Since we arrived in Portland we have been working on a Concentric Circles Discovery Program. We start from our home with the closest possible restaurants, parks, stores, and places to visit and then slowly work our way outwards, in a circular fashion.
Less than a mile from our place we have discovered the
Rose Gardens which are absolutely beautiful. We walk there almost every day. It is uphill all the way and offers us the possibility, if we wish, to take a short cut that includes marching up 220 steps to the top of a hill before reaching the rose gardens. If we are not in the mood for taking all those steps, there is a road we take instead that zigs and zags its way more humanely to the top.
We have also visited the
Japanese Gardens which are 350 feet farther than the Rose Gardens. They, too, are absolutely beautiful. However, there is a fee for visiting the Japanese Gardens, while on the other hand, the Rose Gardens are freely entered.
This week, we discovered
Pittock Mansion which is about 2.1 miles walking distance, from our place. We drove up there on Saturday, and this was the view (see below). One sees downtown Portland, Oregon and Mt. Hood in the background looking so powerful and beautiful.
Today we visited Pittock Mansion again, but this time we walked through town and then zig-zagged up to the top, a very good aerobic work out.
On the way down, to reward ourselves for the walk up, we stopped at
Basta's for happy hour where we had the best pizza and lasagna to go with a glass of wine and a glass of beer.
This is really too much fun.
At this rate of speed, we will be busy walking in concentric circles to interesting sites for years to come.
