Last September we went on a cruise with My sister and her husband. We all agreed we had had a good time and we should start thinking about our next adventure. On board the ship...they have brochures encouraging travelers to start planning and get credit for making those plans while still on board. Martha and I started talking about Alaska. She and Tony had been... they went on a trip along with my brother-in-laws' family a while back. They all had a great time, better than expected...so Martha was interested in going back. Almost everyone I know who has been on a cruise to Alaska has said that it was definitely worth the trip. I 'll admit, changes in our climate had me thinking that sooner was probably better than later. We came up with a great trip for to celebrate Tony's June retirement...the only thing left to do was to ask Tony if HE was interested...hahahahah. Fortunately...he was...so even though we didn't book while still on board...our plan was in the works. In this family...we just make a plan and then put it out there. Anyone interested is welcome to join us.We pick a place and time frame and then wait to see who might be interested.Last year it ended up just Martha, Tony, John and I...with Brenna and Josh joining us for the day we were in Newport,RI..This time we were joined by Tony's sister Maris and her husband Wim. Ian and Tara signed on as well...although when she got a new job...Tara had to cancel.This time we started in Seattle,WA.
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| post card from Pike ST Press |
We added a few days on to our trip to explore Seattle. Brenna and Josh flew out for a few days and spent two nights and days with us. Tony's sister Judy and her husband drove down from Portland, OR to join us too. We had a great time with everyone! Plenty of people with ideas for sight-seeing and also a nice group celebration for Tony's retirement.
Tony found a great condo for rent right in the heart of the city.
We were just a few blocks from the Space Needle and some museums; and a short walk to the Pike's Place Market and the waterfront. I loved walking up and down the hills and all the steps...reminded me of Pittsburgh.
We lucked out...the weather was sunny and mild...even slightly warm a couple of days. Leaving the 90+ temperatures in Florida behind...made 80 feel just fine.
I'll admit walking around the city might not be as enjoyable if we had been there during the rainy season.
The market at Pike's Place was bustling with activity on the Friday when we arrived. It was fun
. The flowers were beautiful...and inexpensive. There were several stalls selling beautiful, colorful bouquets. We bought one to have on the table for the two nights we were going to be at the condo. Of course we had to stop and watch the fish sellers...tossing their fish around.
It was great looking over the mounds of shrimp, crab legs, and varieties of fish. We bought a pound or two of smoked salmon of course, then a few yards down found some freshly baked bread\
and cream cheese spread to go with it.
Brenna pointed out the doughnut place..
.which smelled as good as it tasted....worth waiting in the short line to get the sack of mini donuts. And of course there was a Starbucks on almost every corner
...so tasty coffee was always available.Other than the crowds...it was great. John is not a big fan of crowded places like that...no one really is....but he hung in there.
Some of us took a ferry ride around the harbor.
The young lady narrating the tour was very informative and it was a picture perfect day so we really got to see it all.
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| sunset reflected on the mountain (zoomed in of course ) |
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| old trick of trying to get everyone in the photo...it took a few tries hahaha |
We cooked at the condo both nights. We had fresh fish from the market as well as salad, fresh vegetables,bread and plenty of beer, wine and or champagne for the drinkers.
On Saturday Martha, Judy, Tom, Maris Wim and I took a ferry over to Bainbridge Island for a bike ride around the island. John, Ian and Josh decided to head to tour the Boeing Plant. Brenna and Tony decided to stay put at the condo. The ferry ride over to the island was pleasant.
We arrived and took a short walk to the bike rental stand.
Once we got outfitted with helmets and practiced riding around on our bikes...testing the hand brakes and shifting the gears...we took the map and headed out. I followed...because when it comes to maps....I'm not the one you want leading the way...hahahahah As it turned out all of us were slightly challenged...hahahaha luckily the bike rental guy made sure to write NO,NO,NO on a particularly steep route. We set off and as I pedaled slowly up the first hill...I was breathing so hard I thought I might have to spend the day at the Farmer's Market...hahaha We parked the bikes and walked around admiring the artwork, crafts,pottery, flowers, and assorted fruits,vegetables, cheeses and baked goods. we had already eaten...otherwise I would have sampled almost everything! I had recovered from my trip up the hill and breathing normally again...hahaha so I was good to go.When we struck out again...we rode up and down one hill two times...then figured out where we needed to turn....We rode up and down several hills around the town and made our way down to the waterfront area. Stopped for a nice lunch in the nice little town of Lynwood for lunch and a beverage.
Left there and rode through a great park...that reminded me of Incline Village in Lake Tahoe.Loved the tall pines and Cypress trees.
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| pretty walkway down by the water...beautiful gardens |
Wild berry bushes everywhere.....just a beautiful area and we had a great ride. As we glided down a nice steep hill...we tried not to think about having to ride back up it on our way back. hahaha On the way back...we all ended up getting off our bikes at some point on the way up and just walking the bikes along.We made it up the big hill and the rest of the ride back to the Bike rental place wasn't too bad. The last part was mostly downhill...always a good thing! It was a nice way to spend the morning.
Meanwhile John, Josh and Ian really enjoyed their tour of Boeing's plant. No cameras, cellphones, etc allowed naturally....but they got to see the "Dreamliners" in production and all three said they were impressed by everything they saw.
I will write more about Seattle next time...and our hunt for art around the town.Then it's on to Alaska.
I figure this is enough for tonight. 😄
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