Three Polish Cities, Rome, and Flightseeing in Alaska | May 2026

I really didn't know what to expect when it came to Poland -- recently communist, difficult WWII history, language barrier...?? But I was over-the-top surprised with the BEAUTIFUL reconstructed old towns in all three cities (Gdansk, Warsaw, and Krakow) and the very well-run public transportation from buses to intercity trains! The food was delicious, the people were very nice, most spoke more English than I expected, and everything was clean! I was happily surprised! Gdansk was my favorite city, with Krakow coming in at second place. Warsaw was nice as well, but a little larger and less walkable. I wish I had given myself more time in each place...three days in Poland isn't enough! 

Since Alaska Airlines flies into Rome now, it's a PERFECT way for me to get in and out of Europe, connecting with a budget airline like Easy Jet, Wizz Air, or Ryan Airlines to zoom around over there! I flew in from Krakow, spent about 24 hours in Rome, then headed back home again. When those Dreamliners all have Starlink installed, life will be SWEET. :D 

I hadn't been to Rome before (from now on it'll be a hub), so it was fun to see the Pantheon, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, and other interesting ancient ruins, but my favorite thing about Rome is the FOOOOOOD. The pizza, focaccia, gelato, pasta...it really seems like they make their food from better stuff. Maybe they have happier cows and happier fields of grain. 

It was pretty crowded, yes, even in May, but you just have to find less crowded parts of the city. I'm sure I'll scope out different places each time I go. Must go back for the 8 euro to-go pasta bowl and the pizza by the kilo!!

Then, just before May wrapped up, I bounced up to Ketchikan to see if I could get a standby seat on a flightseeing tour!! There are soooo many benefits offered to Alaska Airlines employees and this is one of them. There was one seat left on the Havilland Otter, so I got to fly on a floatplane for the first time and see some of the fjords of Alaska! What a blast! The pilot even gave me an extra couple hours of flight time with him, delivering Amazon packages to some nearby villages! Super cool. 

Ketchikan as a town wasn't my favorite -- it doesn't have much supporting industry besides tourism and the food options are pricey because the cruise crowds will pay. When the boats come in to anchor, swarms of people flood the little town and things get pretty chaotic. But it's a beautiful spot and the Misty Fjords National Monument is pretty spectacular!! 

What a cool month! I worked almost 100 hours in between trips too! Ezra has been flying other planes with an instructor in preparation to do his check-ride and get his PPL in June! Both boys will be finishing their spring quarters and starting summer classes soon, but we're going to sneak in one week of ADVENTURE, so stay tuned!! 

I've been riding both my road and mountain bikes as much as I can this month, since my Ohio bike trip is coming right up!! Excited about that! Only three sub jobs this month... 

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CURRENTLY

Eating | I made a cinnamon banana coffee cake today! 
Enjoying | beautifying the backyard
Watching | Ryan Trahan's bucket list series on YouTube

Thankful | Timmy's new job is going well 
Planning | Scotland, Spain... 
Anticipating | traveling with my boyzzzz

Goal setting | need to run many more miles to reach my goal this year