We decided to leave the car in the garage today and spend the day exploring the city.  Our hotel is just across the road from the Pike Place Market, making it a clear choice for the second stop.  First was a delicious breakfast at Bacco, next door – our usual American fare of corned beef hash with eggs, sunny side up for he who loves that kind of thing and French Toast for me, who doesn’t. 

Over to the market, then, a mere step away…but oh, look, on the corner there’s a cheese shop where they’re actually making cheese.

Yes, another unscheduled stop to take a look, to taste, admire the wonderful selection and giggle at the sight of the people watching the cheese being made.  Definite photo of the day material!

Oh, and a few doors down there’s the original Starbucks shop, not that we were ready for coffee already, since we’d only just had breakfast.  Still, we had to take a look and see what’s what…say we’d been there and all of that.

Finally, finally, we made it across into the market.  So many interesting things to see – first of all, the most gorgeous flowers.  Lupins, iris and popplies in abundance, many made up into lovely, colourful bunches.

Then of course, there was fish.  Lots of fish! (some of it flying…)

Wouldn’t this be a great staff training event?

The vegetable displays were also interesting and not without the occasional (plastic) surprise.

On then to the old part of the city, Pioneer Square, where the trees are wearing woolly jumpers.

After a mooch around, looking for the Elliott Bay Bookstore which we later found out has relocated, we stumbled upon this waterfall garden on the site of the original United Parcel Service depot.  Beautifully planted with maple trees, this was a haven of peace in an otherwise rather bleak urban landscape.

There were some great manhole covers in this area, though.

We didn’t linger in this area for long, finding it less interesting than we all remembered from previous visits.  Instead, we wandered back downtown, to the “retail core”, as described on the maps.

I loved the Tiffany window display, minimal though it is.  Shame about the reflections.

Then it was back to the hotel, to sit in the afternoon sunshine on the roof terrace overlooking the bay.  As the ferries sailed to and fro, three large cruise ships left for Alaska and we sat quietly reading our Kindles in a small oasis of calm.

This evening, we returned there after our fish and chip supper (gelato for pudding) and all agreed that it’s been a great start to our holiday.  Here’s hoping the sun will shine tomorrow, when we plan to explore a little further afield.