Hunting for Trolls in Seattle

The girls had the whole week off for President’s Week, so we planned a 4-day trip from San Jose to Seattle. We booked through Costco Travel (Executive member perks always help!) and were excited for a mix of city exploring and spontaneous adventure.

While the girls toured the University of Washington, Dan and I decided to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island. He loves boats — ferries, cruises, anything that floats — and the terminal was within walking distance from our hotel.

We didn’t have a solid plan for the island. Just walk around. Grab lunch. Explore.

That’s when Google changed everything.

The first troll : Pia the peacekeeper at Sakai Park (Bainbridge Island)

While searching for “things to do in Bainbridge,” one of the top image results was… a troll.Naturally, we decided we had to find it.

Our plan: walk downtown, grab lunch, then head to the troll at Sakai Park.

Lunch was casual — I had a burger, Dan had spicy fried chicken. We sat outside in the freezing cold because the indoor seating was packed. Worth it? Yes. Comfortable? Not exactly.

After lunch, we made the slight uphill one-mile walk to Sakai Park.

And then… surprise.

There was only ONE troll.

Here is a picture of Vung with Pia

For some reason, I had convinced myself the park was full of trolls. Turns out, all the Google photos were just different angles of the same troll — Pia the Peacekeeper.

Silly me for not reading the reviews carefully. But honestly? She was impressive. Massive. Beautifully constructed. A true work of art.Meeting Pia sparked something — we wanted to find more troll so thanks to google we learned that there are two other trolls in Seattle.

The second troll : Bruun Idun at Lincoln Park, Seattle .

After our ferry ride back, we decided to go to Lincoln park next as we still have a couple of hours before sunset. Luckily there is a bus stop right across from the ferry terminal- prefect.

Except paying for the bus was… not so perfect. In London and Scotland, we just tapped our digital wallet. Easy. But in Seattle? Exact change required. $3 per ride.

We had $20 bills. The driver told us to just throw in whatever singles we had and move along — he was more concerned about staying on schedule than collecting exact fare. In the end, we paid $2 instead of $6.

Public transport adventure: unlocked.

The bus let us off right in front of Lincoln Park. It started raining when we arrived at Lincoln Park, but we were determined. From the Main Upper parking lot, it’s about a mile hike through a beautiful, steep forest to reach Bruun Idun.

There's a closer route if you drive to the South Parking lot. We didn't mind the rain because the hike through the woods was beautiful.Worth every wet step.

Dan and Bruun

Fun fact: I initially thought Bruun Idun was a guy — turns out she’s female! Both Pia and Bruun Idun are created by artist Thomas Dambo, known for his large-scale recycled wood troll sculptures. Here is a link to the artist site .

Third Troll : The Fremont troll

Before heading to the airport, we squeezed in one last stop — the iconic Fremont Troll.

Just a 20-minute bus ride from our hotel.Unlike the others, this troll isn’t part of the Thomas Dambo series. It was built in 1990 by local artists Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead.

And this troll is different.

Made from steel rebar and ferroconcrete, it famously crushes a real 1960s Volkswagen Beetle in its hand.

It’s bold. Playful. A little mischievous.

Vung and the Fremont Troll

And the perfect ending to our Seattle troll hunt.

More on the Fremont troll : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_Troll

Enjoy our video on troll hunting around Seattle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys49sa4fXSg

Check out the trolls in Seattle

What We learned

• Always read the full Google reviews.

• Public transport makes travel more memorable.

• Rain doesn’t ruin adventures — it enhances them.

• Sometimes the unexpected stops become the highlight.

What started as an unplanned ferry ride turned into a three-troll adventure across Seattle

Not luxurious.Not perfectly planned.But completely memorable.

And that’s what travel is about