America - our penultimate country

At the needle

When we looked at traveling around the world there was a lot to organise and a lot to pay for. Moneysavingexpert.com was a vital source of information on ways to save and one suggestion was couchsurfing. It's not just about free accommodation on someone's couch. It's a community of travellers who want to share their city, their stories and their homes with like minded individuals. I signed us up and apart from lunch with a young student in Vietnam we haven't really gotten around to surfing with anyone until Seattle.

We searched the hundreds of people in Seattle who belong to the couchsurfing network and one young lady stood out as being pleasant and accommodating. We had a few things in common, she was used to the whole couchsurfing thing so we thought, as first timers, to see if we cold stay. She said yes and our experience was fantastic. Not only did she pick us up from the bus station, she fed us, vacated her bed for us, gave us access to her fridge, her friends, the Internet AND she made brownies. Directions around Seattle, things to see and do, drove us to some of the best viewpoints for Seattle city and made us feel so welcome. Emma is a fantastic, kind and considerate person and if couchsurfing is like this all over the states we are in for a great time in the US. Her housemate Amy was also great company and even went out of her way to take us to the airport. Opening your home to complete strangers may sound weird but for us, having a home cooked meal and relaxing in a home not just a room was such a pleasant experience. They even let us show some of our photo's and listened to our various stories.

Us with Emma

The Seattle Skyline

Pike Place market - the famous fish throwing

Seattle itself is a large city. We managed to arrive just as the first cloudy days of summer rolled in. Fleece's and Jumpers were needed and the sunshine of our days in Vancouver were but a distant memory. The Space needle, is the most distinctive part of the Skyline and looks nothing like a needle. It is surrounded by modern sculptures and a couple of weird looking museums and after a quick look around we headed for the down town. Pike's place market is home to the infamous fishmongers who throw the various fish and crabs across the market watched by lots of tourists with camera's Their impromptu routines make for interesting watching. Fruit and vegetables of various shapes and sizes are located throughout the giant market warehouse (think St Georges market at home, but much bigger) with stalls intertwined. The original Starbucks is also a famous attraction in the area and although we went along, they didn't have any seating so another branch around the corner was rewarded with our custom.

Seattle has a lot to offer and we were just not there long enough to fully appreciate it. It will be another place to go back to in future years at least for the hospitality if nothing else.