Paris Hotel Deals - Alaska capital Cities Tour: Discover Juneau,

Reminiscent of the
time when Alaska belonged to Russia, american Bald Eagles soar over the onion
domes of Russian Orthodox churches. One- and two-story wood
buildings, towering snow-covered
mountains with menacing jagged peaks preside over
charming little towns of humble. Marked
with ancient totem poles, each Alaskan city and town
preserves its unique charm and village-like quality, as a result. Its rough terrain prohibits
intercity travel, (two and a
half times bigger than Texas), although Alaska is the largest state in the Union. One-third of which lies in the Arctic Circle, america's outermost
northern state, "Extreme" best describes Alaska.

Foamy tidal waves frozen in
midair, " so called
because they look like white, this stunning blue ice floats silently beneath
towering glacier walls called "white thunder. Yet as deadly on waterways as deer are on
highways, seems as
gentle as deer, (referring to Alaska's turquoise
ice floes that sail passively over a midnight sea), its
exotic "blue ice" for example. Pristine and perilous, alaska's landscape is primitive.

" It is
"The Last Frontier, as the state's unofficial nickname claims. Alaska is full of awe-inspiring
beauty and deadly danger--two extremes of Mother Nature's
personality. Much
of the state remains a vast wilderness that defies man's
taming or domestication, although the modern world's cruise ships and airlines
frequently penetrate this massive snow-fortified land.

JUNEAU sTATE TOURIST INFORMATION (907) 929-2200,

And the remnants of 19th century
gold miners mark their distinctive claim--all in one city, onion dome Russian
Orthodox churches rise, a
city where Tlingit totem poles stand, bald Eagles soar; in a
wilderness where bears roam freely, close to a lush rain forest, down the street
from a moving glacier, where else can you find state business being conducted
at the base of a snow-covered mountain? Frequent
air and boat service make this hard-to-reach capital a
manageable trek that's worth the effort and expense to get
to, however. No major roads travel in or out of the city. Juneau is the only landlocked capital in the United States.

Things to See in Juneau:

O Alaska Statehouse

A whale and a bear--still commonly found in Juneau
to this day, the doors to the Senate Chambers have handles of
hand cast brass etched in totemic symbols representing an
eagle. Made
of gold nuggets from Alaska's Gold Rush era greets
visitors, the Alaska State Seal in the lobby. Embellish the exterior brick-faced
concrete structure, four columns of Tokeen marble from Prince of Wales
Island south of Juneau. Governor's office ever
since. Governor's office and Lt, and has housed the state
legislature, the Territorial and Federal Building became
the State Capitol in 1959, built in 1931.

" She wore them during
all Senate sessions. Out the other, the portrait of former state senator Bettye
Fahrenkamp shows her wearing earrings of native symbols
that mean "in one ear. . . Check it out .

The map of Alaska on the third floor is made
from a piece of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. . . Check it out .

O Alaska State Museum

000 artifacts and works of art, art and culture with exhibits containing
more than 23, state history, native
history, founded as a territorial museum in 1900 the Alaska State
Museum today displays Alaska's natural history.

A whaling boat made from driftwood covered with
walrus skins and the state's unique bentwood hunting hat, umiak. A 38 ft, the Alaska Native Gallery includes a
Northwest Coast clan house complete with totems. . . Check it out .

From egg to adult, the Natural History Gallery exhibits Alaska's
bald eagles in a full-sized nesting tree that includes seven
eagles at various stages of life. . . Check it out .

Nicholas Church St; o .

19th century Russian icons
and liturgical items transport one to Russia's past, the
bell hanging from a small steepled doorway beckons
visitors inside where solemn. Thatched roof
cottage of white clapboard trimmed in Nantucket blue, a
gilded gold onion dome crowns a humble. Situated above downtown Juneau is
the oldest original Russian Orthodox church in Alaska, nicholas Church. St.

And Old
Slavonic are held Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, tlingit, tip: Weekend services sung in English.

O Mendenhall Glacier

A 1500-square-mile block of ice larger than the state
of Rhode Island, which is merely one arm of the colossal Juneau Ice
Field, " An easy trail along Mendenhall Lake
leads to close-up views of this massive chunk of ice and
rock. Naturalist John Muir considered it "one of the most beautiful
of the coastal glaciers. Depending on where you stand, and is
400-800 feet deep, spans a width of 1-1/2 miles, this primordial mass of ancient
ice stretches 12 miles, yet so far from civilization, so close to town. Is just few miles from downtown, mendenhall
Glacier, one of Alaska's most popular attractions.

O Tracy Arm Fjord

And
flirtatious ice floes of translucent blue and opaque white
make this a wintry fairyland to dazzle the eye and make
one's heart soar with the eagles, feathery green pines, waterfalls, glaciers. The
waterway is like a gigantic moat shimmering past a glorious
ice palace. Protected by glacial stone palisades, and other wildlife splash and splatter below in their private
swimming hole, porpoise, seals, the wide-winged Bald Eagle
commands the skies overhead as whales. Synchronized like the
well-rehearsed leap of a ballerina into the arms of her
anticipating partner, cascading into an awaiting green sea, waterfalls spew out between a fringe of evergreens. Triangular ice floes that look like
huge wedges of aquamarine pie topped with whipped
meringue on a crust of snow sail past boats half their size. The base of the mountains
descend almost in equidistance to the depths of the
greenish blue water below. Deep waterway, a natural fence of jagged white mountains surrounds this
narrow.