SCHOLARSHIP DAY 10: My first injury, finding the Seward Lagoon and a late night walk to view the stars!

Tomorrow, I have a really big day coming up; I'm not going to reveal my plans just yet! Today, however, would be a pretty chilled out day with a relaxed itenary. I certainly needed it!

It must have rained overnight because I woke up to the 'pitter patter' of raindrops falling from the hostel rooftops. By the time I got out and started to walk to the 'Mariner Restaurant' for breakfast, it was starting to clear up and the waterproofs were not needed, fortunately! Breakfast was the 'usual'- I think I can call that now- pancakes, maple syrup and a hot chocolate. The waitress after yesterday's silent treatment, asked me where I was from, but apart from that, the whole experience was once again, slightly awkward!

I decided to spend the morning actually visiting the many gift shops that the town offers the tourist, and it's quite clearly a town that relies heavily on tourism. (A couple of days ago, I asked the ice-cream shop about his opening times, and apparently eventhough Alaskans like ice-cream in the winter, it's not in demand enough, so the shop is shut.) I visited a few shops across the road from the harbour; one called Summerbreeze and one called the 'Breeze Inn' which connects to a small hotel. The lady in Summerbreeze lived in Fairbanks for two winters and warned me over the extremely low temperatures in the winter time. Gloves and a good hat are very much needed, and a thick coat!

The topic of conversation in the second shop, The Breeze Inn, was 'bear' themed, probably sparked by the full size brown bear from Kodiak Island that stands next to the drinks machine in the entrance. I can't express through a photo or through words the size of this bear. The lady behind the counter told me what everyone else tells me here in Alaska: Bears are everywhere!

My trip around the gift shops paused there, whilst I made my way along the beach to the southern tip. I have been using the concrete coastal trail since I arrived, but today I decided it was pleasant enough to walk along the beach. Their coastal protection scheme consists of large boulders, but I did spot some matting being used to support the unconsolidated cliff. The beach is boulder-based, which doesn't support much ocean life, but a lot of sea-weed! I also found another piece of milky quartz; the same rock that I was stumbling upon when I was hiking through the Girdwood mountains. Climbing the larger rocks brought back memories of walking in West Bay, Dorset, and I was thinking just how good my boots were at gripping the rocks, when suddenly...down I go! I inspected the rock which caused me to fall and it was covered with algae. Maybe it was my fault for not looking where I was going?! I climbed myself to a safe bench, and it turned out I was bleeding, so lucky for me I had my first aid kit! It would be my first Alaskan injury; let's hope it isn't a recurring thing!

At the south of the town are the rest of the gift shops, but please note, I wasn't here to buy- just to sink myself into Alaskan culture. Some of the hand made gifts are exceptional- from wood to jade stone, it was all there! The book shop turned out to be a great resource, but they didn't have 'The Great Gatsby'; a book that I want to read whilst on my travels because of the American references. I did stumble across a lovely little shop with some lovely music playing in the background. I did ask what it was, but apparently the CD was a gift from Japan, with no particular well known artist.

Amongst the shops and the houses, was a lovely little coffee house and gallery. As is usual for me, I ordered a hot chocolate but I did have to ask what a 'Bianca Coffee' was, since my year working at Filby Bridge Restaurant never delved into such an interesting coffee selection. (I do hope they're not reading this!) A Bianca Coffee, if you didn't know, is like a mocha I'm told, but uses white chocolate. Or so I'm told! I think the young girl who served me is called Savannah and when she isn't making the hundred types of coffee that are on offer, she's an amateur photographer. Some of her works are on display; her ambition, though, is to travel and take photos.

I wanted to spend the afternoon at the Seward Musuem but after my efforts on opening the door, decided that they were closed. I fairly quickly decided to do my own self guided tour around the back of the town; the periphery of it which borders the forest and Mount Marathon. The houses here are perhaps less grand, and are more like the ones I saw in Girdwood; wooden and more basic, with larger gardens than downtown. It was around the back of the town that I found a lagoon that I never knew existed, and on a good day I'm told there are otters and kingfishers, but my quick scan wasn't that lucky. I did spend some time there, and for the first time, got my ipod out and relaxed.

North of the lagoon is the Benny Benson memorial; Benny was only four years old when his mother died and his father sent him to a home in Seward. It was at this home that Benny designed a flag; little did he know it would be a very significant emblem for Alaska.

The way back to the hostel was a windy one, athough probably only a Beaufort 3 or 4. I was relieved to return to the hostel to a lovely smell of cooking; Helen was in the kitchen again! Tonight we were delighted to have the rest of the halibut from yesterday, together with a lovely pasta dish and some lovely sauce. I have to say I don't think I will be treated this good in my future hostels!

 

The evening was enlivened by Flann, a hosteller, saying "Bear" outside on the patio. We all ran out to see it with our cameras, but alas, he meant the star constellation. The same thing happened later on when he shouted "Northern Lights" but it seemed that I mis-heard him say "Milky Way!" The wind had picked up by this point, blowing now at Beaufort 7. We all wrapped up warm and did a night walk down to the harbour, where Flann and others observed more stars. The whole experience for me was a little pointless as I couldn't make out one constellation, but it certainly gave me a chance to see Seward  by night. A few of the clubs and bars were thriving, and young people were making their way to them from across the street. Fighting the northerly wind, we safely returned back to the hostel!

Roll on tomorrow- which promises to be a very rewarding day!