Thursday is my day off and today there wasn't anywhere I needed to go, so I was free to go where I wanted to go. I decided to visit the local chocolate factory. Yes, I live in a town with a chocolate factory and it's an easy scooter trip away from my doorstep. First, I scoot down some neighborhood streets and across a tiny footbridge spanning one of the forks of the Issaquah Creek.
Moss doesn't just grow on the north side of trees here. It grows on every side of the trees in Issaquah.
This is the Boehm's Candies and Chocolate factory. It looks just like a Swiss chalet and there is a good reason for that. In 1940 Julius Boehm escaped from the Nazis by cross country skiing from Austria into Switzerland. From there he migrated to the Pacific Northwest and in 1942 he and a friend opened a candy kitchen in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood. 1956 Boehm moved his candy business to Issaquah. Boehm commissioned Walter Schefer, from Appenzell, Switzerland to build the classic chalet.
The chalet also has smoke detectors.
Lots of wood sculpted details. St. Bernards were Boehm's favorite dogs.
You can look in the windows and see the chocolates being made. At various times there are guided tours of the operation, but the window tour can be viewed any time.
Real people making real chocolates. This is part of the hand-dipping operation.
There are flowers and plants all over the grounds.
Nice carving on this door.
Lots of Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs being made here.
More carving.
The grounds include this tiny park featuring a statue of Wilhelm Tell.
There is also a chapel on the grounds.
It's not all Christian stuff here, the pagans get a statue of Pan.
The grounds are really beautiful and peacefull.
Of course I had to buy a few things before I left.
I scooted back home.
I didn't scoot nearly enough miles to burn off all this candy, but it's not all for me.
Not a huge mileage total today. 1.64 miles of scootering today, taking my total for the month up to 13.94 miles.
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