![\"K1600_DSC03638\"](\"http:\/\/31ppp.de\/anneke-guenther\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2015\/04\/K1600_DSC03638.jpg\")
<\/a>Fruit trees in the Hood River Valley<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Mt. Hood with the Hood River Train<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Our international group: A Japanese exchange student, Stephanie, Philipp, myself & an exchange student from Qatar<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>If I created a mountain, it would look exactly like this!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>I was there !<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Inside the train: the Magician and the Sheriff<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
The day before, Saturday February 21st<\/sup>, we fulfilled for once the duties of being a young ambassador of Germany and the CBYX program. We met our Congressman Kurt Schrader who represents the 5th<\/sup> district of Oregon in Washington D.C. The state of Oregon is divided into 5 same sized districts (by population) in the Congress. On the German side we have our ‘Bundestagsabgeordneten’ who supports us and on the American side the Congressman is the equivalent. Our organization recommended getting in touch with our representative and so we took the opportunity to meet Mr. Kurt Schrader at a penal discussion in the city hall of Lake Oswego. Around 50 people showed up and listened to him talking about the duties and topics he is dealing with in Washington. After 30 minutes the audience was able to ask questions.<\/p>\n When we entered the room in the beginning, everyone got a number and 10 of those were drawn. Well turns out we were one of the lucky ones… Actually we only came to listen and maybe to introduce ourselves afterwards, but there was nothing we really wanted to ask. But there it was: our chance to ask the Congressman a question, in front of the audience. Philipp and I quickly debated if we really should say something or just pass on the microphone, but then we thought: How often in life do you get the chance to do something like that? So we stood up, took the microphone, introduced ourselves, informed him about the CBYX program and the current developments. The American Congress cut 50% of the money for the program which is now covered by the German Bundestag. We simply wanted to know his opinion about it since we think that the Americans do not feel the need of supporting the program anymore which was initiated to strengthen the cooperation between our two countries. Well turns out he has never even heard about the program before! Of course he was polite and tried to make a statement without really saying anything (I guess this is one of the necessary tools if you are a politician). To say it really flat, he just wasn’t interested at all and only said \u2018Oh yes, I will pass on this information\u2019. It was quite a disappointment for us but we tried our best. We wanted to take a picture with him afterwards but at sharp 10:00 o\u2019clock he left the room quickly and never appeared again. This whole meeting with Mr. Schrader, a democrat by the way, didn\u2019t give the best picture of him and we were a bit disappointed. Oh well we tried!<\/p>\n Kurt Schrader<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n A weekend later my German partners-in-crime, Korbi and Philipp, and I attended a very American event: The Professional Bull Riders Battle. Throughout the whole year the bull riders travel through the US and have their event each time in a different city. This time all bull riders and bulls came to Portland, Oregon. Luckily we had free tickets and really good seats which made it easier to follow the event from very close up.<\/p>\n In previous blog posts I always mentioned how progressive and liberal Portland is, compared to other American cities I have been to before. That evening was very different though and showed me a new side of Oregon. I felt like I was all of a sudden transferred back into a small town somewhere in the Midwest. As far as I could see, the Moda Center was filled with cowboys and cowgirls wearing cowboy hats, cowboy boots and plaid shirts. Before the event started the American national anthem was played which is obviously very normal. But after that something surprising happened that I haven\u2019t experienced here yet: a long prayer was spoken. They honored their troops and emphasized how proud they were to be American, to live in the land of the free. Everyone was yelling in agreement and was filled with national pride. For us Germans this was rather strange and we were impressed of the new side of Oregon. Even though Portland seems dynamic, European and open-minded on the surface, one shouldn’t forget that this is still part of the USA. Just outside of the urban metropolitan area of Portland, especially further east, farms, agriculture and logging characterize the region. People living in that kind of rural area tend to be rather traditional and conservative; and exactly these persons came to see the bull riding event that night. Very interesting!<\/p>\n The event itself was very entertaining and something I have never seen. Before the show started the riders were introduced and walked into the arena like heroes or gladiators, surrounded by fire and a yelling crowed. For one and a half hours we watched around 25 cowboys trying to stay on very stubborn bulls for at least 8 seconds. In the end Luis Blanco from Texas won the contest and 6.550 Dollars. Why it was him that won \u2013 we actually don’t really know. But it also didn\u2019t matter because it was just fun! My favorite person of the event was the one cowboy on his horse though. His task was to catch the bulls with his lasso when they didn\u2019t go back into their stable. He was probably the coolest guy I have seen in a long time \u2013 just like the movies!!!