Antwerp Train Station

We've just returned from a long trip to Uzbekistan and Turkey. Photos from these tours will fill the blog for several months. But to start, we had to get to that part of the world, which involved flying from Portland to Amsterdam, then to Istanbul, and then to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

As usual, we took a couple of days in a hotel in Schipol Airport to rest for the next phase of the journey. (And to get covid tests.) But instead of our usual visits to Amsterdam's great museums, we decided to explore three other major cities in the Low Countries: Antwerp in Belgium, and Rotterdam and Leiden in the Netherlands. 

I'll start with the Antwerp train station.

Downtown Portland Scenes

 

Near the River

A couple of scenes near the west bank  of the Willamette River in downtown Portland.

Outdoor Dining Colors

 One of the better consequences of covid precautions.

Portland Scenes - Fantasy

 We've just returned from a long (nearly a month) overseas trip, which yielded lots of photos. They'll take a a few days to edit and process, so in the meantime I'll post some from my renewed wanderings around Portland. The first batch are some colorful abstracts I'll call "Fantasy".

Willamette Valley Winery (Reminiscences from 2014 #6)

After we arrived in Oregon and got settled in our Portland home, we spent some time exploring the wineries in the beautiful Willamette Valley. One of the most attractive is the Domaine Serene Winery, in Dayton between Dundee and McMinnville.

Orange Colors (Reminiscences from 2014 #5)

Orange tends to be a vivd color in the Portland viewscape, whether in fall leaves, Farmers Market vegetables, or works of art. Three examples:

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Portland Farmers Market squashes

Mural in Pearl District parking lot, being painted as we moved in, still fresh and unspoiled.

Lan Su Chinese Garden ( Reminiscences from 2014 #4)

From their web site: "Lan Su Chinese Garden is one of Portland's greatest treasures and most interesting sites to see while visiting Portland. A result of a collaboration between the cities of Portland and Suzhou, our sister city in China's Jiangsu province that's famous for its beautiful Ming Dynasty gardens, Lan Su was built by Chinese artisans from Suzhou and is one the most authentic Chinese gardens outside of China."

Macleay Park ( Reminiscences from 2014 #3)

Portland is the focus of a great park system, with Forest Park being the largest urban park in the country. The most convenient entrance to Forest Park is through Macleay Park, a good walk from our home.

Pearl District Dogs with Their Owners ( (Reminiscences from 2014 #2)

We were struck, when we arrived in Portland, with the profusion of people walking their dogs near our new home in the Pearl District. I asked if I could take pictures, and the owners were generally happy to oblige.

Portland Transportation (Reminiscences from 2014 #1)

We moved from the Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota to Portland, Oregon in 2014. I had been photographing seriously in Minnesota, and found Oregon full of interesting sights to continue this hobby. I'll be away from home and unable to continue posting new photos for a few days, so I thought I'd look back to some of my first photos after moving to Portland. 

Portlanders are undecided about the virtues of automobiles, so other forms of transportation are also popular. Three examples:

Life Goes On, But Different

In Portland's Pearl District, near downtown.

Going Up

 Buildings going up in downtown Portland.

Musicians and Gathering Spaces

At the Portland Farmers Market and adjoining South Park Blocks.

 

Flower Baskets

 Colorful, thoughtful displays at the Portland Farmers Market.

Tomatoes and Peppers

 Vivid late-summer colors at the Portland Farmers Market.