Our first stop was the Russian Bishop's House. As it turns out the Russians are a major part of the history of Sitka. The Russian Orthodox Church was established here in the early 1700s and to this day is very evident in Sitka. The house has been completely restored by the National Park Service. The first floor is mainly classrooms and the second floor was the Bishops living quarters and the chapel.
Our second stop was the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Sheldon Jackson was a Presbyterian minister who made it his duty to preserve artifacts that would preserve the history of the area. I could have easily spent the whole day there.
Our next stop was for lunch at Alaskan Dream Cruises offices. There are people from New Zealand, Australia, UK, and the good old USA. I'm doing my best to meet new people and remember names.
After lunch it was a short walk to St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Church. One thing I didn't know about the Russian Orthodox is that they stand throughout all services as a sign of respect.
Our last stop was to see the Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Hahidi Dancers, a local native dance troupe. It was interesting but far from fantastic.
We finally boarded the ship about 4PM. We had the obligatory safety orientation and then were shown to our rooms. Our room is small but plenty comfortable. It is much better than the room Liz and I shared in the Galalapos.
At dinner we had our choice between a local beer and a glass of Savingnon Blanc. I decided that in Peg's honor I would have a glass of her favorite type of wine. Lo and behold it was Nobilo, Peg's absolute favorite! Crazy.
We are now headed to Glacier Bay. We are traveling in mostly calm waters between many, many islands. It is truly beautiful .
ILYB
