Seattle in pictures

Ok, so I figure it's about time I posted about my trip to Seattle, but I don't feel like typing everything out.  Just know that Seattle is a beautiful place and you need to visit.  I fall more in love with it every time I go.

Obviously, Pikes Place Market is a given.  It's always alive and a shopping place for both locals and tourists.  It was a beautiful day when we went, so there were people everywhere enjoying the day and shopping.

I had heard you could ride horses on the beach somewhere along the Olympic Peninsula.  We didn't end up doing that, but we did visit the beach.  We also stopped off in FORKS!  Any Twilight fans out there know what's up! Haha so I felt like the biggest dork going there because the town is in the middle of nowhere and has no other real attraction other than the fact the books take place there.  Let me tell you, Forks looks nothing like what the movies make it out to be; no where near as pretty.  And it didn't even rain!

I also attended my first major league soccer game.  I grew up playing soccer and did so all the way through high school, but I was never big on watching it on television.  Columbus has a MLS team, but I don't know anyone who goes to the games.  Well...it's HUGE in Seattle!  They have different fan clubs that have individual cheers/chants and hang out at specific bars; almost like friendly rivalry between people rooting for the same team.  Of course the one day it rained, we had to be standing outside for a couple hours and what do ya know, as soon as the game was over the rain stopped.  Haha such is Seattle weather, I suppose.  They made fun of me because I was one of the only people utilizing an umbrella, which screamed tourist.

Leavenworth was another road trip we took.  It's this cute little German town way up in the mountains.  Driving there I had no idea what to expect because there was zero civilization going up the mountain and we even passed through what looked like the dead of winter.  I remember thinking "great, I'm going to freeze my ass off."  But out of nowhere the mountain opens up and voila there's a town.  It's mostly a bunch of shops, restaurants and such.  There were some amazing views, too!

On my last day we did a tour of a local brewery after the Woodinville's annual parade and learned all about how beer is made (hops and whatnot).  The brewery we toured was Redhook and it was so much fun.  Our guide was hilarious and we got to try several of their signature beers.  My cousin and her husband actually went home and measured out the amount of alcohol our samples are equivalent to.  Basically, you pay $2 for the tour and get two full beers, plus an hour of entertainment.  Apparently brewery and winery tours are big out there.  I want to find one close to Cincy to take friends to.  I have a new found appreciation for beer and have been trying to broaden my horizons in regards to the types of beers I drink.  Miller lite seems kinda boring now; bring on the flavor!

So these are nowhere near all of the photos I took in Seattle, but it's all you're getting for this post.  I did a lot of other stuff, but it's nearly 1a.m. and I'm too tired to continue. The pictures do not do the city justice, nor do they convey the amount of fun I had and how freaking great it was to get away!!