Saturday January 25 - wonderful day in Seattle and moving to Seattle

Yesterday was some day out! There was morning fog that was beginning to get burnt off as we left to catch the ferry to Seattle. 

By the time the crossing began we were able to see a fair distance thought there was still fog in the distance and the Olympic Mountains were also visible through the haze. The water was a beautiful shade of blue!  We passed by Bainbridge Island and from the look of the houses it is a very expensive place to live! Part way through the crossing the fog descended and we could see very little in any direction. Suddenly the fog lifted and there was Seattle in front of us. We went outside for some photos and boy it was cold but it was worth it!!

As it was a car ferry we had wheels in Seattle so Jim drove us around to see some of the sights, these included buildings that Jim had worked on in his job as an electrician! We managed to find a car park

 just above Pike Place Market.

What an experience the market was! It was fun watching the guys throw the fish around and shouting out as they did so, one of them even threw a bag of Mussels to another one, with the words "Sack of Mussels". They obviously enjoy what they do and it will make a long day pass more quickly for them. They even had a fish, a Monk fish so it said, that was set up so they could make it jump out and it scared many a tourist!

We then wandered on through the market and fund a Pet store, not with live pets but with everything imaginable for pet lovers, such items as mugs, T-Shirts, toys, calendars, pens, magnets and I even found a salt and pepper set for Cheryl (she has a huge collection at home) etc etc.

 As we wandered on, in another store window there was a chess set where the pieces were cats and dogs with a cat tree as the rook and so on. There were shops selling all kinds of things, trinkets, antiques, candy, souvenirs, clothes, flowers and so on. We also found the area where artists sell their own items, these were varied too. We came out at the other end of the market and basically tripped over the original Starbucks, founded in 1971, we did not even have to go look for it!!

 We made our way back to the place we started and while Jim collected the car I watched more fish throwing!  

  
Jim then drove us to the Columbia Tower Building where we could ride up to the 73rd floor and get a 360 degree view of the whole area. This is taller than the Space Needle and also a lot cheaper, $12 for adults and $9 for those 55+. So for the next three hours we entertained ourselves with the marvellous and spectacular views made even better as the sun was out in full force and the sky was clear apart form a random belt of smog that did not interfere in any way with our viewing.

We had great views over Mount Baker, Mount Rainier and the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound, Bellevue, Seattle and of course the two stadiums at the southern end of town - where The Seahawks (CenturyLink Field) and the Mariners (Safeco Field) play. Everywhere we had been there was evidence of what Seattle will be like in a week's time. lots of blue and green as well as 12s everywhere. We even saw a light plane towing a 12!! This obvious support extended out from Seattle to the surrounding areas.

I took many, many photographs as the views were so good. It is tricky avoiding the reflections but they do come round and keep the inside of the windows clean. I also used the panoramic view setting on my camera and got a few spectacular photos that way! 

We had a great overview of Bellevue and there are two floating bridges that connect it to the Seattle side of the lake, This concept actually sounds a bit scary to me!! The Columbia Tower actually looks down on the Space Needle, so this is the place to come folks!!  Watching the shadow of the tower creep towards one of the floating bridges was awesome. 

We also watched the ferries come and go and also saw the Big Wheel in action and, later, light up with different patterns. 

As we had stayed so long we caught the sunset and it was breathtaking watching the sun go down. What was even more interesting was the fact that the orange/red sky stayed around for a long time. 

The reflections of this, the silhouette that the Olympic Mountains created were outstanding and I will never forget the sights I saw today. 

Sometimes we are lucky and privileged to be reminded just how beautiful this earth is and how we should take so much better care of it. Even now, writing this late on Saturday evening I am humbled by what I saw yesterday.

Finally, it was time to leave so and we were to drive home via the Cheesecake Factory, Tukwila where we had a delicious dinner and, yes, I had to have some cheesecake but some went back with me in a doggy bag but Cheryl ended up with two doggy bags!! So back home to a very chilly 33 degrees and two very excited dogs!!

(Please Note: I have continued the photos from yesterday as i took none today!!!)

Today is the day I say a sad farewell, hopefully only adieu, to my wonderful Port Orchard hosts, Cheryl and Jim. They have made me feel most welcome and have shown me so much of this part of the world. It has also helped me with my next few days in Seattle in terms of where to go and what to do! I wish to thank them very much for the time they have spent with me, it has been great getting to know them and of course, Mandy and Serenity as well.

Jack Frost was very busy overnight so today dawned very white and bright as there was no fog so it was clear from the start. So, after a bit of shopping and some lunch, we headed to the Tacoma railway station for my transfer to Seattle. Once again the weather was perfect, even more so as there was no fog! There was however a thick frost and the temperature was only 37 degrees at 11.45 am when we left for Tacoma. We again saw Mount Rainier in all it's glory as we crossed the Narrows Toll Bridge. By the way, who said it always rains in Seattle? That is so not true as the weather has been gorgeous!

I nearly got myself into trouble at the station, the train had pulled in and the door in front of me did not open. There were green and red lit buttons beside it so I pressed the green one to open the door. The door opened but I was immediately told off by the conductor and a station attendant , I should not have done that. No sign saying not to do it so I was expected to be a mind reader I imagine! They did let me on the train so all's well that ends well! 

The journey to Seattle took about 45 minutes and I then caught a taxi to my hotel. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and told me where the nearest Starbucks was, not very far at all, behind a Whole Foods store! Seattle must have the most Starbucks per square mile in the world! After my usual Cafe Latte it was back to the hotel for a home made (by me) sandwich and to write the blog.

A few of my panoramic views!!