A special place

We are just leaving Dutch Harbor, on the island of Amaknak, where the port of Unalaska is situated.

Got that?

Took me a while, too. In fact !’d never heard of any of those places before we booked this cruise and even then, this port was simply noted as “Dutch Harbor”.

We have had a splendid day. The sun shone some of the time even though the forecast wasn’t so good. It was chilly but fresh and the people - well, they couldn’t have been more welcoming to the first ship of the season. Another 18 will follow us, after which they might be glad to put up the shutters and return to their peace and quiet.

Not that it’s a quiet place! The locals drive old 4WD trucks with wonky exhausts which create a real racket, even though the speed limit is 30mph and no-one’s going very far. (There is no road to the “outside”)

Though I am not at all fond of the local birdlife, who are here in great numbers and were swooping down and landing on the rails of the ship this afternoon, they are magnificent creatures and it’s a privilege to get up so close to them (in my case through glass!)

So yes, we have stories to tell and more pictures to share, but I’ll leave that till tomorrow, when we have a sea day and I will have all the time in the world. Right now, we are off to dinner!