Oregon: A Week Spent in Portland

I fell in love with Portland before we had even arrived. After a three-hour drive from Central Oregon, we caught our first glance of Mount Hood as we came down the highway — I just sat and stared out the window, in complete awe of the landscape. It's hard to believe that such a striking sight can be located so close to the city.

We had only intended on staying a couple of days, but we quickly came to love Portland so much that we decided to plant our roots here for an entire week. it offered us a welcomed metropolis break and we made a point to take full advantage of all that it had to offer.

This city prides itself on having a laid-back alternative vibe, and you really don't have to spend much time here to figure that out for yourself. It reminded me somewhat of Brooklyn, with its cafe culture, trendy clothing and homeware stores, along with large-scale murals that adorned building walls at every turn.

Some favourite stops of mine include Powell’s Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world where I spent much time zigzagging my way through the endless aisles of books. I was pleased to see people sitting crossed-legged in quite corners whilst reading away as this gave me the comfort to do the same. There was Pistils Nursery, a thoughtfully curated garden shop with beautiful plants and ceramics that ought to send a plant-lover like myself broke. I managed to restrain myself by only buying a single philodendron for our bedside table. And of course there was the Portland Saturday Market, where creative vendors of every sort gathered together, like the best products from Etsy had been sprawled out right in front of me. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to grab a few crafty gifts to send home.

Far too soon it was time to change gears and hit the road again. On our way out, Mount Hood came to our view once again, but this time in my rear view mirror — as if it was giving us a friendly send-off.