BLOG 20 - Anchorage to Graz

Anchorage doesn't really offer any special sights. Here, too, the Good Friday earthquake of 1964 and the subsequent tsunami more than 65 m high destroyed practically the entire city and claimed 125 lives.

Town Square Park next to the modern Alaska Center for Performing Arts is quite nice. Here in the park, as well as in the main streets, you see many homeless people, for whom an extremely hard time will probably begin in the soon to come winter, although the city is trying to organize shelters. The considerable number of closed shops and bars doesn't exactly make you think of a boom town either. Somehow it is typical that downtown is dominated by the ConocoPhillips Alaska oil company tower on G Street.

Luckily there are still some very good restaurants, local salmon and scallops in 'Simon & Seafort's Saloon & Grill' with a view of the Cook Inlet is highly recommended. Right next door is the memorial for Captain Cook, who also came to Alaska on his third and last expedition in search of the Northwest Passage in 1778 - but could not navigate the passage because of the pack ice. On the continuation of the journey to Hawaii he was murdered in a clash with locals in February 1779. His statue in Resolution Park looks south toward Cook Inlet and far distant Hawaii.

Luckily, the return flight to Frankfurt with Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa's relatively new holiday airline, went without any problems, we even got to Frankfurt ahead of schedule. A comparison of flight times is very interesting. Our flight, which took us very far north, almost close to the pole, lasted 9 hours, whereas a flight from San Francisco, which is much further east but also south, to Frankfurt usually takes 11 ½ hours, although the distance appears much shorter on a flat map. Luckily, no organization is on strike in Frankfurt at the moment, so soon we hear the announcement 'Welcome to Graz Airport' after a 55-day trip.