Sitka

Sitka was the most disappointing of our Alaska stops. I feel like I'm being mean for saying that, but I will explain why, and then you can judge.

First of all, it was probably the smallest of the stops, with a smaller harbor. We needed to board tenders rather than just walk down the gangway. That may have been part of it. It is probably the town least set up for tourists. There is a main street with shops, but it is not as in your face about it as Juneau and Ketchikan. The first place you find is the library, and there is a visitor's center, and then you start getting into shopping.

There is a Tlingit Ceremonial Canoe set up right by the library, so this was the first attraction, and we walked around and took pictures of it. This one specifically was commissioned for the Alaska Purchase Centennial.

We had thought we would check out the cathedral, because that was a stop for most of the shore excursions, and it was certainly within walking distance, but when we got there it was not really that grand on the outside, and kind of peeking in it did not really seem worth exploring.

Not to be discouraged, there was also a Totem Pole Park within walking distance, and so we headed there, and somehow I thought there would be multiple totem poles, but there was just the one. That was pretty much at the end of the main walk too, so we were going to turn around, but then I saw a path leading uphill, and a sign that said Castle Hill. All right, that sounds intriguing.

I started up the hill, and there was no castle. There was a sign explaining about the different things that were once up there, but there were all gone now. It was a really good view though, so I took pictures from various angles, and continued to get wet, because it was also raining. Feeling adventurous, I decided to take the other path down, which put me pretty far from where I had left my sisters. I was working my way back, but at this point they were already starting to get worried and call me. Fortunately, this was one of the spots where I had a phone signal, so that ended up being fine.

I mentioned enjoying the small town feel in Juneau, and this seemed smaller, but less friendly. Actually, I did have a few people greet me, but they were all people from the ship who had been at karaoke the night before. They were telling me I had done a good job, so that was really pleasant, but that could have just as easily have happened on the ship.

From a livability point of view, it is probably better for the town that it is not as touristy. I'm just saying that from a tourist point of view, this is probably a place where you really need to sign up for a shore excursion. The most tragic thing is that I have a friend from Alaska, and I had tried to reach her before we left, but we didn't get a chance to talk. If we had, her mother would totally have come and picked us up and shown as around, and that would have been great. Rats.