July 24 Sitka

 On to Sitka, a charming little Alaskan town.  On the way in to the port, a chain of dormant volcanoes.

and just pretty scenery.

St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral.  A lot of Russians lived here before we bought Alaska in 1867 for $7.2 million (about $151 million today).

We toured the bishop's house since we arrived at just the right time and they had space.

The worship space, with the Russian Orthodox Icon wall separating the people from the altar.

This is the room where the bishop entertained visiting dignitaries.  Note the samovar with the small teapot on top and the hot water spigot down lower.  I'll explain more later...

The bishop's desk, crafted by him personally.  Being a carpenter seems appropriate.

Dining room

This is the way tea arrived from China.  It was wetted, then compressed into very dense blocks before shipment.  Note that the seller/shipper embossed their brand into the block.

When the bishop wanted to make tea, he would remove a small chunk from the block and steep it in the teapot atop the samovar.  He would then pour a small amount into a teacup, then dilute it with hot water from the spigot below to achieve the desired taste.  This seems much more complicated than a tea bag, but also more ceremonial, suitable for a group of dignitaries.

Outside the Alaska Pioneers Home, an homage to the prospectors.

Just a pretty picture (and another dormant volcano)

We (passenger size ~650) arrived at 9am, promptly disembarked and took the first shuttle bus into town.  The Norwegian Bliss (passenger size 4000) arrived at 11am.  We returned to the ship about 1pm and this is the shuttle bus line...

...and here's the rest of it on the other side of the building.  It pays to be early.

Hmm, which one is ours?