Pacific Northwest (6) – Leavenworth & Wenatchee

Wanting a change of scenery we drove east about 150 miles to visit the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, which is as close to a European experience we will have this year. Leavenworth is nestled in the “Alps,” more commonly identified as the Cascade Mountains. The entire village maintains a Bavarian theme. Most of us find it charming, but, Steve finds it a bit “cheesy.” That, however, did not stop him from enjoying a Schnitzel at the Andreas Keller Restaurant.

As with so many Northwest towns, Leavenworth was initially a timber town and then was the regional office of the Great Northern Railway. When the railroad relocated to Wenatchee, the city’s population declined and continued declining with the closing of the lumber mills in the 1950s. What to do. . .the city looked to tourism and recreation to built back its economy. In 1962 the LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone) Committee was formed in partnership with the University of Washington to revitalize the struggling lumber town. The theme idea was developed by two Seattle businessmen, one of whom had purchased a failing cafe in the area. The first building to be remodeled in the Bavarian theme was a hotel, renamed the Edelweiss after the Bavarian state flower. Now the entire town maintains the Bavarian theme. The annual Bavarian Christmas celebration is famed, and, Leavenworth holds the largest Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Munich.

Continuing east we drove for half an hour to Wenatchee. Our destination was the Warm Springs Inn & Winery. The Inn is located on the Wenatchee River, just outside the city of Wenatchee. Wenatchee is referred to as the “Apple Capital of the World” due to its many orchards with the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival held here each year from the last week of April through the end of the first week in May.

The Warm Springs Inn is a 1917 mansion that was turned into a luxury bed and breakfast. With its location on the Wenatchee River, its setting is absolutely idyllic. The inn and winery are owned by Ludger and Julie Szmania, and, that is why this particular B&B was selected for our stay. The Szmanias had owned the Szmania restaurant in the Magnolia section of Seattle for over 20 years. Jim and Kathy (our friends) lived on Magnolia for years and often frequented Szmania there and then later in Kirkland.

After getting settled in our rooms, we made the short drive to Wenatchee to do a bit of shopping at a great store called The Guilded Lily. We returned to Wenatchee for dinner at a local Italian restaurant called Visconti’s, apparently a favorite among the long-time locals.

It is not often that I take food photos, but, the breakfast crepe was just too stunning a presentation to resist. It was filled with peaches and blueberries. A pineapple sorbet followed the crepe. The third and final course was pulled pork with greens on a small crust topped with decorative cream on a plate with a lightly spiced sauce and the most delicate omelet rolls one can imagine. I am marginally a breakfast person, but, I ate every bite! I might add that Ludger was the former Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel in Seattle prior to owning his Szmania Restaurant.

The Inn is located right on the Wenatchee River and a peacock roams the grounds along with a turkey. The grounds are set up for outdoor weddings and large gatherings and beautifully lit at night.

In the picture above note the bare mountains in the background. Having lived in southeastern Washington, I was familiar with these mountains. Although I wondered about their unique shapes, it took this trip to educate myself as to their geology. This area experienced the Ice Age floods which traveled up to 65 miles per hour at 1,000 foot depths, which then created the “wave-like” forms to the mountains.