Sitka, Alaska

It rained even harder in Sitka.  I went to the Russian Orthodox Church first.  This has been on my must see list since I took Russian History in college and learned about it and Sitka.  At that time the original church was still there.  That church burned in the 1980's and model of the original  has been built to replace it.    This is an icon from the original church.

Another Icon

A view of one of the alters in the background and of the candles people have purchased and lit.  The tall one is mine.  It is for world peace.

A view of the full church and the bishop's seat from the original church.  I also visited the Bishop's house.  It is the original structure and one of the few left from when Sitka was part of Russia.  The Russian Orthodox Church is still very much alive in Alaska, not because there are still Russian's but because the church did not try to stamp out the native way of life and the church because the choice of the native people.  I had too much time left to shop and now have a beautiful blue zircon and diamond ring.  The zircon is my birthstone and you seldom see it.  I went into Goldsmiths and they had a entire display featuring what they called Blue Zircon Arctic Ice so I had to try rings on and then found the perfect one.  I really did not go to Alaska to shop even though I did.