Canada and Alaska

After a good night’s sleep we awoke around 8:00 am as the ship arrived in Ketchikan.

We enjoyed a nice breakfast as we watched the seaplanes take off and land.

After breakfast we headed off the ship to explore Ketchikan. Ketchikan is known for its commercial salmon fishing and indigenous Haida and Tlingit heritage (evident by, among other things, the many beautiful totem poles in the area). Despite having a regular population of only about 8,000, Ketchikan receives around a million ship visitors between May and September each year!

One of the more well-known establishments in Ketchikan is Dolly’s House. These days it is a museum but up until 1954, when prostitution became illegal, it was the town’s most famous brothel, run by the madam Dolly Arthur.

After walking around the main tourist area, we ventured out along a nice timber boardwalk to quieter parts of Ketchikan. Along the way we found a nice display of totem poles.

We then returned to Ketchikan proper, where we spent some time looking in the shops. We were quite taken by a cute wooden bear in one of the shops, so we decided that he would be coming home with us.

After a fun day in Ketchikan, we headed back to the ship to relax before dinner. We had a lovely dinner in The Colonnade restaurant and, after dinner, enjoyed a wonderful theatre show.

Then it was off to bed to recover and get ready for tomorrow’s exploration of Rudyerd Bay in the Misty Fjords.