tables, each table different, sometimes people share tables. On each table is a carafe of water, but we also saw a lot of people ordering specialty coffees and teas.
The Paradise Cafe is not a well-kept secret. You and I, as tourists, may not recognize it is there, but all the local helicopter pilots and airport workers know it is there 🙂 It is a well loved and busy place!
Bear in Mind . . .
As a kid growing up in Alaska, I learned to respect bear, and all wildlife. I don’t think they are cute. I think they are creatures like us, who struggle to survive, and who will hurt, maim or kill us if we get in their way. It’s not personal; it’s just the way it is. I’ve seen the damage bear can do; I steer clear.
I did not go with AdventureMan on his bear safari. Hmmm. Let’s see, spend a lot of money to tromp around on a stony beach, maybe cold, often wet, fighting mosquitos and no-place to potty with dignity? Hmmm . . . No thank-you!
But he did get some spectacular bear photos, one I absolutely love, it looks like bears doing the polka, it makes me laugh. I am hoping he will share with me so I can post some bear photos for you later on the blog.
All to Ourselves: Mendenhall Glacier
It’s one of those wonderful mornings, we are still on Pensacola time and wide awake. LO, why not, we hit the sack the night before around seven, unable to stay awake another minute. Quick breakfast in the lobby – we brought our own home-mix cereal, but there is milk and fruit we can add, grab a quick cup of coffee, then out to the glacier. When you say ‘the glacier’ you mean the Mendenhall. People havre been coming for years to visit this glacier.
When I was a kid, it was bigger, farther out, and there were only little trails to take out to get closer. Now, it is built up – a place to watch bear catch salmon as they swim up the stream to spawn, and several built up places where tourists can view the glacier, nice paths to walk on. Normally, there are bus loads of people, and I mean that literally. This morning – holy smokes – we are the only car in the parking lot at almost seven ayem.
There are blue places in the sky between white fluffy clouds. There is sunlight filtering through, lighting up the glacier, and making the icebergs glisten.
While AdventureMan shoots shots of Alaskan terns for his birding friends, I shoot icebergs. We listen to the silence, the utter peace of being alone out in this majestic location.
We spend about an hour, hiking around the various viewpoints, feeling so luxurious, the luxury of sheer privacy. As we leave, the buses start arriving. We take the Mendenhall Loop around the lake to Tongass National Forest campgrounds, to see the glacier from another viewpoint.
As we near Skater’s Cabin, full of old memories of my Mom tying up my ice skates and giving us hot chocolate out of a thermos, our old friend calls. We used to go out fishing and berry picking with them on their big former Coast Guard boat, Dad would go hunting with her husband. She is now 90, and she is on the phone inviting us to dinner the next night.
We are so honored. We don’t want to put her out, we don’t want her to have to fix dinner, but we always have such wonderful conversations with us (she asks us things like ‘tell me what it is like grocery shopping in Tunis?’) and we get her to tell tales of life in early Juneau, so we accept.
It’s been a wonderful morning. We know just where we want to have lunch, a place we haven’t tried before. And tonight is the opening parade for Celebration 2014!
Waji’s in Seattle Airport
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Airports are so much more interesting and varied than they used to be (except the Pensacola ‘International’ Airport that went in the opposite direction, with chains instead of local specialties . . . )
If you are familiar with Seattle, you wii know Uwajumaya, a wonderful supermarket in the International district. Now, you can get your favorite to-go from Waji’s, wooooo hoooooo.
Distressed Travellers?
We had never heard this term before, but yes, yes, we are the ‘distressed travellers’ sent to this hotel in which we have never stayed while our room in Juneau goes unused, even though paid for.
They are so kind. We don’t have our luggage with us. Thanks to a previous trip, so many years ago my son was a small child, I always carry something to sleep in (I don’t what to sleep in my clothes, and the thought of sleeping in underwear and having to wear it the next day gives me the creeps) and a fresh pair of undies, my brush, make up and any medications I might need. We are both recovering from bad colds. They give us toothbrushes and toothpaste, give AdventureMan a tiny deodorant, enough, wonderful.
Although it is only ten in Seattle, it is midnight our time and we have been waiting for flights for hours. It’s just one of those things, severe weather hanging over Dallas, the sweet, patient airline counter woman re-did our tickets several times until we just ran out of connections at the end of the day, and she put us in a hotel for the night.
When we got to the room, it was even better. They gave us a suite, a beautiful suite, on the quiet floor. The atmosphere in the suite was very zen. AdventureMan took a shower, I took a long bath, and we tumbled into bed – not for all that long; we were on the first flight out in the morning,.
With the time change, we arrived in Juneau in time for breakfast and a hike around Eagle River before we collapsed until dinner with an old friend of my Mother’s who still lives in Juneau.
Generous Pedro Quezada
My friend, “Pedro Quezada”, wants to share his lottery wealth with Me! Who knew?
41 Years on the Road Less Taken
We’ve had an unconventional road, AdventureMan and I, with all our moves, and most of our lives spent outside our own country. We celebrate 41 years this weekend, and AdventureMan asked me where I wanted to go.
