Through my visits here in the winter of 2004, Portland has become one of my favourite places. It’s a slice of America I can handle and seems to have a relaxed beauty because of the wealth of history it contains. The unique characteristics of Portland blend the seascapes and cityscapes flawlessly, and the city prides itself on the balance of history in a modern urban environment.
The quaint fishing city appeals to the serene part of my mind and takes me back to the books of Jack Kerouac. His vivid description of the place, it’s people and the culture serve my creative thoughts to the extent I could almost hear some of the characters voices in the wind. I spent the majority of the day watching the boats sail in and out of the harbour, seagulls fly above my head, and families stroll past. It’s beautiful to see a healthy happy take on life for a change, and it gives me hope for the future of our planet and mankind.
Every restaurant serves seafood and the general speciality is lobster freshly caught from the prominent ocean. I passed a man in a lobster outfit doing his best to convince me that a lobster breakfast would be delightful, but my stomach said otherwise and I drifted off to get myself a cup of coffee in a local store.
A few steps past the harbour are the usual malls and shops found in every American city, but jammed in-between those are all kinds of second hand bookstores and junk shops. I spent some time rummaging through boxes and browsing through hard to find books. Talking to the friendly shop owners who seem thoroughly relaxed with life and eager to tell anyone they can about their fair city.
The day past quickly and before I knew it I was back in the queue for the Aurora, back to the confines of the ship, and back to work. When the time is right I’ll return to Portland and spend a while here. It’s truly worth a visit.
TRAVELLERS JOURNAL - BORACAY - Music to travel to...
www.cdbaby.com/cd/travellersjournal
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