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Sitka, Alaska
We were up at 4:15AM; actually, 4:10 AM by my clock. We got to the plane and were off to Sitka, AK. We were met by the Lindblad/National Geographic folks and taken to breakfast at a restaurant on the water. Through the window we could see Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano for about 8000 years.
Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska, the main commercial city. It houses the cathedral of Saint Michael, a Russian Orthodox place of worship. It still has a registered congregation of about 250 families. Many live too far from Sitka to attend services each week. There are no pews, everyone stands for the 2 hour service. Travel by ferry or plane is the way to get to Sika. About 50 families are active on a routine basis.
We went to the Heritage Park, and saw a large number of totem poles. The Tlinget are a well known tribe when it comes to totem poles. Contrary to the beliefs off many, totems are not objects of worship; they simply tell a story. The person who pays for the totem pole owns the story, and it cannot be told by another, even after death. It is considered theft to tell another’s story.
We boarded the ship at 4:30PM and were underway by 7:00PM for an all night sail to Kuiu Island.
We were up at 4:15AM; actually, 4:10 AM by my clock. We got to the plane and were off to Sitka, AK. We were met by the Lindblad/National Geographic folks and taken to breakfast at a restaurant on the water. Through the window we could see Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano for about 8000 years.
Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska, the main commercial city. It houses the cathedral of Saint Michael, a Russian Orthodox place of worship. It still has a registered congregation of about 250 families. Many live too far from Sitka to attend services each week. There are no pews, everyone stands for the 2 hour service. Travel by ferry or plane is the way to get to Sika. About 50 families are active on a routine basis.
We went to the Heritage Park, and saw a large number of totem poles. The Tlinget are a well known tribe when it comes to totem poles. Contrary to the beliefs off many, totems are not objects of worship; they simply tell a story. The person who pays for the totem pole owns the story, and it cannot be told by another, even after death. It is considered theft to tell another’s story.
We boarded the ship at 4:30PM and were underway by 7:00PM for an all night sail to Kuiu Island.
I saw Sitka in a travel cruise brochure but had no idea what type of city it was. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteSo, how cold is it there anyways?
Actually, it is Mt. EDGECUMBE. Glad you enjoyed your visit to our community.
ReplyDeleteI've corrected the spelling mistake. My thanks to Anonymous.
ReplyDelete