The last day was painful, literally. Told you about the backpack. How fancy it was, how it fit everything just perfectly. Well, one downside of backpacking is taking everything you have and transporting it all ON you the whole time. Therefore, this day was excruciating for me, having to check out from the hostel by 11AM (don't you worry, we had a hearty breakfast before heading out, we even made eggs) and having to take our luggage with us all around. I am tiny, I barely have enough muscles to hold myself together. However, I was trying to manage my mood and tackle some final destinations we had in mind.
Seattle is famous for coffee, you already got that, I believe. It had the first ever Starbucks coffee, so they have created big tourist attractions all around the city concerning SB. We visited one of them, called the Starbucks Roastery. Not being a huge fan of coffee, the espresso martini did not impress me much. But all those mugs!
I promised my husband kind of willingly that no more buying mugs. I (or now we) do not have two similar mugs at home. When I envisioned having our own place, I could not imagine a sadder thing than having a set of the same mugs at home. I hated that idea. That is why I only buy different types of mugs. When we moved away from our rent, we gave away around 20 mugs to my hubby's mother (God knows what she did with them, but she might have just given them away to other friends and acquaintances). We kept the most precious ones, which had extremely sentimental values to us. We had mugs from Dortmund Donkin Donuts, a place we went to when my husband was working in Germany. Another mug from Mirabilandia, my favorite amusement park on the whole wide world. Another one from the time my hubby and I moved in together. Another one he brought from Northeim. Another one I bought in Nottingham, my first ever international collaboration I created by myself. And I could go on for long. But I was in Seattle, in a Starbucks, so I though, who cares? Let's just buy the cutest one! It indeed is cute. A metallic one you can never get your hands on at home with Seattle written across it.
We then made our way slowly towards the southern end of the city, while visiting famous places like the Seattle Public Library (the place where my backpack was complimented on, and I was already hurting and hating my backpack just a tiny bit already). We also popped our head into an Amazon Go store, where you just go in with your phone and Amazon QR code and take things off the shelves and then walk away. The store will know what you got and will deduct the money from your account. Cool, right? Heading to the International District, we could instantly feel that we were getting to the shadier outskirts, filled with people you could not make a fair judgement of. We found shelter in some cafés and restaurants. s Chinese food was a big thing here, I had to get my usual sesame ball and another coconut bun I tried and loved for the first time. I'll seriously miss the Chinese food so much. I'll hunt down these places.
Right then at the International District, we took the Rail to Tacoma, only to have a couple of more hours to kill, but at least we could get rid of the backpacks and sit down comfortably. I found some gifts for John, as he'll have his birthday the next day, so I wanted to bring some Seattle wine to celebrate. Yuka had an assignment due that night, so she was working on it diligently, while I was sending voice messages to friends.
The flight was smooth, and I got fortunate enough to get a window seat this time. 30 minutes before landing I recognized that now I am by the window, being able to peek out to find San Francisco soon beneath us. How right I was! 20 minutes before landing, there it was. THE city, taking up space big time. It was easy to make out the Golden Gate Park, the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridges and the roads that were already burnt in my memory from walking them earlier. I love maps and getting to know and remember city outlines. Once I took my photos, I was satisfied.
On my Uber ride back home, I got to know this friendly driver and was happy enough to be back home safely. When I got out of the car, the air was something on a different level. This was now home air. The scent of home. If that makes sense to you.
24 October 2022
YOU ARE READING
Memories I am afraid I'll forget
Non-FictionWelcome to my American Days' Journals! I do not particularly have any talent in writing things up from scratch, especially not my own experience as a Fulbright scholar, but you have got to start somewhere, especially if you are too afraid that you'l...