“How about Alaska?” I joked, since we have a trip planned there, and we will be going to lots of fun places. He’s used to my answers, my non-sequitors. He asked me if I wanted a diamond, and I laughed and said, “no, just let me buy houses.” We’ve done well.
“No! To eat on our anniversary!” AdventureMan protests, knowing I can draw a celebration out for days or even weeks.
He named off a couple really nice restaurants and I said “I want to go out to Nine Mile Road.”
He just laughed. We both love this little seafood restaurant he discovered, the Seafood Platter Deli, sometimes called the Gulf Coast Seafood Deli. Â It is unique, the food is fantastic, it’s this genuine little place not like any other place I have ever been. It has a podium by the huge chalkboard menu on the wall, and on the podium is a book where clients write their prayer requests. Every morning, before they open the restaurant, the staff prays together.
I am awed by this. It blows me away. We live in such earthly times; few people are really focused on practicing their faith. We are all so tempted by the bread and circuses offered by our consumer-driven culture.
The last time we were there, they had added new doors to the kitchen. No, I wouldn’t want them in my house, but for a seafood restaurant? They are perfect, somebody went to a lot of trouble to make these doors.
“I was hoping you would want to go there,” AdventureMan admitted, and we grinned. There’s a reason we’ve been married this long; we take the road less travelled – together.
Nick’s Boathouse: A Happy Surprise
Here’s the truth – we were really headed to 5 Sisters, but when we got there and saw all the people lined up and waiting for tables, we thought “uh-uh, not for us” and headed on down the street. We’d wanted to try the new Nick’s Boathouse for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity.
We like the interior. It has different areas where you can sit, not one great big interior where everyone can see everyone. We like the privacy.
This is a view of the bar area:
The outside area looks like a great place to sit on a nicer day, breezy and covered, or to have a party or celebration of any kind.
I’m a sucker for seafood bisque, and Nick’s has a really good seafood bisque
AdventureMan says the gumbo is also awesone 🙂
The grilled chef salad was a total win for AdventureMan  🙂
And I adored the grilled salmon Ceasar 
On such a day, having such a good time, we can’t resist dessert, the molten chocolate, LOL and sadly, we tucked right in, neglecting to photograph it first. This is all that remains. Yes, we would do it again. 🙂
Nick’s Boathouse | 455 W Main Street Pensacola FL | (850) 912-8775
Nick’s is relatively undiscovered, so far. It’s not the see-and-be-seen kind of place that other downtown places – The Fish House, Jackson’s Steak House, Jaco’s, Global Grill – have become. . . yet. As of now, it is still quiet and private with great service. Go now, go quickly, before it changes into a go-to place with a line outside!
Review Prompts Sharp Increase in Saudi Arabia MERS Cases
Saudi Arabia Review Finds Higher Number Of MERS Cases
  | By ADAM SCHRECKDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia, which is grappling to contain the spread of a frequently deadly respiratory virus, announced Tuesday that a review of the illness led authorities to sharply revise upward the number of confirmed infections and deaths from the disease.
The surprise disclosure followed the unexpected firing of the kingdom’s deputy health minister, heightening concerns about the country’s ability to halt the spread of the Middle Eastern respiratory virus. He was the second senior Saudi health official to lose his job in less than two months.
A report by the official Saudi Press Agency said authorities have registered a total of 688 confirmed infections and 282 deaths as a result of MERS since the virus was first identified in 2012. Of those infected, 53 were reported to still be receiving treatment.
The Saudi Health Ministry’s most recent tally of cases listed 575 cases and 190 deaths, meaning that over 100 cases had previously gone unreported.
MERS belongs to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses that include both the common cold and SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed some 800 people in a global outbreak in 2003. MERS often starts with flu-like symptoms but can lead to pneumonia, breathing problems and in severe cases, kidney failure and death.
Dr. Tariq Madany, who heads the country’s medical advisory council, said the revised toll was the result of a “full review” of previous cases undertaken to better understand the virus’ spread.
“The ministry is committed to providing all the data concerning the coronavirus and putting polices in place to protect public health,” the agency quoted Madany as saying. “Though the review showed confirmed cases that needed to be added, we are still witnessing a decline in the number of newly registered cases in the past few weeks.”
Acting Health Minister Adel Faqih on Monday issued an order removing his deputy, Ziad Memish, according to a brief statement on the ministry’s website. It did not give a reason for the move.
King Abdullah sacked the previous health minister in April following a spike in reported infections.
Not everyone who contracts the virus that causes MERS gets sick, while others show only mild symptoms before they recover. There is no commercially available vaccine.
Saudi Arabia has been the epicenter for the disease. The virus has since spread to other parts of the world, including the wider Middle East, and parts of Europe, Asia and the United States.
Scientists believe camels may play a role in primary infections but are unsure exactly how the disease spreads to humans. The disease can spread between people, but typically only if they are in close contact with one another. Many of those infected have been health care workers.
The World Health Organization last month said MERS does not yet constitute a global health emergency despite a recent spike in infections, though it continues to monitor the spread of the virus.
___
Associated Press writer Ahmed Hammad in Cairo contributed to this report.
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