A Visit to Seattle

A visit to Seattle with my sister has been a combination of seeing things again as well as discovering new parts of the Pacific Northwest.

When we arrived, we stopped at the Visitor's Center and were encouraged to visit the farmers market at Des Moines Beach.

My sister, Mary, and I enjoyed seeing the variety of produce that was already in season. There were even things we had never tasted before: like yellow cherries.

There were lots of food trucks and food vendors. The market was a combination of fresh produce, beautiful flowers, healthy (and some unhealthy) food, and a way to connect with others. There were many chairs and picnic tables set up for people to relax, enjoy a meal together, and talk.

Along our walk to the market, we saw gardens with lavender. The bees loved it.

On Sunday, the highlight for me (and I think Mary too) was the Chihuly Garden and Glass. Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures were displayed both inside and in a garden.

The first part was inside. We enjoyed one section where the glass pieces were on the ceiling and backlit so the patterns were revealed.

Each piece was so unique in color and pattern.

My favorite part of the museum was a section called Ikebana and Float Boats. There were two wooden boats placed on a reflective black surface. In and around the boats were beautiful glass pieces - shining on their own and reflecting on the floor.

The simplicity of the background allowed the pattern of the sculptures to be the focus of the display.

I could have spent so much time just enjoying the patterns and vibrant colors of this display.

Another room had chandeliers. Each view provided a different look and feel to the sculpture.

Even glass that was devoid of color still was amazingly beautiful.

We spent time wandering through the garden space. Glass pieces were integrated right into the landscape.

The colors of the pieces matched or complemented the flora. It was also fascinating for me to such a diverse variety of flowers that I've never seen.

We also had an opportunity to go to the Space Needle. I went up to the top before, but Mary had not been there. Seeing the view of the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Ranier never gets old.

After visiting Pike Place Market (which was very crowded), we went to a place that served crumpets. We had never eaten a crumpet before so it was fun to try something new. We found a place that makes cheese and were able to see two batches in different stages.

We took the light rail system to the International District. Visited Uwajimaya. There was a food court, grocery store, bookstore, and household area. There were a lot of items from Japan which I loved seeing.

We looked at the produce section and saw a diversity of food that we normally don't see in Minnesota. One of the things we saw was dragon fruit (the red fruit pictured below). It weighs about 1.25 pounds and costs about $12 per fruit. We didn't get one since it was a bit on the expensive side.

One of the things that I've enjoyed is seeing all the beautiful flowers here. At both the Des Moines Farmers Market and Pike Place Market, there were so many vendors with such a variety of flowers. Peonies are definitely in season here - so fragrant, fluffy, and beautiful.

We've had a fun and interesting start to our vacation. I don't remember the last time I took a vacation with my sister...perhaps when the girls were still toddlers? If so, it has been entirely too long.