Trip now underway

Left a snowy home town at 5 o'clock on Monday morning. Despite snow in London restricting flights in and out of Heathrow we arrived just 15 minutes behind schedule. While waiting for our connecting flight to Seattle news filtered through that the Holy Father had announced he was to step down at the end of the month. The shock announcement brought me down to earth with a bang. Remember him in your prayers both now and after he "retires". Let us hope and pray that the Holy Spirit guides the College of Cardinals to elect a successor who will continue what Benedict XVl was striving to achieve.
We flew out of Heathrow some 30 minutes behind schedule. It had by now ceased snowing. The 9 hour plus flight to Seattle with BA was uneventful. I must have slept for 6 of them (and I wasn't nudged once for snoring). It was about 7 pm when we reached the motel some 5 miles from downtown Seattle (Days Inn motel @ midtown).
The one full day in Seattle was spent in the city visiting the sights. Pikes place market    and the waterfront in the morning worked up a thirst even though it hadn't stopped drizzling from leaving the motel. Paddy Coyne's Irish bar was the place we were fed and "watered" ready to face the afternoon. The drizzle had stopped and the sun broke through while we were in the Irish bar. By late afternoon we had reached the Seattle Space Needle. It was a good time to visit the viewing area at the top of the tower, as we were able to view the city in daylight and by the night lights.
The following morning (Ash Wednesday) we had an early start from the motel,as we had to be checked in at downtown railway station by 6-50 for the journey to Vancouver, Canada. The schedule 4 hour journey operated by Amtrak arrived just 10 minutes late due to a freight train having broken down ahead of us about 2 hours out of Seattle. The weather in Vancouver was milder than in Seattle, a pleasant 58 degrees.
I am struggling to get the photos. transferred onto the blog, so for now you will have to make do with this poor attempt at an Alaister Cooke type "Letter from America" I hope some pictures will follow soon.