…Next morning it was time to know each other well downtown de Seattle! As explained above, Seattle é um istmo. (see previous post here ) With the proximity of the estuary of the Pacific Ocean (the east of the city) aos lagos Washington e Union (west of the city), no ano de 1911 was built in the channel connecting the lake to the ocean, a complex of locks (or locks English), called: “Ballard Locks”.

Seattle map showing the Pacific (Left) e o Lago Washington (right), hair tied channel where the Ballard Locks

Movable bridge for the passage of boats in Ballard Locks

Besides avoiding the seawater invades the freshwater lakes, the locks also allow the passage of boats in the region. So, so the locks do not prevent the traditional route of salmon on site (that the end of life migrate back to the ocean to freshwater, to spawn) built a kind of ladder beside the locks, keeping, so, o ciclo natural dos peixes.

Boat passing ocean to Lake Washignton, through the sluice

It's really cool to see the salmon rising above channel! Only it's strange to think that in a few hours we would be seeing the "relatives" of those pets exposed in Pike Place Market, and then being deliciously served on our plates! (Excuse us vegetarians)

Salmões "subindo" back to freshwater at Ballard Locks

Salmões no Pike Place Market (o Public Market in Seattle)

And there was us know Pike Place Market, the famous Public Market Seattle is by far the most visited tourist attraction in the city! (receives up to 9 million visitors a year!). The market is the oldest public market in the U.S. and received a more modern reform as a result of the fall of Boeing, in the early 1970, as a stimulus to tourism (Boeing looks around again!). The huge market sells fruits, legumes, flowers, meat, peixes e conta com restaurantes e lojas de antiquário e outras coisas mais “hippies”.

Pike non traditional restaurant almoçamos num, o Athenian Inn, with views of the bay and where, at the end of comermos, found that one of the banks in the restaurant, had sat actor Tom Hanks in movie recording Sleepless in Seattle (Sleepless in Seatle), with actress Meg Ryan! Another curiosity is that the region, ali no Pike Place Market, is the first Starbucks! The city that has the headquarters of giants like Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon, is also the birthplace of the famous coffee chain!

Tourists queuing to enter the 1st Starbucks

Another attraction of downtown Seattle's Space Needle. With the crisis of the postwar causing huge losses for Boeing (again it) and consequentemente for city, rulers were in search of a new "revitalization" of his downtown. Therewith, in 1962 the city hosts the World's Fair (World Fair) e Seattle, following the trend Futuristic Friday, solves then build the tower, and current city landmark, chamada Space Needle. That same "wave" is released in the same period monotrem (this same, that of Levy Fidelix! ). Saindo of the, já to noite, were behind the musical center of the city. Seattle has a remarkable musical history, because it is the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the movement "grunge", in which arose from local bands, nothing more nothing less, as Nirvana and Pearl Jam!! It is also the place where career did Ray Charles and Quincy Jones!! Not bad hein?!?! We noted that the classic style of rock and a little grunge movement are still present in some bars in the neighborhood Capitol Hill.

Space Needle – Postcard from Seattle

Monotrilho e a Space Needle ao fundo

Yes…so much history!!! And to think that in our initial script was just a Seattle city support to sleep on our way to Alaska…

But on 17 September came the big day! It's like the saying goes: "God helps those early madruga". And so it was. At 5:50 a.m. Rebecca wakes us up to go with her on a jog through the neighborhood. After much effort were only André, Gabriel s Nandes. Most mornings Rebecca raises early, even with very cold and dark, for a run. In one of the routes Rebecca always takes an apple to give a horse a farm near, que vem correndo comer a fruta e sai feliz galopando de volta para sua baia.

And that was our route. We went home and raises the 7:30 news with Gustavo: "Came the email from Ronald EPA! A Tanajura is released!"We packed up and left in a hurry for Customs. Procedures here, papelada of laser, hours and hours and finally the reunion! She was perfect! Not a small scratch. Hugged her like she was a relative. It was a piece of the group that returned! We returned the rental car and at the end of the day we came home and…

Taking the Tanajura Port of Tacoma, WA

Arrival of the house of Valentine Tanajura – Expedition 4×1 and Rebecca!

