Train Ride to Oregon

Last week I took a train to Oregon to visit my daughter in Eugene. The 14-hour ride was enjoyable and I got to meet some nice people on the train. I was lucky to get a space in the Observation car with its massive glass windows. Here passengers can watch the scenic view roll by. The weather was warm and sunny and I managed to take some pictures from inside the train.

It was noon when I reached Eugene—after a light lunch near the train depot I took a cab to her apartment. It was a two-bedroom studio located in a nice neighborhood on the west side of Eugene. It is within walking distance to downtown and the university where she goes to school. On the desk she had left me a downtown map and a Korean movie to watch. That was awfully sweet and thoughtful of her.
When Melissa got home from her work, she took me downtown to shop for groceries. I also brought some foodstuffs and spices to prepare her favorite dishes. Most evenings we cooked at home and any leftovers she took to work. I enjoy cooking for my kids, as I often worry if they have time to cook a decent meal for themselves.

In the afternoon, when she was at work, I walked downtown and spent hours sightseeing and window shopping. There are quite a few shops that I love to visit whenever I’m in Eugene. One of my favorite is the Pewter Rabbit, an antique shop. There are other shops that offer vintage jewelry and clothing.

The weekend before my departure, she drove us to Portland and spent a night in downtown. She wanted to take me to the Rhododendron Gardens, but unfortunately it has started to rain and we had to buy an umbrella. Instead we spent a couple of hours in the Hawthorne District, an area in Southeast Portland. It has numerous quaint retail vintage and clothing stores, including my favorite; Powell’s bookstore. This is a good place to shop for affordable and inexpensive gifts.

The other place we visited was the Alphabetical District, located in the northwest of Portland. It is a densely populated area with old Portland-style houses as well as trendy retail stores, restaurants and bars. We spent most of the afternoon window-shopping and when we got tired, we had truffles over a cup of coffee at the local café.
For dinner, she took me to Pembiche, an authentic Latin American restaurant, offering Cuban food. The building has a funky color of blue, yellow, and green exterior paintings. The interior is colorfully decorated with outside seating and heated lamps for those cooler nights. Their menu has a variety of mouth-watering dishes and we wanted to try all of them (if we had two stomachs, we would eat like a cow).

For starters, we each ordered one of their specialty drinks: Palm Beach Cooler (fruit juice, mint wine cooler); Pinosa (pineapple juice with sparkling wine), and Empanadas. Our drinks came in tall glasses and it was delicious and refreshing. Our chicken Empanadas had a hot and crispy crust with tender chicken meat and a side of tasty coleslaw. It was so good that we polished the plate clean.

For our entrées, I ordered Rabo Encendido (braised oxtail in spicy Creole wine sauce). Melissa had the Pescado con Coco (red snapper simmered in coconut pepper sauce). Our entrée was unbelievably delicious and the servings were large enough for the two of us. It was a fun place to be and a great spot for a casual meal. I will definitely return again.

Some goodies from my trip:

Indeed, I have had a wonderful visit with my daughter and her company is so comforting and enjoyable. It was a nice treat for myself, thank you my darling girl!