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We had breakfast upstairs at La Veranda this morning.
We're in Sitka today! It more than made up for yesterday's stop. Our tour today was a walking tour of Sitka.
We started off with a bus ride to the Raptor Center, where they rehabilitate birds from all over the country, mostly raptors, but they have also helped chickens and hummingbirds! The goal is to return as many of them as possible to the wild. The only ones not returned to the wild are those whose injuries are too severe to recover from. Nice stop and a worthy organization.
The photo on the left above is a bald eagle that was hanging out in a tree just outside of the Raptor Center. It seemed to be taunting the captive birds - I'm free and you're not. Eagles are very territorial, so the bald eagles kept outside were agitated by this wild eagle! The center photo shows one of the eagles that is in the final stages of being released to the wild. This is a special enclosure that they're kept in with minimal human contact. We viewed them through one-way glass. The lights are low and flash was strictly forbidden. The photo on the right shows a red hawk in one of the outdoor enclosures. Birds kept in these enclosures have some permanent problem that prevents their release. I forget what all of them are and which birds had which problems, but they included such problems as wings that hadn't healed properly, genetic deformities, blindness in one or both eyes, and wings that had to be partially amputated.
Three more birds from the outdoor enclosures. The photo on the left shows a pair of bald eagles. The center photo is a golden eagle. And the photo on the right is Boris, the barn owl.
From there, we went on to a walk through the Tongass National Forest, well, at least the part that's a park here in town. Much more informative than yesterday's tram ride and more intimate, too. And a much nicer section of forest. It's been semi-developed as Sitka National Historical Park, a public park. Lots to see, including a selection of totem poles.
The photo on the left above is a detail of a tree stump in this park. The photo on the right is of the Indian River, which runs through the park and teems with salmon during spawning season.
These are three photos of totem poles in the historical park. The center one is a very modern one. This segment represents Mother Nature with spawning salmon carved for her hair.
Then, on to the historic part of town.
These three photos show views from one side of Sitka Bay. The photo on the left shows a nice bridge that connects the main island (Baranof Island) to the much smaller island where the airport is located. The airport has ocean on three sides for most of its length. According to the guidebook, landing there feels like landing on a really long aircraft carrier! The center photo shows one of the many small islands that dot this area. The photo on the right is Castle Hill, which is smaller and less impressive than I thought it would be - more on its history later.
The mountain in the background of the outer photos is Mount Edgecumbe, a slumbering volcano. In 1974, it was the site of an elaborate April Fool's Day prank. One of the men of Sitka decided to fake an eruption, so he gathered a lot of old tires that a friend helped him helicopter to the top of the mountain. There, they were set on fire, producing lots of smoke. He was jailed for his efforts....
The photo on the left shows a bald eagle in a tree not far from the city center. The center photo is St. Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church, built in 1899. The photo on the right shows a sign on the side of a building. I have no idea what it means, just thought it interesting.
The tour ended at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (St. Michael's) in the center of town. The original building was built in the early 1800s. This most recent version is an exact duplicate built after the older one burned in a city fire back in the 1960's. The local citizens were able to rescue all of the icons and almost all of the other objects stored in the original cathedral, including a very heavy chandelier!
The photo on the left shows the back of the cathedral and the photo on the right shows the front. The cathedral was much smaller than I expected. It was also much lighter and airier inside than I expected.
We arrived in time for the bishop's lecture about the church, which was very interesting. For example, Russian Orthodox churches don't have pews or any other seats. One stands through the service through reverence.
From there, we found a place to eat lunch - Larkspur Cafe. The service was abismally slow and the food was terrible. Lunch consisted of the worst grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever had. Don't know what they did to them, but they were ruined. Also a cup of salmon chowder that was almost tasteless. And the lemonade was nothing special.
From there, we climbed Castle Hill, site of a lot of Alaskan history. This was the site of the native Tlinglit clan houses when the Russians first arrived in Alaska. This later became the site of the largest fort the Russians built to defend the island against the natives. Later, the Russians built a governmental house here that was called Baranof Castle, though Baranof had died several years earlier. When Alaska was sold to the US, this is where the official transfer took place.
Today, it's a memorial to all the events that took place there and provides a nice view of the surrounding town and harbor.
These three photos were taken from Castle Hill. The one on the left shows St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the surrounding rooftops. The other two are views across Sitka Bay.
We visited a couple of souvenir shops, then took the shuttle bus back to the ship. We treated ourselves to double scoops of ice cream on the pool deck to get the taste of lunch out of our mouths!!!
All in all, a very nice day! And topped by another wonderful dinner (miso glazed black cod).