Our time in Sitka was very short.
Our cruise ship was supposed to tour Misty Fjords,
but there was some type of minor malfunction with the grey water system.
This meant we were not going to be able to cruise
the fjords, but Princess gave each passenger a $75 credit,
as well as adding Sitka to the itinerary.
While I was appreciative that Princess tried to make up
for the malfunction, I wasn't versed on the area because I couldn't
research it ahead of time.
Also, we were only allowed 4 hours at the port.
One wonderful piece of advice I received from my coworkers
was to not wait to disembark at the ports,
especially if there was a tender involved.
There were stories of people not being able to disembark
because of the sheer number of people and the time allowed.
This actually happened to people on our ship at this port.
Todd and I were up at the crack of dawn,
and on the tender shortly after.
While we were leaving the ship, we heard Princess staff
telling passengers unless they had a number, they
simply were not going to be able to disembark.
Of all the ports, this was my least favorite.
There were a couple of things that factored into my poor ranking.
One - it rained the entire time that we were there.
Two - I didn't have any idea what we should do in Sitka.
Three - I had absolutely no time to research the area.
I did find out later, that the area is rich in history,
and has tons of outdoor activities to partake in.
So what did Todd and I do while in Sitka you ask?
Basically walked the entire town in the rain taking pictures
of things that we thought looked important.
Thus, I am not able to give you any detailed description about anything.
BUT...
they have some really cool buildings!
This building is a state owned and operated
assisted living facility.
This Russian Orthodox church was built in the 19th century
when Sitka was under the control of Russia.
Once the called the Russian Mission Orphanage,
this building was constructed in 1843.
It originally was the home of Ivan Veniaminov,
the first Bishop of Alaska.
This is a rehabilitation center for injured or sick
eagles, hawks, falcons, owls or other birds of prey.
The Raptor Center's goal is to reintroduce the
birds back into the wild. If this is not achievable,
the birds are then sent to zoos or wildlife centers
throughout the U.S..
Todd and I actually walked from the marina,
to the center, toured it (quickly I might add),
and returned all before the ship left without us!
Doesn't this guy look like he belongs on Harry Potter?
Awesome Bald Eagle.
On our way back to the ship, a random stranger
told us that if we hadn't visited "Castle Hill",
we needed to because it had a nice view.
Because we had a few extra minutes to burn,
we figured what the heck and made the
short little climb to the top.
It was pretty cool.
It gave a short details of what the historical
significance was and to top it off,
there were a couple of nice photo ops.
Originally the Tlingit and Russian Forts
location, it was also the place where Russia handed
over Sitka to the U.S. in 1867.
And because the marina was just so beautiful,
I just couldn't help snapping a few random pictures.
My yacht was waiting to take me back to the ship!
Todd's ride was waiting as well.
And the last random picture that I didn't take.
We were in such a hurry to get places,
I didn't have the opportunity to snap a pic,
so I went on the web to find a pic for you
of the MOST bizzare item we saw for sale during our vacation...
The fur covered jock strap named "The Duke"
So do you need one in your life?
Bizarre right!
Next up...
Victoria, B.C.
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