Happy 4th of July!

"Happy 4th of July" is the usual greeting here in Seattle today, and lots of Americans are wearing Stars and Stripes t-shirts. We have had a brilliant day so far. After a delicious breakfast in our hotel, we set off for a walk to nearby Pike Place market and down to the harbour. There are loads of attractive coffee shops and restaurants everywhere. James had the great idea of starting the day by taking the ferry to nearby Bainbridge Island, in order to get good views of the Seattle skyline. Bainbridge Island turned out to be a pleasant commuter / resort island where Independence Day celebrations were taking place in the manner of a country fair, with lots of stalls and a parade. We strolled around soaking up the holiday atmosphere and had coffee in a restaurant overlooking the harbour. The waterfront path was lined with marguerites and convolvulus, and there were lots of sailing boats moored at the floating jetties; it was all very picturesque. By the time we got back to Seattle the clouds had burned off to reveal bright blue skies and we walked along the harbour front and up through the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park. This route took us to the Seattle Space Needle, and being Andersons we felt the need to ascend it! We were so lucky, the short queue moved smartly to the lifts and we were whisked up to the observation deck. Davie loved it. There was a really nice wee café up there where we bought a light lunch and then ate it at a table overlooking the city and Puget Sound. We spent a good while wandering round taking photos of the views before descending and taking the monorail back to downtown.