My week long Oregon Washington trip was one memorable one. If you missed my blog post on Oregon, click here.

It rained a lot in Portland the day I was planning on driving to Seattle. Unfortunately, on my way to Washington, on HWY 5, I had a flat tire. In the pouring rain I had to wait for the tow truck to show up and help me change my tire. Guess what. Hertz Rental do not provide a full size spare tire. I called their customer service and was told that they couldn’t help me. Only way to resolve this issue was to drive back to Portland Airport and get a different car. Let me warn you, a really long hassle started right there.

I somehow managed to drive back to the airport in the pouring rain. Once I got there I asked to speak with the manager, and that was an experience I will never forget. The manager walked out like a bouncer in a club and asked what I wanted. He didn’t even bother to say hi or how he could help me. I explained to him what happened, and he told the girl to give me a different car. I tried to ask why do they keep a donut in the trunk instead of a full sized tire. What if I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with this. He said, “Then you drive back like that. What’s the problem? I don’t understand what are you trying to say here?” At that point I knew that’s it with Hertz. I needed to file a complaint about this and end my business. I said I didn’t want to rent anymore. He printed a receipt, slammed it on the counter and walked away. Later I noticed instead of giving me a refund for rest of my days, he charged me extra. It was a fully paid week long rental, but I returned it to them on Day 2. Since then I’ve tried contacting Hertz for months by calling them, sending emails, sending feedbacks, twitter, Facebook, yelp and guess what, not a single person got back to me.

Anyway, now on to the good things. I arrived in Seattle around 2 am. After being up for almost 24 hours. It’s so true! The sun rarely comes out there. The entire time it was cloudy and drizzling. Not good for my hair, but I definitely enjoyed that. I had lots of plans for Washington. Day 1 was to visit Port Townsend and Olympic National Park. Once I started driving there, I had no idea that I ended up on the ferry. Yup, I thought I was stuck in a traffic, but I was actually waiting for the ferry, oops. But it turned out to be a fun experience.

Port Townsend was a very cute touristy town. I stopped by Jane Dough Gourmet Shortbread. Their shortbreads were unbelievable. So delicious! I got a lot thinking I would enjoy it the entire stay, but I finished it all before I even reached Olympic National Park.

By the time I reached Olympic National Park, I was exhausted, and I wasn’t fully prepared for the cold weather. It was breathtaking (the only parts that I saw). Definitely need to go back there again, and next time, I will be fully prepared to hike in the snow.

I stayed at the Sheraton Four Points in Bellevue and the mall is right around the corner pretty much. Found this delicious Turkish Restaurant at Bellevue Square Istanbul Cafe. My first time trying byreks. I tried beef byrek and spinach an feta byrek. Highly recommend. It’s a vacation so why not go back to the hotel, get back in pjs, get cozy, enjoy the rainy weather, watch tv and eat.

Before leaving Seattle, had to have some crumpets for brunch at Queen Bee Cafe in Seattle. I didn’t even know what crumpet was, but so glad I tried. If you’re ever there, you should give it a try. I did get a lot of stares for ordering so much food, but I couldn’t imagine leaving without trying all the flavors. I tried chicken, beechers and berries and I think tuna. Loved it all.

Definitely have to go back to Washington to visit Mount Reiner, Olympic National Park, Pike’s Place and everything else that’s there. Anyone need a photographer in Washington? Hint Hint …………….