<\/p>\n Look at him!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Let the show begin!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n There he goes…<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n It was really difficult taking pictures, they were just so fast<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The coolest cowboy!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The bull had no chance!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The proud winner and whoever all the other guys are…<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n After the event we made our way back to my car. Usually I leave it in one of those guarded parking lots, but this time I decided to park it on a small street right behind the Moda Center instead. Probably also the last time! When I saw my car, I couldn\u2019t believe what I saw. Someone broke the back window on the passenger side!!!<\/p>\n Turns out that somebody just seemed to have a glorious time, breaking several car windows along that one street. I didn\u2019t really know what to do but another victim told me to call the police. They only gave me the advice to go home and fill out a form online. So I made my way home with one missing window but at least it didn\u2019t rain. I was quite worried that this would be another big expense but fortunately my insurance covered some of the costs.<\/p>\n The next morning I worked it out myself! I grabbed some plastic foil, duct tape and tried my best to ‘close’ the window. I felt so embarrassed, driving around with that kind of car \u2013 but oh well, another experienced. After 5 days of having a semi-closed car, the mobile service of a car glass repairing service showed up at my work and fixed the broken window as well as cleaned everything up within one hour. Now it looks like nothing ever happened. I was also very glad that it got fixed because now I could sing as loud as I wanted again in my car \u2013 surely that was the part that sucked most only having a window made out of plastic foil \ud83d\ude09 It just seems like my car and I are going through every possible situation there is\u2026<\/p>\n First impression<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Fortunately I didn’t have anything in the car besides those old maps<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n I think I did quite a good job considering I did it all by myself!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n March 5th<\/sup> 2015 was a day I couldn’t wait for, a day I was counting down to ever since I knew what was going to happen: MY BEST FRIEND MARIE (often referred to as Ise) CAME TO VISIT ME!!!!! We haven’t seen each other in over 7 months and I was so excited that she took the long flight and journey, just to visit me.<\/p>\n That Thursday I was working and in the afternoon at 3 o’clock she finally made it after a 20 hour journey from Berlin via Amsterdam and Seattle to Portland. The minutes waiting there at the airport just before seeing her were so exciting and I couldn’t wait to finally have her here. And there she was! It has been way too long, especially since we couldn’t talk as regularly as we wanted to due to her work schedule and the time difference, but now we had 18 days to make up for all of that! Not only I could show her my normal life here, but we also had enough time to travel and explore new things together.<\/p>\n There she is – I saw her, but she didn’t see me yet \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Reunited!<\/p><\/div>\n The first week we stayed around West Linn and Portland. We got the chance to attend another Basketball game, this time Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks. Portland dominated and won 94 \u2013 75. At least I didn’t expect that to happen!<\/p>\n We went Downtown, did some shopping, drank lots of coffee, went out for breakfast and dinner, I took her to my work and we just had a lovely time together.<\/p>\n Before the game, the national anthem<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Portland Trail Blazers – Dallas Mavericks<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n And there he was, Germany’s most famous basketball player: Dirk Nowitzki<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Trail Blazers won again!!!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The first weekend we went to the Oregon Coast. Philipp’s host mom Stephanie took us with her because she shares a beach house down in Yachats on the central Oregon Coast. It was such a beautiful, sunny weekend that we got to enjoy the beauty of this region. We heard people saying that they have never experienced a March that warm, mild and sunny ever in Oregon. We visited Newport and Lincoln City, two cute seaside towns where we soaked up the sun and enjoyed ourselves.<\/p>\n Ready for the roadtrip to the Oregon Coast<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Beach of Yachats<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Harbor of Newport, Oregon<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n There were soooo many sea lions in that little bay – and those animals are surprisingly noisy!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n And they kind of smell, but there is something about them that I really like…<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n … Maybe because they are just so lazy and are hanging out all day long. How comfi they look!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Beach of Newport, Oregon. Everyone who now thinks ‘Mmh that looks like the North Sea in Denmark or the Netherlands’ – I totally agree!