Portland Adventure

Hello! It has been a while since I have posted here. So sorry about that but sometimes life gets in the way. Hopefully I am back and will be more prompt in making posts.

My husband and I visited our daughter in Oregon and she took us to a few places in the Portland area and thought I would share some of our adventures there.

We started our Portland adventure here at the Grotto which is a beautiful Catholic Shrine of 62 acres botanical garden.

I got this photo by using a railing and setting the timer. There was no one around at the time we wanted a photo so I found the flattest surface around which ended up being a railing. Part of a bench was in the photo but I easily cropped it out.

The heart of the shrine is The Lady's Grotto which is in a shallow cave. The sanctuary itself sits at the foot of a cliff and you can take an elevator up to the top where you can see Mt Saint Helen from there on a clear day.

 They were just starting to get ready for the Festival of Lights that I believe starts the day after Thanksgiving or maybe even Thanksgiving Day. I'm not sure which day it is but it is one of the two. I bet these angels will look so beautiful when lit up.

 

 The next three photos are of the inside of the church. The paintings are gorgeous.

 This is the front by the alter...

...and this beautiful stain glass window was at the back.

 On the upper level is this beautiful monastery.

 It is surrounded by rose bushes which I am sure are a gorgeous sight when in full bloom during the summer months.

I hope we can make it back here to this peaceful sanctuary during the spring or summer when more of the plants are in bloom.

 There is running water and ponds in the gardens.

There is also a labyrinth which is a replica of one from a cathedral in France.

The labyrinth seems quite extravagant and was quite interesting to follow to the center and back out. 

 This is a small quiet chapel also found on the upper level.

 The grotto was built in 1924 and celebrating it's 90th year this year.

Next we enjoyed a walk along the River Walk.

 There are lots of bridges in Portland.

 Portland is also known as the Rose state and is home to the Rose Parade.

 After our river walk we ended up at a place called Kell's Irish Pub. 

According to Amber it is listed as the number one Irish Pub in the nation. I think she is right after eating there. It was a wonderful place.



It just so happen to be happy hour so we ordered some drinks and... 

...some very delicious appetizers. Missing from the photo were the amazing sweet potato fries that came out first and were eagerly devoured by us.   

This mound of deliciousness was the Irish version of Nachos. It is made with fresh potatoes that are peeled and soaked in water and then sliced into thin chips. There was not a soggy chip to be found. All were crisp and amazingly good.  

 This is really a unique place. There is a cigar room downstairs and beautiful rooms you can rent for wedding rehearsal dinners and meetings. Wayne checked out the cigar room and said it was really cool but Amber and I took his word for it.

The ceiling is covered in one dollar bills that are elaborately wrapped around two quarters and there must be pin some how attached to it all and is then thrown up to stick into the ceiling. We saw it done and was told that on St. Patrick's day it the money is all taken down and donated. Pretty cool.

 After leaving Kell's Irish Pub we had one more stop to make before heading home. I am sure a lot of you familiar with Portland have heard of the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop. It was only two blocks down from the pub so we just had to stop in and grab some donuts. Now it was after 6:00 pm but there was still a bit of a line but it was only minutes before we found ourselves inside and drooling over the bountiful offerings of extravagant donuts.

 Even their box is cute and it seems like no matter how many donuts you order you get the same size box.

 Here is what we ordered: two maple bars, and I must say they were huge, one blueberry, one Captain Crunch and one Rice Krispy donut.

And last but not least a Pumpkin Spice donut. Yum, Yum!! What a sweet way to end the day.

And that my friends was our adventures in Portland on that day in October.

 Here's to wishing you many wonderful adventures too!

 Teresa