I lined up three hours for a flu shot yesterday. Ended up seeing the new Twilight movie by mistake.

No, no, no, just kidding. You have to wait longer than three hours for the best seats to Twilight Saga: New Moon, at least down here in Twi-hard country, across the strait on the Olympic Peninsula, where the teen vampire romance series is set.

How big a deal is the Twilight phenomenon here? Port Angeles's Lincoln Theater had its first showing at one minute after midnight Friday. The first tourist through the door had camped in line since 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Stephenie Meyer's four-book series, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, has been a boon to our across-the-ditch neighbours, as tourists flock to the area to visit scenes from the books.

This weekend, with the launch of the second movie, has been particularly nuts. Near the head of the Lincoln cinema line yesterday stood 20-somethings Jennifer Mock and Jacqueline Kalb of Munich, Germany. They had just arrived from California, where they ogled the movie stars outside the première Monday, then saw the film themselves in L.A. Friday night before travelling to Port Angeles for yesterday's 1 p.m. showing.

Asked about the fascination with Twilight, Mock replied: "Do you read the books?" Um, no, but I plan to as soon as I turn into a

14-year-old girl. Which could be the key to the series' popularity: Twilight deals in the kind of romance rarely associated with real, non-fiction men. You know, the kind who suck out a woman's soul, not her blood.

The Germans planned to continue their Twilight tour down the highway in Forks last night, but only after dining at Bella Italia, the real-life restaurant where the books' leading characters, teenage Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen, had their first date. The women planned to have the same meal Swan ate: mushroom ravioli and a Coke. In fact, the restaurant served 5,000 orders of mushroom ravioli this tourist season -- an average of close to 40 a night in a restaurant that seats 58, tops. The poor chef must feel like he's in a remake of Groundhog Day.

Across the road, the Dazzled by Twilight souvenir store was rocking yesterday, selling Twilight hoodies, Bite Me bumper stickers and Vampire Bliss lavender fragrance. Who are the customers? "Lots of 12-year-old girls and middle-aged women," says clerk Taylor Moore, whose move to Port Angeles from South Carolina was inspired partly by Twilight. "The guys who come are few and far between. They're usually husbands or boyfriends." (Note to self: Open a Dazzled By Twilight Beer Garden.)

Port Angeles was to wrap up a two-day Twilight festival -- Bella Luna, A New Moon Celebration -- with a Gothic Ball last night. Since the new movie features a werewolf, there was dog fashion and dog talent shows, plus a Wolf Pack Six Pack contest in which entrants were invited to display their abs.

Down at the farmers' market, half a dozen red-and-black-clad goths writhed a Vampire Bellydance while the Lions Club took food-bank donations in an open coffin. ("Help take a bite out of hunger," read the sign.) Wine on the Waterfront poured Olympic Cellars' Sparking Twilight, while the Rainshadow Coffee Roasting Co. served Twilight Brew.

And why not? In a year in which the rest of the tourism industry has been sucked dry, Port Angeles has dodged the silver bullet, or wooden stake, or whatever vampire metaphor is appropriate.

It turns out rain-soaked romance is good for business, particularly with all the media hype. The town has had face time in People magazine, on the Today show and Nightline. "I know we've had good press in Germany, Japan, the U.K.," says the chamber of commerce's Russ Veenema.

Twilight tourism is even bigger down the road in tiny Forks, the erstwhile logging town where Bella and Edward go to school. Britain's Daily Mail newspaper reported last week that Forks, pop. 3,175, saw a 1,000 per cent jump in tourists this year, though Mike Gurling at the Forks visitors centre says that's an exaggeration; it's only 600 per cent -- 64,500 people signing the guest book through October. The sound you hear is Tourism Victoria's head exploding.

In the past little while, Gurling has been interviewed by the BBC, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, MSNBC and ABC, among others. "You would not know Forks is in a recession," he said over the phone, moments after dealing with a German television crew.

So, yes, Twilight has been like a ray of sunshine for our friends on the Olympic Peninsula -- even if they don't all share in the tourists' fascination.

As one customer at Port Books and News said, commenting on the line outside the Lincoln: "I don't even camp out in the rain for three days when I'm camping out."