Walking in Sitka

Day 5 – Sitka

Sitka is not very big, and there weren’t any shore excursions we wanted to do, so we had a free day about town. I did stretch class with Steve, took a break while he did abs class, then came back for a special bonus day of boot camp that he made up just for me. It was hard while I was doing it, but I was startled to discover when I sat down at breakfast just how shaky my muscles were.  We had an enjoyable table at breakfast, and I guess the waiter must have overheard Marc Antony warning others at the table not to get eggs because they take forever. This time, though, the eggs came quickly but the oatmeal that Howard and I ordered took forever.

After lunch we headed to the tenders and off to Sitka. Dave had done some research and our destination was the raptor rehabilitation center. He’d also printed out a city map, so we walked through the city and ended up taking the main road out of town – very noisy and not very scenic. It was raining lightly, but we’re from Oregon and had appropriate clothing, so it wasn’t a problem. We got to the raptor center and paid our entry fee and had a great time. They have about 30 bald eagles in various stages of rehabilitation, as well as owls and falcons. Alaskan bald eagles are bigger than ours in Oregon, and a real highlight of the visit was when one of the handlers brought in a female to show us. They are big birds, but when you see them in an enclosure you don’t really realize how big they are. When you see one basically sitting in someone’s lap, their sheer size is really brought home. I’d recommend this place as a stop any time you’re in Sitka.

We stopped at the post office to mail a post card, and the stamp I bought was an Aloha stamp, which I found amusing. We’d also looked at the map and discovered we’d really taken the long way to the center. There was a much more direct route through a national park, so we went back that way. It was way more scenic and pleasant, but also could have been on the Oregon coast. So we didn’t do much exploring. We walked back into town and stopped for lunch at a nice pub overlooking the harbor. I had a rockfish sandwich that was really yummy, some of the freshest fish I’ve ever had.

We thought about walking around town some, but it was raining a little harder, we were tired, and there wasn’t much more town to walk around. So we headed back to the ship for some blogging and relaxing. Dave went up to the gym to work out, and I was waiting until it was time to get the color changed on my nails and wondering how I’d make it up the stairs to the spa. Suddenly I remembered one of the perks of the verandah suite – whirlpool tub! It’s not as good as a massage by Marc, but a good soak in the hot water did wonders. Then I went to have Stacy Ann change me from red to purple, and had fun chatting with her and with Edith. I took my purple nails down to the cabin and checked to see how they would do in a nap. They did very well – Dave, my nails and I all slept happily for an hour, then got dressed up and headed out to get our pictures taken. We’re pros at this now and the photographer was so pleased when Dave’s cuffs didn’t have to be fished out of his suit sleeves.

Dave went back to the cabin to pick up the ’05 Bergstrom Cumberland Vineyard Pinot Noir (it was formal night, and that is its formal name), and we sat and listened briefly to the Neptune cats. Then we headed back to table 21 to see how it would go. It went much better. We got there first and took the good seats by the window. Then Linley showed up, she’s a young 20-something who is cruising with her dad (who was sleeping). Dave and John came next, and finally Earl and Olympia, who were much more pleasant this time. So dinner was good.

After dinner we hung out at the piano bar, but it was full of loud people who liked to sing about getting drunk. So not our scene. We got out of dinner late, too. So after about half an hour we left the piano and went to the Neptune-cats in time for their last song. The ship was pretty much closing down at that point, so we put on warm jackets and spent some time walking around in the deep twilight (again, about 11:30 at night). The problem with the late seating is that you just don’t have time to get much music in. When we signed up for it we figured we’d just do our music before dinner, but it turns out there really isn’t music before dinner – most of the musicians take a break between 5:30 and 7, which is when early seating is. It is good to know.

Tonight’s towel animal: Shrimp? Clawless lobster?