Hello,
It’s been a while since I have blogged and there are several reasons for that. For one, I was on a vacation to Seattle for two weeks. Seattle may seem like an odd choice for a vacation. For me, it was an opportunity to learn as much as I could, as a tourist(I know…), about the American way of life. Two weeks is clearly not enough but hey, I have a full time job here at home.
I will state the obvious: Seattle is not New York nor is it Los Angeles. Seattle is the Pacific Northwest – at least for me who haven’t visited any other city in the area. It is a heaven for nature lovers and city bugs alike. Seattle dwellers have the woods right in their backyard and plenty of lakes and bays to go sailing on. They even have beaches for when it is warm enough. And if nature isn’t all you’re craving, downtown Seattle has the urban feel of the all-American metropolis with its skyscrapers, museums and heavy traffic… If that’s your thing.
Yup, Seattle has it all.

There plenty of things to see in the city and around it as my trusty Lonely Planet guide advised me. The first day of our trip was all about discovering the city, the architecture, the landmark buildings. It was a day of walking around and looking up :). And there’s no way we could have missed the Space Needle!

The next day, we headed back to Seattle to visit its large Aquarium. Needless to say, if you like fish, it’s a worthwhile experience. They have a large amount of exotic fish, on par with London’s Aquarium I would say, and they even have a sea lion.

If you don’t already know this, Seattle is the place were aircraft giant Boeing started out. Their first workshop where they built wooden airplanes became a museum which expanded into the rather huge Museum of Flight. If you are an airplane freak, there is a lot for you to see here including a real Concorde and JFK’s Air Force One.

Around Seattle you will also find one of USA’s top 10 zoos – the Woodland Park Zoo!

Like I said before, Seattle has it all – even all at once, for example, there’s this beach right next to the woods.

In downtown Seattle you will find one of the biggest public marketplaces – Pike Market Place. Here you can shop for things like fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and meat but also for the weirdest souvenirs and such. It’s one of the most crowded pedestrian areas and it has several underground levels!

If you have your sea legs about you there are a lot of cruises and boat rides to be enjoyed around Seattle. The view is usually pretty great.

And if you thought that is all, you are wrong! Near Seattle you will find Mt Rainier National Park with a large active volcano that is covered with snow all year long. It is a must do experience should you find yourself in Seattle. And if hiking is what your craving, or maybe skiing, then you need to look no further. Yup, that’s right snow at 23 degrees Celsius. Pretty sweet…

There’s more to show but hey, I am trying to keep it short and sweet. I have just realized I didn’t mention “Sleepless in Seattle” in my post – not even once! Well, here it is – go see Meg Ryan now :P!

As for what I have learned about the American way of life… well, I am sure I only touched the surface, a very pleasant and polite surface – I feel I am not entitled to an opinion but I dare to say Seattle is a nice place to live – at least until you find out what’s what :).

Well, that’s it folks, promise to blog more often – should you be interested :D!

Have a nice summer everyone.