During our last trip through the US in 2003, we had left out the Pacific Northeast: Washington and Oregon, mostly because we craved some sunshine and warmth after weeks in the cold Mountain regions of Wyoming and Montana. This time, Seattle and the Oregon coast could not be left out, and we had a great time.
The "Space Needle" gives the skyline that special touch, and all "Sleepless in Seattle" fans will instantly regonise it - even if it does not actually have a Starbucks on top...
Seattle has pretty much everything you need to live a good life: foodies get the freshest wares, wine experts enjoy Eastern Washington grapes, winter sports fans have mountains nearby...
...sailors have hundreds of miles of coastal areas to cruise, not to mention an ocean not far, it's all there.
And, of course, the coffee and the culture (Wagner's complete Ring cycle played at the opera the week we left).
No surprise then that Seattle figures high on our very dynamic list of "places we could hang out for a while" (even if Mount Rainier didn't unveil itself during our stay...)!
Since Vancouver, our motto is "going South - all the way". The Oregon coast has especially charmed us, with a preserved wilderness to it, nearly universal public access though few people and breathtaking views (enhanced sometimes by the famous fog).
Now that we made it into Northern California (but that's going to be the subject of our next post), we appreciate the Oregon coastline even more...
... - it can definitely compete with the much more famous Route 1 in CA!
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