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Little Ise and myself<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Outlook at Depoe Bay<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n So apparently this is where Lewis and Clark arrived after their long expedition in 1805<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Beach of Lincoln City<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n I was lucky enough to take a few days off work which gave us even more time to hang out together. That way Ise also didn’t have to stay all by herself at my house. On Marie’s second weekend in Oregon, Thursday, March 12th<\/sup> we started our 5-day road trip to Washington. The actual plan was to go to Vancouver, Canada but turns out the Canadian border control has stricter rules from 2015 on. I didn’t get my visa approved in time which made us change plans spontaneously. We decided to discover more of Oregon\u2019s neighboring state, Washington.<\/p>\n We started off by visiting Mount St. Helens. It is actually quite close to Portland and on clear sunny days you can also see it from here. It looks very special and different than Mt. Hood because it doesn’t have a pointed top, anymore. After the big eruption in 1980 parts of the mountain collapsed and the two earthquakes did not only change the form of the mountain but also it\u2019s surrounding. 3,000,000 m3 of material was transported 30 km south into the Columbia River! Those volcanic mudflows are rivers today. We drove around the volcano and looked at the stunning landscape. It was so calm and peaceful. One could never imagine that exactly 35 years ago there was such a big eruption that affected the whole region and caused 57 people their lives.<\/p>\n See the fog or dust on the lake and the litle island?<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Yale Lake<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n I don’t have words for that – stunning!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The river that used to be a mudflow<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Looong roads but in the end it was too cloudy to see Mt. St. Helens<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n We continued our trip to Olympia, the state capitol of Washington. It is a cute small town with many nice little shops, cafes and restaurants. It reminded me a lot of Oregon’s capitol Salem \u2013 only that Olympia is prettier but also smaller.<\/p>\n Olympia is located at the Budd Inlet, an arm of the Puget Sound<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n You can see the Washington’s Capitol in the background<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n In the afternoon we reached Seattle where we stayed two nights. That gave us enough time to explore the city. It was my second time in Seattle and I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot more this time. It was sunny, warm and the vibe was just so different. I was there right before Christmas with my parents and there it was the complete opposite, very rainy and dull which made me see a lot more negative things like the massive amount of homeless people. Obviously they were still there but sunshine lets everything appear in a better light. Seattle is a lot bigger and more metropolitan than Portland. There are more things to see and do and even just walking through downtown is more like walking through a big city with the traffic and the kind of shops. There is a different vibe than in the slower and smaller Portland. To me Portland is like the little yet a bit crazy brother of Seattle. They do have things in common but then you can’t really compare them at all. One thing that I like a lot better about Seattle is the waterfront. In Portland we only have the brown and murky Willamette River and this is what we call the Waterfront. Seattle is located at the Puget Sound which is an arm of the Pacific Ocean. There are several nice islands in the bay and a big harbor. Everything just seems bigger and more sophisticated.<\/p>\n One thing I never realized about Seattle, it is a very hilly city, despite being so close to the water. Therefore maps are quite confusing. Everything looks super close and just a few blocks away, well but then you need to bypass a couple of hills. The Pike Place Market for example seems like it is right next to the Waterfront. Well it is but there is a big difference in altitude. You need to climb up countless stairs to get from the Waterfront to the famous market.<\/p>\n We did our Seattle sightseeing by strolling down the streets and visited the famous Pike Place Market, the Space Needle (we didn’t go up, I have been up there with my parents but it is so expensive and I am not really sure if it is worth it), the old Pioneer Square and the Waterfront. We also took a ferry over to Brainbridge Island which was really cool. We had a great view at Seattle\u2019s skyline. The island itself is also really pretty though this time of the year still a bit sleepy.<\/p>\n We stayed in a very pretty Air B’n’B in West Seattle which was only 10 minutes away from downtown by bus. I really enjoyed Seattle and Ise also liked it a lot.<\/p>\n Sunset in Seattle<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Seattle with an overload of S-U-N !!!!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n How gorgeous does the Seattle harbor look in the sun?<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Historic District<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Random little waterfall in the city center<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The famous Pike Place Market with many daffodils on the roof<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Inside the Pike Place Market<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Taking a small break from sightseeing<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Space Needle!!! Can you spot little Ise?