Trip to the City

A random day off in the middle of the week made me think perhaps I should try and get a little culture!  Decided to buy some bus tokens and take a trip to downtown Juneau.  Hit up the museum which had some very cool exhibits about World War II in Alaska.  There was a lot of local history as well, and some bears and wolves of course.

Next up was a walk around to see some of the locals celebrating native art and culture.  Lots of folks dressed up in traditional clothing, dancing, and music.

It seemed a bit crowded for me, and I'm not big into going to things like that by myself.  So I started wondering up the street and looking for some more history.

This is the Russian Orthodox church...a rather small, quiet spot above downtown Juneau.  I had a few minutes all by myself before some other tourists walked in and it was amazing.

Even though it was just a c.d. there were some monks singing with the door open and a slight drizzle outside and all of these amazing old icons and paintings - it was incredibly calming a great place for an afternoon prayer.

 Not sure what to say about most of these, but I really wished that I could have visited it with Grandma King and dad.

The inside of the church was very small, just a round room.  There couldn't be room for more than 10-15 people.

The paintings were beautiful and full of tiny details that captured my imagination.  If other people wouldn't have wondered in, I probably would have just sat there and contemplated life for a bit.

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The building isn't in the best condition with foundation issues, etc.  I left a small donation and bought a few things from their gift shop.  The bell can't be attached to building, but is set up outside up a small walkway from the church.   

The streets felt a bit like just walking about on the stair master, and I don't think these pictures do them justice. :)

I found a little bakery on the way back to bus and popped in to have a latte and a spinach bagel with lox salmon cream cheese.

The Mt Roberts Tramway still looks like an awesome trip up to the peaks, so that might be my next day off adventure.  Last Sunday I took the puppies to the beach, but my hands were too full to take pictures.  There is still so much left to do and many blogs that I hope to post and share all the amazing things that Juneau has to offer!