Many years ago, when I was much younger, I spent a little time in Europe touring with a singing group. We spent time in Holland, Germany and about 12 hours in London. (At the airport.)  

I will never forget that trip; it was amazing. But if you can’t afford a trip to Europe, there are two possibilities for you to get part of that experience in Washington state. 

According to axios.com,
‘Leavenworth and Poulsbo ranked third and fifth, respectively, among the best small U.S. destinations for a European-style fall getaway, according to a new analysis from house- and pet-sitting platform TrustedHousesitters.
Americans appear to be craving a getaway, with U.S. Google searches for “Europe in the fall” jumping 670% over the past month, the company said in a September email.’ 

The website used several metrics to determine which towns were the best for a European style getaway. Autumn events, cultural attractions, fall foliage, and the number of nearby cafés and bakeries. 

Washington placed two in the top five. 

Poulsbo came in at #5 with an aggregate score of 72.2 out of 100. The town refers to itself as “Little Norway”. (Wait a minute, I thought that was Ballard)  

The Bavarian village of Leavenworth scored at #3 on the list with an aggregate score of 77 out of 100. Anyone that has stopped in Leavenworth, no matter what time of year, realizes what a unique experience it is. (Plus, it has one of my favorite bakeries) 

It turns out that California is the only other state that had two locations that wound up on the list at #4 and #6. Solvang California and Healdsburg California, respectively. 

So, who are the top 2? 

St. Augustine, Florida, and Holland, Michigan. Don’t ask me which one was #1 and which one was #2. Trustedhousesitters didn’t give me that information. (At least not without starting an account.) 

Poulsbo is certainly within driving distance and would be fun to visit. I’ve been to Leavenworth an uncountable number of times, and as I’ve said before, they do have one of my favorite bakeries, which is probably another reason why I should go to Poulsbo. 

That’s right, come visit Paulsbo Washington. Come for the foliage. Stay for the bakery.