I visited Alaska in 2010 to learn more about the Pacific North West region of North America. I always found that my peers opted to travel to either tropical destinations or to Europe. Since I've already lived in Europe, I wanted to learn more about the North.
One of the stops on my Alaska trip was Seward. It's a city of about 3,000 people in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. I'm not sure what Seward is like in the winter (not sure I want to know!), but it was paradise in the summer. The harbour alone was picturesque as you can see:
We arrived on July 4th and discovered that the people in Seward were big partiers; all the hotels were booked and there was literally nowhere to even park you car, let alone find a place to stay for the night. So we opted to camp beside the beautiful highway instead:
The town was literally buzzing with activity. They had raffles, a little market and even a marathon with a route that started in town and went up the top of a mountain and back down again. Americans can be a little crazy!
The residential areas looked very cozy and quaint. Some people have really interesting trees in their yards!
We spend the night partying with Captain Morgan and overfull bar of drunk Americans celebrating their freedom! I'll never forget how nervous I felt when the lead singer on the stage called out us 3 Canadians in front of everyone for not having the same gun laws and freedoms than they did in the States! I thought it was going to get a little hairy for a moment because we were stuck at the front of the bar with no clear way of escape, but it was just some good natured ribbing on their part.
The night drew to a close with some fireworks over Seward harbour.
If you ever find yourself in Alaska, make it a point to visit Seward. It's a beautiful little town with friendly people.