<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n On the ferry to Brainbridge island<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Portland has Mt. Hood and Seattle, Mt. Rainier<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n #selfie<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Seattle skyline by night<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n We continued our road trip further up north on Saturday. The next stop was the big Seattle Premium Outlet on Interstate 5. I loved it when I was there in December, so I got Ise all excited but once we were there it was so disappointing. There was nothing we really liked, fairly expensive and in the end we didn’t buy anything.<\/p>\n We passed Mount Vernon and left the Interstate 5 right behind Burlington to drive up the scenic Highway 11 called ‘Chuckanut Drive’. We drove along the Bellingham Bay and had great views in the afternoon sunshine. It was beautiful! The ocean, the forest, the little islands and the idyllic winding road \u2013 wow!<\/p>\n Our final destination that day was Bellingham, a city almost right at the border to Canada and new home of one other CBYX participant, my friend Insa. I already met her at the preparation camp in Germany, then in Berlin to apply for our visa and then in New York of course. It was great seeing her again and catching up on everything. Her host family kindly let us stay with her that night. In the evening we had a little German party at her house. Insa also invited her college coordinator who is originally from Germany as well as Benedict and Julia from the CBYX program who came up from Mt. Vernon. Insa’s host mom prepared Schnitzel and all of us got super excited about this German dinner! The evening was so much fun and we all had a great time catching up on what has happened the past few months \u2013 obviously there was a lot to tell!!!<\/p>\n – – – I have no idea why I didn’t take one single picture in Bellingham; I guess I was too distracted!!! – – –<\/p>\n In the morning Insa showed us rainy Bellingham and we got an idea of what her new home is like. We left Bellingham Sunday noon in the pouring rain to drive to the Olympic Peninsula.<\/p>\n The Olympic Peninsula is famous for 3 things:<\/p>\n To make clear what I mean by massive amount of rain, I rather let numbers talk: 120 inches (3050 mm) of rainfall every year!!! In Berlin we have 23 inches (590 mm) a year. That means it is 5 times wetter than it is in Berlin \u2013 and we all know how rainy Berlin can be. Just imagine that, times 5. Unbelievable! So it was just appropriate that it rained the day we traveled there!<\/p>\n To reach the Olympic Peninsula we drove down to Coupeville from where we took a ferry to Port Townsend. We were quite late to catch the ferry and the guy who sold the tickets told us that we might miss this one and in that case had to wait for 2 hours. We were in line with all the other cars in front of us. The ferry got loaded with cars and was at some point all filled up. We prepared ourselves to spend 2 hours in the rain in Coupeville \u2013 but all of the sudden there was still one space left for my little car and we got on the ferry. How lucky!!! The ferry took us within only 20 minutes to Port Townsend.<\/p>\n Deception Pass State Park<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Lucky last spot on the ferry<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Leaving Coupeville<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n This city is according to many people as well as my tour guide a very neat place on the Olympic Peninsula. Of course it still rained, but it was indeed very nice. Port Townsend is a very small town with an absolutely gorgeous main street; tiny independent shops, plenty of restaurants and beautiful old houses. We ended up having a good ol\u2019 big burger in an American diner and afterwards a hot coffee in a cozy caf\u00e9 at the waterfront.<\/p>\n Port Townsend<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Yummy!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Cute little shops on the main street – in the rain<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Under Town in Port Townsend with craft shops down there<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Underground passage – only place in town where it was dry!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The caf\u00e9 \u2018Better living through Coffee\u2019 was packed on that Sunday afternoon. It is located right at the Port Townsend Bay. Outside it was just grey, rainy and dull but inside people gathered, chatted, laughed and an open fiddle group played folk music. We listened, sipped our delicious coffee and enjoyed the cheerful atmosphere. It was one of those moments where everything seemed to be just perfect. I felt so happy, satisfied and overall comfortable. There is no better feeling than realizing that you are in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n Listening to this open fiddle group …<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n … while having delicious coffee<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n With a warm feeling we headed to our final destination for the day: Port Angeles. For those of you who know the Twilight Saga, this might sound familiar. This town is mentioned a few times in the books and movies. It did not stop raining, and again by rain I don’t mean a little drizzle but actually pouring rain.