Lovely Portland, Oregon

This picture shows one of the many waterfalls along the Columbia River, a few miles from Portland, Oregon. This a beautiful region and waterfalls are only a tiny part of the loveliness. Everything is so green here, and flowers abound.

The City of Portland has myriad pleasures to avail yourself of. Here are only a few. We especially loved the museums-- the History Museum being our favorite, but the art museum was good, as well. And restaurants--wow! I could go on and on. You can find such good food here--either Salty's, or Jake's, or Huber's for some of the best seafood ever.

And green space everywhere--especially Forest Park. This is a 5,000 acre urban park. Lucky Portlanders--?Portlandites? Oh, you know, the people who call Portland home. It's a gorgeous park and you could live here forever and maybe still not see all of it.

But my favorite, favorite, favorite place was given to us by new friends--Powell's City of Books. I'm a serious book lover and feel so lucky to have found this place. They have new books and used books for sale and they even buy your used books. And it is truly a city, a huge place, many floors and all color-coded for convenience. We went twice and I just browsed and bought and wished we had one closer to home. But the good news is--Powell's does a huge internet business. So I plan to avail myself of that because this place is just too good to forget. The prices, the selection and the ambiance all make Powell's a place not to miss when you're visiting Portland.

We found a lovely tea shop there--Townsend's Teas. I bought a delicious tea purported to be a favorite of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It called Lady Londonderry and is a light and refreshing variation of English Breakfast, with a hint of lemon and orange. Yum! We also found a French deli that's worth visiting, right down the street from Townsend's. Petite Provence has great food, and fantastic pastries. So shop for tea and then do lunch two blocks away. You won't be sorry.

A trip to Portland should delight anyone, except for the most jaded and unappreciative of souls. There is much to savor in Portland and surrounds. From waterfalls to tea, you'll be glad you visited.