More surprising: Rebecca had prepared us 'fish tacos'. The traditional Mexican tacos, but even more delicious because they were stuffed with fish and prawns in! But the surprise did not stop there… As 20h00, IN POINT, (Brazil was not 0h00), which neither desconfiássemos, James and Rebecca appear with a cake and candles lit to celebrate the birthday of André!!! (in Brazil was finally the day 18)! Neither knew they distrusted birthday because Andrew had not commented anything (they must have seen on Facebook). And besides the cake gave him a T-shirt 'Seattle Seahwaks', The football team of the city!! Foir something really amazing!! We finished the evening watching the Monday Night Footbal (football game that is nationally broadcast on Mondays, more or less as liberators of our games on Wednesday night).

Andre with Jaimie in her Birthday surprise done by Valentine!

James, Rebecca and small Jaimie giving the shirt to the Seattle Seahawks André

The next day was marked by check-ups and reviews in Tanajura before departure to Alaska. Brakes and oil changed, rotate the tires and anti-freeze to the radiator; the Tanajura was ready to start the climb towards the north of the continent! And we also bought some things we needed to face the cold in the amazing REI store - which is focused on adventure sports and even has a ranger to give directions within each national park american! James returned home and took us for a few beers in typical local bars to celebrate the birthday of André! The tequilas left us more "loose". The conversation went until the wee hours, muitas risadas e jogo de dardos.

One of the dinners at the house along with the Valentine's cousin Rebecca, a Kelli

We woke up late and the least we could do to repay all that they did to us was trying to play a Brazilian meal. The Brazilian market in Seattle, as expected, there was not many options. And so Gustavo cooked a potato stroganoff accompanied straw and as dessert: the traditional Brigadier, paçoca and foot-boy!

Thursday, on the 20. It was our last day before departure to Alaska. We were excited and eager. Finally we managed to visit the Boeing factory, after having to reschedule due to the withdrawal of Tanajura. O Gabriel, passionate about commercial aviation, was very anxious for the visit - it was a childhood dream being realized. Boeing still has its main factories in Seattle and visit comes within the largest of which are manufactured models 747, 777 and the brand new model 787 Dreamliner - The newest concept of commercial jets with greater fuel efficiency and range, but that has not been ordered by any Brazilian company,,pt,The visit is very detailed and we could even see a,,pt,We went on a common keychain that had a van "technological" and right there,,pt,Gaston,,en,this is Gabriel and I was the one that wrote the journal,,en,not Gustavo,,en,And we all agree on what was written in this post,,en,We as Expedition 4,,en,not only Gabriel or Gustavo,,en,That said,,en,I’d like to point that I chose not to go much on details on the post because I did not want to argue about the whole situation anymore,,en,since I believe those mistakes happen and so life goes on,,en,There were no hard feelings about it until the mean e-mail you sent to us,,en,which I briefly mentioned on the post,,en,And now this comment,,en. A visita é muito detalhada e pudemos até ver um 777 commissioned by TAM in the final stages of construction, but now with the logo painted. Infelizmente não temos fotos da fábrica pois era proibido câmeras e celulares.

We left enraptured with such complexity and enormity of the factory. But it was time to re-focus in Alaska. We needed to make an extra copy of the keys Tanajura that Gabriel had lost one of police stops in Venezuela. After trying in Nissan (that the U.S. could do nothing, as the codes vary in each country) fomos em um chaveiro comum que possuía uma van “tecnológica” e ali mesmo, in his van, was able to do the unexpected! They were able to reproduce the code and voilá Tana: we had a new spare key! Compramos correntes para os pneus em caso de alguma emergência em nevasca e estávamos finalmente prontos.

We returned home. Arrumamos as bad, bathed in silence and each of us left for the comfortable sleep that would last for a long time. The silence of each seizure and showed our respect for what we were about to experience in the coming days. It would be the beginning of a new stage in the Expedition. We were about to achieve one of our main goals after listening over many miles (and hitherto USA) amazed faces as they said: "Alaska?! You are going to drive pro Alaska?! What great adventure! You guys are crazy!"And in various places in Seattle alerted: "Best you go soon because the cold is coming and, face, there cold is no joke!”

Rebecca woke up early and we had prepared an upgraded breakfast. The Valentine are even people out of series. We arrange things in Tanajura and began the toughest part of the day: a farewell. Under cries and photos, Jaimie, Rebecca James and the American flag stuck in Tanajura. Hugs and more hugs and it was time to departure…next stop would already be at the entrance of the Alaska Highway…

Rebecca, James Jaimie and pasting the U.S. flag in Tanajura!

And so was our stay in Seattle, the city which today lies in our hearts. Seattle is also our home today, pois lá temos pessoas que aprendemos a chamar de família.

For more photos of Seattle, click here!

The post New surprises good and the Downtown Seattle! (Seattle: part 2) appeared first on 4x1.