<\/p>\n We stayed the night from Sunday to Monday in Port Angeles. We reserved two beds in a very small cute hostel called \u2018Toad Lily House\u2019. There were only 3 other guests but one of those was, of course, a German girl. You just meet those Germans everywhere… With every hour that passed the rain continued and continued. We felt like doing something but it was just too cold and wet to do anything. So we just drove around, walked around a very trashy Walmart, got a bottle of Coca Cola, Cracker and Donuts. The evening ended in our bunk beds, playing our favorite game ‘Kniffel’ and eating the nutritious dinner we bought at Walmart. It felt like we are 8 years old and on a school trip somewhere in Brandenburg hahaha.<\/p>\n That’s how I remember Port Angeles<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The tiny hostel in Port Angeles<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Leaving Port Angeles… All of the sudden we spotted some snow?!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The next morning we woke up to something very surprising: SUNSHINE! The sun shone right into the window and besides the huge puddles on the streets there was no evidence of the heavy rain anymore. We had a long drive in front of us that\u2019s why we left Port Angeles pretty early. The road and landscape between Port Angeles and Forks is probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Especially the winding street around Lake Crescent surrounded by the never ending forests was breathtaking.<\/p>\n Even though Marie and I are not huge Twilight fans \u2013 Marie has never even watched or read it \u2013 we still visited La Push and Forks. La Push is the largest community within the Quileute Indian Reservation\u00a0and home to the Quileute tribe, located at the Pacific Ocean. The beach and the landscape (I know it\u2019s getting boring) were terrific! The town itself though was something I have never seen before: dirty, destroyed, weathered sheds, odd people wandering around and simply one doesn\u2019t felt welcomed. It is a place where we left the car for a photo stop but then made sure to leave again quickly.<\/p>\n Promising welcome sign<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Beautfiful beach in La Push!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Me trying to get a good picture. See yourself how it turned out…<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not too bad, I think \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Lovely La Push<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n A place you really want to stay…<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n I am not surprised that they didn’t shoot the Twilight La Push scenes here!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Forks is kind of the same story minus the cool beach and coastline. There is nothing to see or do. Even though it became world famous through Stephanie Meyer\u2019s books, not one scene of the movie was ever shot in Forks. Ironically most of the scenes were filmed in the Portland area. Again, we only made a quick stop at Forks’ visitor center where we saw Bella’s red truck, chatted to some older ladies who where super excited to have visitors from Germany and took some pictures for the photo album.<\/p>\n Twilight fans should get excited<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The treaty line between the werewolves and the vampires!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Downtown Forks<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Bella’s truck!!!!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Inside the visitor center<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Jump! (And this worked after the first try!)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Love that photo!!!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Back on the road we enjoyed the National Park passing by\u2026 Unlike the day before, we saw all the ‘vampire’ places and the whole peninsula in pretty good weather or at least not rain. We made a few stops along the way but actually you need a lot more time than we had. To get the real experience one should go for a long hike in the woods. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time and therefore just drove down Highway 101. I still love the thought that if we kept going we ended up in southern California! While driving down the long and never ending road, we sang as beautiful as we could, laughed as hard as possible and just had the bestest time. In Aberdeen we felt like we finally made it back to civilization and at that point I was in good need of a coffee. From there we continued back home to West Linn and ended the day with watching Twilight \u2013 there was just no other way!<\/p>\n Never ending roads…<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Ruby Beach<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The beautiful rough Pacific Ocean<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Nature!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Driving down the 101!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Beautiful Olympic Peninsula<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Made it back to civilization! Obviously this is in Washington since had to get the gas ourselves… One reason I love Oregon: There is always someone who will fill up your gas!