Alaska 2018 Blog Post 8 - Petersburg

May 18, 2018

Another sunny but cool day in Petersburg when the sun streaming in our stateroom windows woke us.  We took off uptown, looking at all the booths that had sprung up overnight.  There were at least three beer gardens, people dressed in their version of Viking garb, and lots of traditional Nordic attire.  We ended up at an outdoor food establishment for lunch and beer, where the sun was now very warm. 

At 4:00 PM the parade started, with everyone in Petersburg either watching the parade or in the parade.  Immediately after the parade the herring toss began right in the main street.  The winners were more than 100 feet apart at the end.

We expect the carousing will go on most of the night, only to pick up again in the morning.

Here is a random sampling of photos from today.

Tomorrow we begin the trip to Sitka and will be mostly out of internet range for a week.

A really unique wheelhouse from a bus

USCG leading off the parade 

One of several antique Petersburg Fire Trucks

The Viking ship is the centerpiece of the parade

Some of the Vikings

Flags and banners everywhere

The harbor where we are moored

We even flew a Norwegian flag on Spirit

Enjoying and al fresco lunch in the sunshine

One of many Beer Gardens