Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia

We wrapped up our Aleutians expedition with a quick stop in Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula of far northeast Russia. Although not part of the Aleutian Islands, of course, the area is certainly geographically, geologically and historically similar.

We spent the morning doing a typical tourist city-tour, mostly churches and statues followed by a "local" lunch. It was interesting and informative, but it was so far from my usual style of exploration that I often found myself wanting to jump off the bus and just mingle with the locals for a while.

In the afternoon, we went to a cultural heritage center where we were treated to an excellent traditional dance performance, though I admit to spending most of my time with the local sled dogs who were in residence there. I reprise my global assessment: Dogs are dogs everywhere, and I love them all!

It's been an excellent Aleutian expedition and we fly out tomorrow.