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n On Wednesday March 18th <\/sup>we had a big event at work! This year my company celebrates their 50th<\/sup> anniversary!!! That is of course reason enough to invite all our clients as well as some business partners and have a party at the office. Everyone got already really excited the days before. We prepared everything and made the office look as neat as possible… At 4 o’clock in the afternoon we were ready and waited for people to show up and to share with them snacks, the big cake as well as delicious mango and cranberry Mimosas. More people than expected joined us and everyone had a fantastic time chatting with clients and catching up with representatives of other tourism companies. For me it was great to meet all these new and interesting people that my co-workers introduced me to. It was also nice that all of our outside agents came who usually work from home.<\/p>\n My co-workers made me feel so comfortable and like a full member of \u2018Team Julie\u2019 \u2013 how they call themselves. Also my personal, freshly new printed nametag helped to make me feel like I was not only an intern for 6 months but part of it all. I enjoyed that evening a lot. My little heart was filled with so much joy and I felt so very grateful for this experience. I can’t believe how lucky I am that I got this job with the most caring co-workers on earth. I was also glad that Marie was here and got to share this special night with me.<\/p>\n Let the big celebration start!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Me and my nametag \ud83d\ude09<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The bar in the office with my lovely co-workers Fiona, Melinda and Hollis<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Cheeky as always, Mariiiieeee \ud83d\ude09<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n To me, typical American snacks<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Look at these fabulous travel agents (plus me)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Having a really good time with our Mimosas<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n And here we have the whole team! Front row: Michelle, Melinda & Debbie Back row: Carolyn, Kim, Hollis, Sandi, Michelle, Myself, Jamie, Fiona & Gail<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Marie’s last weekend in Oregon was another really great one: we went shopping at the Woodburn Outlet Mall (where she was really successful this time), we got to see the Portland Saturday Market, had brunch in Southeast Portland, had a party night in Oregon City and a lovely day trip to Multnomah Falls and Mt. Hood!<\/p>\n For that trip, we chose the perfect day: bright sunshine and clear skies. We visited Multnomah Falls where I have been once before, but this time we made a little hike up to the waterfall. I think the hike itself wasn’t actually that long, around 2 miles, but it was steep uphill and to be honest we didn\u2019t expect that and were not really prepared for it either. Halfway through we thought about just going back ‘Agh I am sure we won’t miss anything from that outlook platform anyway…’ But we took the challenge and hiked to the end. In the end the outlook was not too impressive but it still felt great that we made it up to the top!<\/p>\n My room, my very messy room – but ready to go for a day trip!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Columbia Gorge<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Multnomah Falls<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Look at all the shades of green<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Little creek<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Made it to the top of the waterfall – look how happy we are!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n We passed Hood River, the Columbia Gorge and took the same route to Mt. Hood I went on back in November with Philipp (Remember that time when we were almost lost in the snow?!). This time everything was different! The Hood River Valley was about to bloom and the views to Mt. Hood were stunning. It was hard for me to keep my eyes on the road \u2013 I just love this mountain. There were so many great opportunities to take pictures and I am sure after staying in Portland for 11 months I can fill a whole photo album only with pictures of Mt. Hood from every possible perspective. This time there was no snow on the road which made it possible to even go all the way up to the Timberline Lodge.<\/p>\n The Timberline Lodge is a huge and historic ski resort at 6000 feet of Mount Hood, right in the middle of the ski region. Up there has been some snow, but as you can see on the following pictures not a lot and even that snow was old, gray and slushy. Locals complain that this has been one of the worst snow seasons in a very long time. Usually it is no problem to ski in the summer time on the glacier, but this year there was hardly any good snow in March left. Hello global warming! A few lifts were still operating and we spotted a handful of skier and snowboarder but a fun day in the snow definitely looks different!<\/p>\n The hotel itself is beautiful: a wooden, old building with a big cozy fireplace in the middle of the lodge. It is the ideal place to rest after you have been out skiing in the cold. Great location!<\/p>\n Highway 35 around Mt. Hood<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Just can’t get enough<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Timberline Lodge<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Cozyness in the Timberline Lodge<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Main floor in the Timberline Lodge<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Not even the snow cannon can make a change anymore<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n They do have all the infrastructure<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n I have never been that casual in the middle of a ski slope<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Brave snowboarders taking the challenge<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>