Sleepless in Seattle we are not

Seattle is the birth place of singer and actor Bing Crosby, the guitarist Jimi Hendrix and Starbucks!

After 8 sweaty, humid, sticky, smiley months of nothing but shorts, short sleeves and shades Seattle came as a shock to the old body! The 8 degrees hit us like a train when we got off the plane, bbbbrrrrr.  But maybe the cold brings hidden benefits. Last night we were so cosy in bed I believe we had the best, uninterrupted nights sleep for a long long while. Ranking the bed as one of the top five beds we have slept in todate on the trip! Our hostel was fantastic, with places like this who needs sterile hotels!

We instantly took a liking to Seattle. Sunday was our first day exploring and it exposed us to everything we love. We got layered up for the cold and got out there. We spent ages dawdling among fresh food markets, small independent shops and quirky book shops all playing tunes like Vampire Weekend softly in the background. This place is cool but without the look of trying too hard. What a great Sunday.

What this place has in abundance is coffee shops, loads! Starbucks was

born here and like 'em or not they are everywhere in this city. I think we counted over 8 outlets downtown alone, at one point we could view three in one glance. Slight saturation maybe? Starbucks was founded by Gordon Bowker back in 1971. According to Bowker, the name Starbucks was inspired by an old mining camp in the Cascades, called Starbo. The name Starbo led Bowker to think of the first mate in Moby Dick (of course), who was named Starbuck. And Viola! Starbucks was born. Simple as that.

The market gave us plenty of things to taste, we tried the best smoked salmon. This North West Alaskan catch was off the scale in taste and unfortunately also in price! We opted for a slightly cheaper option for supper, the best looking bangers that we'd seen for 8 months and some pots fit for mashing. Another cold weather benefit, cooking-up comfort food.

As we walked the perfectly numbered avenues that run parallel with Elliott Bay, Alaskan winds blasted us at block ends which were cold enough to raise the old shoulders. My back still slightly tight from the Waikiki sun.

The rumour is that it rains a lot here but the guide books are keen to inform the tourists that New York gets more inches of rain per year, but then on the next page it enthusiastically lists the top 10 things to do in the city on a rainy day!