Another glorious sunny and warm day in Sitka. This is a beautiful town with lots to see and do but very expensive as everything has to come by boat or plane. Also expensive to get here and to stay but absolutely worth it.

Today we did some historical and heritage tourism stuff, a little more fabric shopping, and another walk in the woods looking for bears. Nice woods, no bears.

We started off at the Cultural Heritage Centre which focused on the craft of the tribes. One of the people who captured Collette and Nicky’s attention was Sharon who taught classes in traditional beading work.

Another was Michael, a professional wood carver and teacher. Besides traditional carving he has been carving a ukulele type instrument which he demonstrated with great skill.

Totem poles were in great abundance everywhere. A totem pole is a public record of the history and lives of the people. This was their method of recording history.

We headed off to Totem Park, which surprise, surprise has a totem pole. This one told the story of the tribe’s history with the Russian fur traders, the first white settlers of Sitka. The totem pole has the double headed eagle which symbolises Russia.

Given the history of Sitka with Russia for over 100 years there is surprisingly little of Russia left behind. The main building is St Michaels Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church built in 1840. It burnt down in 1969 and was rebuilt immediately. It is currently under renovation and is on the National Heritage Register.

It is basic as cathedrals go but the best they could do with the materials of the time. The inside is lined with sailcloth for insulation and to improve acoustics.

The Sitka National Cemetery is surprisingly large and has been set up to cater for servicemen and women and their families.

Another cultural event was a song and dance performance by a number of local women and children. Youngest performer was 5 months.

Another look around town and we came across a fur shop and another quilt shop. The furs were mostly mink and sable, on sale reduced from $5,000 to $1,995. We passed up on that bargain. Picked up a few in Ben Franklins, a craft, fabric and everything else shop.

About 20km out of town is a boardwalk around a grassy water area often frequented by bears and birds. We strapped on the bear spray again and grabbed binoculars but not a bear or bird to be found. Only the squirrel. Still, a very pleasant walk.

We have very much enjoyed our visit to Sitka. It has lived up to its reputation as the prettiest town in Alaska, so far.

The boat back to Juneau leaves at 4.45 in the morning so an extra early start. The timing is apparently so the ship can navigate a narrow and shallow channel that is too shallow at low tide.

Some final pictures from Sitka.