Portland Japanese Garden

I AM THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD..!!

Being able to visit a fantastic place like the Japanese Gardens, in stunning Washington Park, Portland, Oregon?? I mean -- WHO GETS TO DO THAT??

Rhonda and I hiked all the way up to the Japanese Gardens.

The buildings, gift shop, Cafe...are just a small part of the Gardens

Altho, as it happens -- WE WERE BOTH STARVING by the time we got to the top of this particular mountain.

So, we decided to eat lunch. Hummm...

Our choices were -- fried rice. Or chicken fried rice. Hey -- it does come with an artistic little pot of tea. AND A TEA TIMER...!! That's worth something, eh?

So -- okay -- the truth is -- it was a very small bowl of rice. We'd been traveling all morning, and we were both still hungry. So, we'll order some dessert. Three "Chocolate Macaroons" cost $6. We'll split them...that ought to hold us over until supper.

Right??

Wrong. The macaroons were actually "Micro-Minis"

But, hey -- it's not about the food. This Japanese Garden is impressive. And our guide (Kate) was interesting and knowledgeable.

We learned about the three elements of a Japanese Garden. Water, stone and plants. (wait -- FIRE is an element, too, isn't it? Maybe I got the number wrong...)

We learned that every single element of a Japanese Garden is intentional...

And the train is also A.M.A.Z.I.N.G...