Juneau was definitely nothing what I expected! Besides an occasional tall government building here or there, it was mostly rows of shops (for tourists), small businesses/restaurants, and houses. I was also surprised to find that the Capitol building doesn't look like your typical Capitol building with a dome and granite, but is really just a simple, old building. We ended up taking a tour of it and learned quite a bit about Alaska's history, but my favorite thing was hearing the tour guide refer to the rest of the US (minus Hawaii) as the "lower 48." I can't wait to start using the term any chance I get. ;)
^^The Capitol. With 4 fancy pillars.^^
The cruise ship wasn't docked in Juneau for very long and because of the weather we didn't plan to head out on any excursions, so we spent a few hours walking around the "city." We found quite a few jewelry stores, lots of animal furs, and millions of Alaska sweatshirts (can't wait for the weather to cool down a bit so I can wear mine everyday. ;)) Juneau was definitely the most gorgeous mix of vibrant greens I've ever seen and I hope I get to go back someday!
That afternoon the cruise ship headed towards a glacier a few hours outside of Juneau. I wish I had a video of how anxious and excited people were after the captain announced that we were a minute or two away from the glacier. Herds of people flooded the decks and I've never seen so many cameras and video recorders in one place before. People were taking selfies with the glacier, climbing on the shoulders of family/friends to get better views, and pushing their way to the front of the balconies. It was hilarious to watch and slightly ridiculous. I've now learned that 1) this glacier was a whole lot smaller than I thought it would be, and 2) it was a much brighter blue than I imagined. Now you know what a glacier looks like. :)
These pictures are incredible!! What a fun trip!
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