Our Internet and cell service had been spotty overnight, and we realized it was because we'd parked the RV underneath a big tree! While yesterday had been sunny and hot, today the weather had taken a much colder turn, with cooler temperatures and grey, rain-filled clouds threatening us from above.
Michael hadn't explored Poulsbo yet, so we walked through American Legion Park, along the boardwalk, to the marina and into the historical center of Poulsbo. Poulsbo was settled by Norwegian and other Scandinavian immigrants in the late 1800s, and it's still retained its Scandinavian history. There's a intimidating Viking statue welcoming visitors to the City ("Velkommen til Poulsbo"). The streets are lined in Norwegian and Scandinavian flags, and there's a big Norwegian one painted up a flight of stairs. There are Viking murals. And of course, there are bakeries, grocery stores, pubs and restaurants serving up Scandinavian fare.
We were most excited to try Sluys' Poulsbo Bakery in the historic center, which bakes natural grain, rye and sourdough breads, donuts and pastries, and specialty desserts fresh daily. We tried the cardamom bread, Swedish almond pastry and snail, which were all delicious! Lisette is also a huge Scandinavian licorice fan (she'd always buy Apollo Lakkrís, a chocolate-covered licorice bar, when we'd stop at gas stations when we traveled to Iceland), so she was excited to get her European licorice fix at Marina Market, getting two chocolate-covered licorice bars and licorice caramels from Finland, Germany and Denmark respectively! There's also a "licorice shrine" in the market but it's easy to miss, as it's fairly small and at the top of one of the shelves towards the back of the store.
Meeting Meri, Sophie and Brewski
It had started to rain while we were out and we weren't prepared for it (especially Michael, who was cold wearing shorts)! Fortunately, Poulsbo's historical center is not that big, so we jogged back to the RV.
In typical fickle Washington weather fashion, it wasn't long before we left Poulsbo that the sun started to poke out and it was warm again. The city of Bremerton offers a free RV dump station, which we were happy to use. We have really appreciated the free RV dump (and even refill!) stations that we've started to seek and stumble upon. Initially we'd use RV parks for this, but we've not had to do this for a while--the last RV park we stayed at was back in Utah a month ago when we had no running water. We're so glad that we have been able to dump/refill for free or for a small fee, and do laundry separately, giving us even more freedom to select where we'll stay each evening.
From here, we drove to our friend Meri's place, who lives in Bremerton and who we hadn't seen since 2019, when she lived in the Bay Area. She now lives with 2 dogs, a 6 year-old silver Labrador named Sophie with 3 legs, and a rambunctious 15 month-old Lab called Brewski. She also has a 15 year-old cat called Coco, although Coco was rather reserved and preferred to be out of sight while we were there!
Meri had generously invited us to stay at her place at the beginning of our trip, and while we hadn't planned to drive through Bremerton, as we no longer were going to Canada, we substituted some of that leg with this part of the trip. Because our dogs hadn't met each other, we took them to a park across the road to be introduced before going into the house. The dogs got along extremely well--as evidenced by them chasing and fetching balls together, rolling around in the grass, and taking turns peeing on top of each others' pee! While Brewski is a giant puppy and very playful, he respects when older female dogs--like Sophie and Sheila--bark at him when he's getting too boisterous.
Meri's home was wonderful--welcoming, warm and spacious, with an ample backyard for the dogs to continue to run around. She also had a spare room downstairs, with a roommate moving in the following month, so our timing was perfect. We initially thought we'd still sleep in the RV, but since the road was on an incline, we took Meri up on her offer to have a spacious bed and bedroom to sleep in, and a flushing toilet and shower! After over 100 days on the road, we've gotten used to living in the RV, but we also do appreciate these creature comforts! Sheila also had her own little dog bed to sleep next to us, which was so thoughtful of Meri.
That evening, we walked across the bridge in Bremerton to a farmer's market, where we bought the sweetest Rainier cherries (as did what seemed like the entire neighborhood, as everyone was carrying the same clear bags with cherries around), followed by a pizza dinner nearby. It was awesome to catch up with Meri and have our dogs meet and become friends, and have a sound sleep in a comfortable bed inside a lovely home that night!
A Full Day at Bremerton
The next morning, Lisette and Meri went to yoga class, Lisette's second time since this trip (the last one was all the way back in Day 35, in Santa Fe)! Meri is fortunately also practices yoga regularly, and the class was a Hot Yoga session grounded in the Ghosh/Bikram tradition of Hatha Yoga, at a studio called Thrive Yoga. It was a perfect way to start the day, and start easing into the weekend! Lisette and Meri met Michael afterwards at a coffee shop called Vim & Vigor, owned by the same lady who owns the yoga studio--definitely giving vibes of that small town feel!
Bremerton may be a small town, but it's about an hour to Seattle by ferry (or about 30 minutes by car, depending on traffic). It's also got everything that one would want, including cafes, restaurants, yoga studios, and other businesses. But one of the best reasons for living there--and why we could appreciate Meri's desire to move here several years ago--is that it's along the water, with the Sinclair Inlet providing beautiful views, perfect for spotting seals and orcas (there were both when we were there!), taking the dogs for a stroll or swim, and being in a quiet and rather safe neighborhood. We're thrilled for our friend Meri, who has found a place that's perfect for her and her pets.
That evening, we walked with Meri to a Thai restaurant, Khao Soi, which satisfied Michael's Thai cuisine cravings. It was another warm evening, so we were able to enjoy having drinks, dinner and dessert outdoors until the sun set and the cool breeze wandered in for the night.
[…] a lot of influence that we've already seen on our travels (like Poulsbo, which is Little Norway, or Leavenworth, which looks like a Bavarian village). Now, we were back to Norway with Chapel in […]