kiwi back in the nest

my trip away served many purposes. i got to spend a bunch of time with my best girl Lana and her husband Ty, see the sights of vancouver and seattle, go on a train, a bus and an airplane, eat yummy yummy food, get a taste of real winter, run on trails in the woods, oh and also i got another visa..so now im back in america for a while longer. 

side note. this may mean that i need a shipment from nz...marmite is out, cravings for all things kiwi are on a new all time high. blame canada and their tim-tams. 

first i will share with you my seattle experience, pre and post vancouver, where i stayed with Lana and Ty in their beautiful home in the mountains. 

the day i arrived the sun came out for the first time in a week! so lana and ty took me to pikes public market to walk around and grab lunch. we sampled salmon cakes, clam chowder and fish and chips (which were actually very, very good..think the may be the most legit ones iv tried over here yet!)

we stopped by a local cheese shop to check out the cheese making in process

and i found REAL crumpets..nz style, and a whole store/cafe dedicated to it! this may be where the cravings for kiwi food truly originated!

after sight seeing it was due time for a little pick me up..and because the sun was out it meant icecream was on the menu. a great local icecream shop with all unique flavors such as lavender and honey, chocolate and chilli and earl grey.

back to the residence for a run down memory lane. like our college days all over again we hit the trails for a run before dinner. 

AFTER I GOT BACK ACROSS THE BORDER!!!! YEAAAA!!!

i got to have a day out and about with Ty..some one on one bonding time with my besties man

he took me to one of the oldest coffee shops in seattle. the walls were lined with old books and the interior was all antique and vintage..add local art work = perfect! it was an awsome place and the coffee definitely lived up to the decor!

next stop was across the road for a look around an indoor market/deli..all situated within an old wooden building. it reminded me of an old sheering shed in nz and i loved that all the little shops inside sold local produce and gifts. we grabbed lunch to go and headed to the hospital to have lunch with Lana on her break!

after checking out lana in her scrubs we toured the main street and new library which had a spectacular view of seattle!

all and all i would say that seattle is beautiful, with a great mix of downtown vibe and mountain oasis. 

i can't wait to go back and spend more time there!