Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Bainbridge Island & Poulsbo

Day #2 of our Seattle tour took us back downtown, long enough to catch a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island, thanks to my Aunt Joan's suggestion.  It was a short 35 minute ride, long enough to get up on deck and enjoy the view of the Seattle skyline, Mt. Rainier and the many sailboats taking advantage of the great weather.
 looking toward Bainbridge island
 Mount Rainier
 Seattle skyline
Bainbridge Island has some cute shops, some BEAUTIFUL homes and some great views.  I got excited when I saw a doe and her 2 babies...
Amy was less impressed, but she was amused by my outburst and abrupt stop for a quick photo.

One place I HAVE visited in the past (again, thanks to my Aunt Joan) :) is a cute town called Poulsbo.  It was settled by Norwegians and still has a very Scandinavian feel to the town.  It's just a short drive from Bainbridge Island, so after a light lunch at a small cafe, we continued on to Poulsbo.
Amy and I have traveled together in Austria and Switzerland, and Poulsbo reminded both of us of that trip.  We spent time just wandering up and down the main streets, window shopping and enjoying the day.  We were told that we HAD to stop for ice cream at the Mora Iced Creamery shop...there is one on Bainbridge Island, and one in Poulsbo...all I can say is Oh. My. Goodness.  This was probably THE best ice cream I have ever eaten.

You have to visit their website to see about their ingredients and process.  We were able to sample as many flavors as we wanted ~ and every sample I tasted was so good!  I ended up choosing Mexican Chocolate and BA.  The Mexican Chocolate had cinnamon and nutmeg flavors added...and the BA was Dulce de Leche with extra caramel.  I think regular ice cream is ruined for me...there's nothing like homemade and that's what Mora does. 

Poulsbo also has a great bakery in town, and I couldn't resist buying some pastries to take back to share...

I have to say though, the hi-light of the day for me turned out to be a completely unexpected and unplanned surprise.  Amy is used to me oohing and aahing over cavaliers by now, but seriously, who could resist these two??
Twelve week old Cavalier King Charles puppies...brother and sister...say hello to Pilot and Siren...the little boy reminded me SO much of Duncan when he was a puppy.  I could have cuddled them all day long!

5 comments:

Amy said...

It's been such fun traveling and exploring the Northwest with you Mel! Thanks for asking me to tag along! In light of seeing the deer and the bear, do you think you'll be changing your blog name to deer deer bear anytime soon? ;-)

Mary said...

Just so much to say--I afraid I'll need to do a numbered list for this post.

1. Um, is Amy wearing a deliciously toasty jacket...in July? I fear I moved to the wrong city and that I'll never be chilly again.
2. Remember the episode of friends where Phoebe asks her mom "Puppies, ugly or cute?" :) Wish they could randomly morph back into puppies for a bit every so often.
3. Love, love, love ferries! Took a ferry out to an island once but don't remember which. Wasn't nearly as cute.
4. Seattle. Just so envious! :)

Crazy Granny said...

It looks exciting. Love the view of Mount Rainier.

atvmtngirl said...

That little town is adorable, and the ice cream sounds so yummy! I have to ask if you tried the champagne cupcakes that you had a pic of...they look delicious :) And the puppies are so cute!
Looks like you had a fabulous time!

Melody said...

i didn't try the champagne cupcakes b/c i didn't see them until after i had made a bunch of other purchases...but don't they sound good?!? :)