If you’ve never been to the Pacific Northwest, you are in for a real treat! Portland is a great city for walking and everything else. Many intersections are designed with pedestrians in mind, and Portland has a lot of street life. Good mass transit also makes walking more feasible. The City of Portland Office of Transportation offers free, highly detailed walking maps that may be ordered online before your trip to give you a sense of where to go and what to do when you have time on your own. For a scenic walk, the Eastside Esplanade along the Willamette River across from downtown offers lovely views of the skyline; parts of the esplanade actually float on the water and offer great photo ops
Known as the City of Roses, Portland has some of the most beautiful roses I have ever seen and they are in abundance. The climate is truly conducive to these traditionally lovely plants. Did you know…
The Rose is the flower of love. It was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers, but of a lifeless body of a nymph which she found one day in a clearing in the woods. She asked the help of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave her beauty; Dionysus, the god of wine, added nectar to give her a sweet scent, and the three Graces gave her charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so that Apollo, the sun god, could shine and make the flower bloom. And so the Rose was.” ~ Sheila Pickles: The Language of Flowers (New York: Harmony Books, 1989)
A few tidbits about the symbolism represented in a rose’s color:
Red Rose symbolizes love, respect, courage, and desire.
Dark crimson roses are given as a symbol of mourning.
Pink represents grace, elegance, appreciation, and gentleness.
White roses stand for innocence, purity, reverence, and humility, but can also mean secrecy and silence.
Yellow roses denoted jealousy in Victorian times, but are now given to express friendship, joy, gladness, and freedom.
Orange roses convey enthusiasm and desire.
“Blue” roses are associated with fantasy and the impossible, as no blue roses truly exist in nature.
Other tidbits about roses…
Two roses together on a single stem indicate engagement and upcoming marriage.
A rose without thorns conveys love at first sight. I’ve just loaded up your arsenal of romantic trivia – be sure to use it wisely.
A highlight of this terrific tour is your attendance at the Rose Parade….beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. After the city’s first floral parade on June 10, 1904 and on the heels of the success of the Lewis & Clark Exposition of 1905, Mayor Harry Lane decided the city should have a festival of roses. An electrical parade was a sparkling feature at the first festival in 1907 and was described as the most lavish spectacle of its kind on the continent. Following the 1907 event, a group of businessmen formally organized the Portland Rose Festival as a non-profit civic enterprise to plan and finance the annual event. In those early years, the Rose Festival highlights included horse drawn floats in the floral parade, aquatic events in the nearby harbor, and fireworks at night. These visionaries created a celebration withstanding 100 years and a lifetime of memories for millions.
This award-winning festival, held in early June, is Portland’s largest event. The Portland waterfront is turned into a carnival for a couple of weeks, starting with Fleet Week as military ships moor alongside Waterfront Park and culminating with a bunch of festivities on the second weekend, including the centerpiece of the festival, the Grand Floral Parade held on the last Saturday – and you can be there!
If the opportunity presents itself be sure to visit the world famous Powell’s City of Books, 1005 West Burnside, open daily from 9AM-11PM. Powell’s is a landmark in Portland, and most residents are proud to let you know that this is the biggest independent new and used bookstore in the entire world. Powell’s covers an entire city block and stocks over a million books in 3500 sections. The store can be imposing (get a map from the front desk), but it’s a don’t-miss for once you’ve said you’ve been to Portland someone is bound to ask you if you went to Powell’s.
In 1989, Evergreen Vineyards started into the wine industry by purchasing a Pinot Noir vineyard and ever since have added plantings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling grapes in the lush, fertile land of the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s internationally renowned wine country.
They have grown to over 240 acres across the Willamette Valley, including the fabulous Spruce Goose Vineyards located in front of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Their vineyards thrive in a unique microclimate which fosters excellent growing conditions and with the use of sustainable vineyard practices, the high quality level of their grapes is always ensured.
The Evergreen Vineyards tasting rooms are located inside the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museums and the ”Farm Store” and “Tasting Station” are uniquely set under the wing of Howard Hughes’ famous Spruce Goose – a sight in itself to behold.
A true sense of joy awaits you as you celebrate your escorted mini-vacation to Portland and the days of Wine and Roses; so please review the attached full itinerary and plan to join us on this memorably unique, and truly fascinating travel adventure.
Portland Rose Festival (click here for itinerary)
June 8-12, 2011 (Guaranteed Departure)
(5 days, 4 nights)
Eadie
– Interlude blog team
•For immediate service, please call (317) 913-0387 or email us
•Share your Interlude stories and photos on this blog
•Sign up for our email newsletter
•RSS this blog
The banjo was introduced to America by the African slave culture in the mid 1600s and remained exclusive to the black culture for nearly 200 years. Replicas of several of these ancient instruments are on display. As your museum experience continues, you’ll witness examples of banjos made during the late 19th century during the so-called Minstrel Age of music when the banjo moved from the plantation to the stage and concert hall gaining broad public interest.
