Portland, Oregon - Tuesday 28 April

I am generally a get-up-and-go, don't-hang-around-the-hotel kind of traveller. But not today. Today I did no major touristy thing, and I am the happier for it.

It took me ages to get out of the room, but I didn't feel the need to rush, and anyway, the weather was not conducive to dilly-dallying out in the open. I swear I felt sleet at one point...maybe not.

I saw this great sculpture/fountain nearby - it is made to look like large coins stacked on a column/plinth. On the edges of the coins are quotes and saying, such as 'Money is flat and is meant to be piled up' - Scottish proverb.

Nearby was a place to park bikes - 

Portland is well known for being bike-friendly - you see bike carriers on the front of buses, and the research quoted everywhere is that 6% of the population commutes by bike (10 times the national average).

I am truly in love with the magnificent trees that are everywhere - 

but of course, they are so magnificent because of the wet and drizzly weather. At Powell's you could buy a rain globe - I was sorely tempted.

Lunch was crab cakes accompanied by a lavender cosmopolitan. Mmmm. I also ordered a pecan pie, because it's America, and it's kind of a rule you hae to eat local. It was past the sweet blisspoint for me, but now I can tick that off my list.

I was intrigued by this 'Inspiration Station' near the hotel. I imagine the displays change regularly. Today I saw some photos of hummingbirds. Sweet.

Portland, Oregon - Monday 27 April

I woke up with a start this morning! The sun was shining, I had had a deep sleep, and it was only half an hour later than my alarm, which I had completely slept through. Perhaps I'll have to rethink the peaceful nature sounds. Anywho, I leapt at the day, with my (subtle) pink sneaks ready for some walking. If you've every travelled in the USA, you know you get a LOT of questioning looks when you say you are going to walk anywhere.

First stop was some hydration -

It did taste good, but the ingredients would not have been Food Babe approved.

Second order of business - walking the right way. Despite two maps (quote "I need all the help I can get") and spoken instructions, I still boldly walked away from Downtown. It's always important to look confident. The cons of going the wrong way are obvious, but there are definitely pros - I always find something unexpected. This time, I found out where the cinemas were, and also got to spend some time in the local park. This looks like fun.

The walk in was perfect. Lots to see, the weather was amazing (82 degrees and clear), and my new walking shoes did everything they were supposed to do.

Can you see the huge metal bar on the left, designed to hit the bell hard?

This sign is in two places around the fence. I wonder which spoilsport put this up? I would have liked to see everyone jump. I know, I'm easily amused - but we all have things that just never stop being funny.

My walk had a purpose - the mecca that is Powells. Long, long ago, I discovered this bookshop online, and fell in love. It seemed to have everything. It was mindblowing. And now I would get to see it.

Powell's takes up a whole city block. There are books, books, books and more books. Then some merch, some mags, and then more books. There is an espresso printing machine for books on demand, so if you can't find what you are looking for on the shelves, you can make your own. It is just wonderful.

Despite having seen it often, I still can't get over how Americans use bookstores as libraries. It's perfectly OK to eat and drink and flip through books you haven't bought.

After Powell's (which, seriously, I never wanted to leave) I went to Jake's Famous Crawfish for lunch. Jake's is an institution, it's been here for 100 years serving fresh seafood. The North East Seafood Gumbo I had was amazing, and the creme brulee (sans seafood) was probably the best I'd ever had. Yum.

I am not good at not shopping, so I bought a scarf kit (using Thai silk yarn) from Knit Purl and some craft supplies from Scrap (similar to Reverse Garbage).

Then uphill it was to the International Rose Test Garden. What a peaceful place! Thousands of rose varieties neatly laid out. I can only imagine how glorious it will look in June.

I bravely caught the light rail back to the hotel, and finished the day with hickory wings and a Marionberry Cosmopolitan. Yes, It WAS as good as it sounds!

It's Finally Monday

I had a loooong Sunday! Flying against the grain means you keep 'picking up' time, which SHOULD mean I look younger, but...no.

So, to summarise - I had a tear-less but loving arewell from my man

a good flight into LAX, and a relatively painless transfer to the smaller plane into Portland (sorry, PDX). At the carousel, I was surprised to see a snack wagon (don't know the technical term).

I met the friendliest shuttle drivers - both women - and checked into the Doubletree with no dramas. To stay awake I wandered the the Lloyd Center mall next door, did a bit of shopping and relived the American diner experience at Billy Heartbeats - the chilli fries were yum.

Even in the small-ish park next door, the trees are magnificent - unfortunately my point and shoot just doesn't do them justice, so I'll leave you with this instead...

Off Again

I am re-activating this blog, begun in 2012. That year I had an epic experience in France, and those posts are still here. The blog was private before - now it's public.

Tomorrow, I start a month-long trip to the USA. I feel very lucky! If all goes well I'll get to some places I've wanted to see for some time; and if things don't go as planned, well, I'll get to discover something new!

Thanks for coming along for the ride!