DH and I took another great trip down to Portland Oregon and while this was our second trip down there this year, it won't be our last. Last time we went, we went to the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden. This time we explored the downtown area and had a great time, even in the rain. Our first stop was the Chinese Garden and we joined a tour already in progess. I really, really recommend going with a tour as the docent pointed out things that I would never have seen and even if I had seen them, I wouldn't have understood what they meant. For instance, (and I hope I can convey the beauty of this) the roof tiles came down to little V points and they were spaced about 4 inches a part so it looked as if you were looking thru a curtain of tiny jewels as the rain dripped off of them.
After the tour, we went into the tea house and each chose a tea. Since my new favorite is white tea, I tried one called jing (something). It was delicious.
Next stop was the Portland Outdoor Market. Reminded me of the 60ies a bit as there were stores that sold "hemp" items, and lots of crafts and food. Musicians were on every corner and there was just a party like atmosphere.
Can't go to Chinatown without having a Chinese meal, so back we went to House of Louie and enjoyed some pretty good food. They have a dim sum menu and it looked great and smelled better.
We were between storms and really lucked out when it came to the weather as we only had a few sprinkles. We stayed overnight and Sunday morning we had a huge breakfast with George and then went to the Asian Market to shop. The prices are reasonable but we found out they have a bigger store in the Seattle area so we don't need to travel down that far just to shop.
All and all it was a great weekend and as always we enjoyed Portand.
