A couple of weekends ago a friend and I took a trip across the Puget Sound. We drove onto the Washington State Ferry, got off in Bainbridge Island, and then drove to the quaint town of Poulsbo.
Poulsbo is located on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, about 10 miles from the ferry terminal on Bainbridge Island. It was founded in the 1880s by a Norwegian immigrant named Jørgen Eliason. Other Scandinavians relocated to the area and today, Poulsbo celebrates its immigrant history by continuing the Scandinavian theme.
We arrived in Poulsbo between 10 and 11 in the morning and made our way to Liberty Bay Park. It was a very foggy day and, looking across the water, the clouds just seemed to lay on top of the trees. The bay was blanketed in fog but that didn’t stop the boats from going out.
We stopped and had brunch at Tizley’s Europub. We sat on the balcony where we could people watch and look at everyone walking by on the street. We then walked up Front Street and stopped in some of the stores. Even though we were wearing face masks, all the employees were very vigilant about limiting the number of customers in each store. Sluys Bakery had a line out the door but I was able to pick up some sourdough bread as well as some smiley-face cookies decorated with face masks. Our final stop was Liberty Bay Books where the employees were very friendly and helped me find a new book to put on my bookshelves.
My friend and I then drove north to Port Gamble. We stopped in at the Port Gamble General Store & Cafe. On the second floor of the store is the Of Sea and Shore Museum, which is the second largest, privately owned shell museum in the world. I had a lot of fun looking at all those shells! We also went to a couple gift shops. Port Gamble seemed to be a charming little town, and perhaps it is busier when we are not in the middle of a pandemic.
After that, we made our way back to Bainbridge Island where we took the ferry back to Seattle.
Great photos!
Thanks!
The funny thing about Port Gamble is that if often feels very sleepy or quiet. In Poulsbo we always get the viking cups from Sluys. They’re basically glorified cinnamon rolls with enough cream cheese frosting to leave one drifting drowsily but satisfied in and out of a sugar coma for several hours. But the rolls are so soft and luscious. Sourdough from the bakery sounds really good. My mom has recently tried convincing me to try sourdough toast spread with avocado and then on top of that, the trader joes “everything but the bagel” seasoning.
Those cinnamon rolls sound amazing! The sourdough bread was really good – I love bakery bread.