Bald Eagle in a tree in West Seattle - pix by me

I was recently in Seattle visiting friends and I enjoyed being a tourist for a few days. Highlights included when I saw a Bald Eagle up in a tree while out walking in West Seattle along Alki Point.

I also enjoyed getting a lesson in intertidal ecology from my friend Sarah as we walked on the beach near her house. Here are some sea anemones which will gobble up small crabs if you drop them in. Yum!

Sea Anemones on Beach at Alki Point - pix by me

A trip to downtown Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Pike Place Market. We sampled chocolate covered cherries and fresh curds at a cheese making shop – making us feel like Little Bo Peep. I bought lavender which I can smell right now as I write this post. There is an abundance of lavender farms around Seattle apparently.

Of course, we rode a ferry – in this case a water taxi over to downtown Seattle across Elliot Bay. We saw Mt. Rainier in the distance and the skyline with the Space Needle.

Flowers in the Market - pix by me

Pike Place Market - pix by me

Me on the Water Taxi across Elliot Bay

Seattle has so much to offer a visitor – mountains, the sea, varied natural beauty, fun sightseeing. Yet the highlight of my entire trip was a concert by Songs of the Soul, an international ensemble of gifted musicians performing a musical tribute to the Maestro Sri Chinmoy – himself a prolific composer and soulful musician. He gave over 700 concerts during his lifetime at impressive venues across the globe.

The Songs of the Soul concert tour has toured in Europe last Fall, Bali in February 2009 and most recently in New York City prior to this Seattle Concert held on April 20th at the Benaroya Hall. Benaroya Hall is an acoustical gem and holds slightly more than 500 people. The Seattle Symphony performs there.

Mandu with the giant harp

The Songs of the Soul concert was very well-received. The hall was filled to capacity and people had to be turned away. One performance featured the largest harp I have ever seen. It truly felt like angels were descending to Earth during the performance with this harp. Next to me sat a little boy on his mother’s lap and he said out loud during the harp, “I feel tired” and curled up against his mother’s chest. The harp was so soothing it was putting him to sleep like a lullaby.

Other pieces were dynamic and jazzy. Shambhu on guitar and Premik on flute and saxophone had my feet tapping and my heart soaring.

The grand finale was a large instrumental ensemble with a small choir called “Gandharva Loka” which received a standing ovation. At certain moments during their alternatively jazzy/New Age or symphonic-style arrangements, I felt as if I was listening to Gershwin or Copland. However, all the performances were compositions by Maestro Sri Chinmoy arranged for the ensemble of musicians from around the globe. Here is some video footage of Gandharva Loka performing as part of a Songs of the Soul Concert held in New York about a year ago. Enjoy!
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