July 29 ā 30 Leavenworth
Visiting Leavenworth, Washington has always been a dream for my wife, and I will explain why in a future blog. Leavenworth is a small town 120 miles East of Seattle and was established in 1889 by Captain Charles Leavenworth. Originally it was a logging town and became the headquarters for the Great Northern Railroad in the early 1900ās. The town of about 2,000 people transformed itself in the 1960ās into a Bavarian township as it was struggling as a logging town. Leavenworth has now over 2 million visitors annually from all over the world.
We arrived on July 29th and was met with an intense heat of 38C as we stepped out of the car. Iām from Vancouver, Canada and the average temperature is around 22C at this time. Our first stop was the Chamber of Commerce to get brochures of places to eat and visit. We thank the workers by gifting them Maple candy, my wifeās tradition.
We checked into the Obertal Inn which is located in the centre of town. The Inn is a bed and breakfast and has 27 rooms. We were quite impressed with the breakfast offerings, especially the granola mix. I heard that it was custom made by the staff. Our room was furnished with a TV, Wi-Fi, coffee maker, microwave, mini-fridge and most importantly air-conditioning. There is also a hot tub for you to enjoy, but we passed as it was too hot. Iām sure it would be ideal in the cooler months. Overall the value was great considering we were in the heart of Leavenworth and everything was walking distant. Ā I would definitely stay here again on my next visit.
As we relaxed and cooled down in our room, we became very hungry. What do you eat when youāre in Germany? Sausages and beer, of course!!! We ended up walking to the Munchen Haus and enjoyed some sausages, pretzels, and beer. Prices ranged between $5 to $6. The only thing I wished they would serve was pomme frites (shoestring fries). This was a favorite for our family when we visited Germany a few years ago.
The next day we got up at a reasonable time, not too early, had breakfast and hiked around Blackbird Island, which was created by silt accumulation. Itās an easy 2 mile walk just 5 minutes to the West of our accommodations. One thing that I was very impressed with while in Leavenworth was the absence of mosquitoes. Our family seems to be easy bait for these blood suckers.
After our hike around Blackbird Island, the boys gathered an appetite and wanted pizza. We decided to try Idlewild Pizza which was across the street from Obertal Inn. Great choice. We ordered a Cobb Salad, Pepperoni, and Bacon Pizza. The boys devoured the two pizzas while my wife and I enjoyed the salad.
Since Pokemon Go had just been released, the boys wanted to go on their own, explore and catch some characters. My wife and I checked out some stores. The shops that you must visit at are Nussknacker Haus, Kris Kringle, Schocolat, and The Oil & Vinegar Cellar. My favorite store was A Matter of Taste. It had a huge assortments of dips and sauces. They also had a variety of hot sauces. I noticed one customer choking and told me to try one of the samples. Once I saw it, I kindly declined as there was no way I would try it. Now, I love hot stuff but Iām not stupid.
We met up with the boys and we wanted something quick before our next event. Across the street from the Obertal Inn, was a burger joint called Fresh Burger Cafe. I thought, āOh no, not another burger placeā. There was a lineup at the till and the place was packed, so we gave it a shot. I donāt know what it is, but everytime I go on vacation, the food at the restaurants you choose is just simply delicious. The burgers and salads at this place were phenomenal and the prices were reasonable. Ā
Read my next blog and I will tell you what our evenings were like. Youāll see why Leavenworth, was on our list of places to visit.