The weekend finally arrived for our much anticipated trip to Washington to visit the real life places featured in our favorite books,
The Twilight Saga written by
Stephenie Meyer.
Katie, Jennifer, & I headed out early Saturday morning. Our first stop was going to be in Port Angeles, WA which plays a small role in the first book
Twilight. This is where Bella & Edward have their first date at
Bella Italia. We arrived in the early afternoon and decided to walk around town and grab a light lunch before our dinner reservations at 5:45 p.m. We saw several different places that were featured in the book, including the book store Bella was looking for, the shop Bella and her friends tried dresses on in for prom, and there was even a Dazzled by Twilight store in town. We walked through but decided to wait until we got to Forks to buy any Twilight gear. When 5:45 p.m. finally rolled around we headed to the restaurant for our Twilight inspired dinner. Alright, so nobody ordered the Mushroom Ravioli like in the book, but I'll tell ya the food was FANTASTIC! I ate way too much but it was worth every calorie. Yummy!!!
After dinner we headed out of Port Angeles and on to Forks. On the way to Forks, we came upon a beautiful lake called Lake Crescent. We rounded a corner and the sun was shining just perfectly from behind one of the mountains that it looked like the air above the water was glowing. We had to stop and take some pictures! After our brief stop, we headed into Forks and to the
Cullen House Bed & Breakfast (aka. the
Miller Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast). Arriving at the Cullen House was so exciting, even Edward was waiting for us in the front window. Haha! The house is just beautiful and whether you are a Twilight Fan or not, this is a must see and must stay Bed & Breakfast. The owners, Bill & Susan were so hospitable and nice to us. Not to mention
Edwards Italian Eggs for breakfast were to die for
. At the end of our stay, we even got a Twilight themed goodie bag for us as another way to remember our trip. Click on the photo at the right to read the letter we got from the Cullen family.
Sunday morning following an early breakfast, we headed down the street to
Dazzled by Twilight Tours. This is where we embarked on our Breaking Dawn Twilight Tour. The tour took us all over Forks, showing us where characters from the books lived and worked. Once we'd driven all around Forks, the bus headed toward the Quileute Indian Reservation which is where La Push and First Beach are located. These locations play a big role in the second book,
New Moon. Also on the tour was the "Treaty Line" where the Cullens are forbidden to cross or hunt.
When we arrived at First Beach, it was absolutely beautiful. We were so lucky that the sun came out for our trip because that doesn't happen often. The area receives approximately 11 to 12 feet of rain every year. While at First Beach we spotted a bald eagle sitting on some rocks. The whole place was just amazing and again, a place to visit whether or not you are a Twilight fan. This was our last big stop on the tour, other then a couple quick stops at the treaty line and the "Welcome to Forks" sign. The bus headed back to Forks where we were able to do a little Twilight shopping in the Dazzled by Twilight store. I of course had to get a couple things... haha, which included a sweatshirt, t-shirt, a coffee mug, and a couple magnets.
Once our... probably mostly my... shopping spree was done, it was time to get our stuff and head home. All in all, it was a fabulous trip and I'd do it all over again. If you are a fan of the saga or just want to see a beautiful place you might not normally visit, this is the place to go. Enjoy the photos and trinkets in the slideshow below!
