First stop-Juneau

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Juneau – a pretty name for a pretty place
This was our first stop where we could disembark and stroll through the little town, connect to wifi and be overwhelmed by all the Alaskan curios and gift shops! Soon enough we realised that as in any other touristy place in the world that all the shops sell the same thing..they just swop animals…a bear fridge magnet, a totem pole magnet, a bear cap, Alaskan wolves fleece jackets…
We went for a coffee and the best ever Biscotti I have ever encountered in the little town, we had to spend $5 in the shop for each device we wanted to connect with - to be able to use their Wi-Fi, that gave us a chance to touch base and check emails, send messages home that we survived our first couple of days at sea so far!

About Juneau..
It’s hard to believe that Juneau is Alaska’s capital, tucked away in the northern parts of the Inside Passage, the former gold rush town is surrounded by spectacular scenery. It sits at the foot of Mt. Juneau and faces the water. It has many fjords along the coast as well as Mendenhall Glacier nearby. Such a pretty little town with a population of about 30 000, these days the economy is based on tourism, government, mining and fishing.
Juneau was founded 13 years after the purchase of Alaska, most thought of it as a worthless frozen waste land but in 1880 two drunken pioneers (no! that kind of ‘pioneers’!) reluctantly carried home the gold that started a long series of gold rushes that established Alaska.

There were few shore excursions to choose from, a “guaranteed Whale watching” catamaran cruise, (I guess even if you only see a fin- it passes as seeing a whale..right? ),a scenic drive to Mendenhall Glacier and enjoy Salmon Bake at Orca Point Lodge. We preferred to get to know the town and go at our own pace.. We still have so much to do and see on this trip!

Back on board..
Celebrity Showtime treated us to comedian Rich Ceisler, he kept us laughing with good clean jokes for about an hour, ok – there was 1 “knock knock” joke but it didn’t do any harm – I guess we are easy targets when it comes to “knock knock” jokes! LoL… . It’s hard to find a comedian that can keep it clean and light with many laughs..

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