Oh Friends I don't even know where to begin-we had such a weekend and it flew by just too quickly! A few weeks ago the Mr. and I decided we needed to get out of town- and yes go to a different town! We just needed a change of scenery, some inspiration- to get away- and so we decided to head to a city that is so very dear to our hearts- Portland. Back in the day ( which was a Wednesday in case anyone is wondering) the Mr. and I went on a honeymoon- we were oh so young and had no real agenda which meant no planned course of action besides having fun. On our way home from California we found ourselves at the end of our trip in Portland- and here we tarried for a few days reluctant to continue on- we loved it.
The Mr. and I have been back a few times and so this time when we were struck by itchy feet* we decided it was high time our Littles got a taste of the magic that is Portland. We left on Friday evening and after an extensive wait at the border drove onto Burlington where we spent the night- first thing Saturday we were up and on the road to Portland.
Once again like with pretty much everything we do we did not have any set plans for what we wanted to see and do in Portland- two things were a priority- a Trip to
Powell's Books and a stop at Voodoo Doughnuts but beyond that we were open to opportunity. So we wandered- and looked at buildings- oh the buildings- and public art- so many sculptures- and took a ride on the Street Car- might have gotten slightly lost. Mainly we just wandered around- poking into cute little shops and taking pictures of buildings- looking for coffee- just relaxing and soaking it all in.
Of course we are pretty new to this whole travelling with kids thing- in fact this was the first trip we have taken where our end destination didn't involve staying in a house or cabin or tent- this was our first hotel based trip. We learned a few things- with kids we had to take it slowly- in the past we may have left the hotel after breakfast not to return until after dinner- not the case anymore. We expected this would happen and were prepared with snacks back at the hotel mid day. Of course we also located the nearest playground which the Littles thought was awesome- imagine having an elephant in your playground- those lucky kids in Portland!
Lets face it- we knew the weather was not going to be balmy and so again we were prepared- when Miss Lo came up to me with icicles for fingers at the park we knew it was time to seek out some warmth- this is where the Street Car ride came in. What a good idea- we got to see parts of the city we hadn't explored as well as warm up! Also a stop into Powell's Books was a great place to get in out of the rain and oh what a treat- I could have spent the entire day and my entire allowance in there! One of my favourite Portland spots- hands down.
To wrap up our trip we ventured out Monday morning down to
Voodoo Doughnut- we had stopped the night before but the lineup was around the block and it was raining- best to come back in the morning. A clever wind was whipping up as we stepped out of the hotel- the final leaves blowing down from the trees lining our way- the rain had paused and for the most part we had the streets to ourselves- I love early morning in the city- it's like the city exists just for you! Back down to Voodoo we trekked- there was only a small lineup- donuts and coffee procured we sat munching our treats in the weak sunshine that had surely come out just to say good by to us!
Now we are home and everyone is still all snuggled into bed- I am sitting here with my latte listening to our own city waking up for the day- my new socks still on my feet keeping the chill off- looking over the evidence of a weekend well lived. I think the sign of a good road trip is when you start talking about where you would like to go next as soon as you get home- hmmm maybe California?
* Noun 1. itchy feet- a very strong or irresistible impulse to travel
p.s - yes I did have a bacon maple donut- and yes it was life changing
