This morning for breakfast I ordered a fruit cup & the house oatmeal, exactly as they were listed on the menu. What I got was house oatmeal with a side of sausages. No matter how you say it, fruit cup does not sound like side of sausages. Very strange.
Today we explored the Sellwood/Westmoreland area which is a little bit out of downtown Portland. It is an area full of antiques & collectibles and quirky little shops. We caught the bus out there which was very easy. For $5 you can travel anywhere you like using the bus, tram & light rail system. Public transport is very efficient & the bus has a recorded message announcing the next stop before you get there. Perfect for tourists!
We spent quite a few hours trawling through the shops. There were so many cool vintage things to buy at very good prices but the best things were just impossible to bring home. We both picked up some small items though. I nearly bought a Santa cape to wear on Christmas Day but decided it was a bit too used. We saw another one, this time brand new & full length but it was just too heavy to bring home. There was also a huge range of ugly Christmas jumpers. All the fabulous things we can't wear when Christmas is hot!
There were 2 separate areas to explore and while walking to the second part, we passed a place selling Christmas trees. It was just like you see in the movies & on tv. People come and choose a tree, then drive away with it on the roof of their car. Very cool.
We came back into town & got off the bus near the Courthouse Square which seems to be a pretty central location. Around the courthouse there are a few animal sculptures. They have all been dressed in some sort of knitted apparel - scarves, jumpers, leg warmers. They look cool. That is part of the quirkiness of Portland.
On Sunday there was a fire in part of the underground power works. The power has still not been restored to an 8 block area in downtown. We are lucky that our hotel is just outside that area. There is a major shopping mall that crosses over 2 blocks. One side of it is blacked out which can't be good for business, especially at this time of year. All court proceedings were cancelled for the second day running as the courthouse has no power. It has also affected some of the big insurance & bank buildings.
Today was the first day in 6 days in Portland that the temperature went above freezing. It has certainly been causing some problems - the power issue and lots of schools had to be closed because water pipes had frozen & then burst. But, things are warming up!