Lee's tour took us through the shopping area and towards the harbour. This was another town with a shopping high street, similar to what we have in the UK although it was nice to see so many independent shops compared to all the big brands we have at home. Once at the harbour, we picked up a coffee, took some time to look at the boats and shoreline restaurants (planning our food options for later in the evening) and then climbed a steep hill up to the Observatory. Lee had read a number of reviews online that it wasn't worth climbing the Observatory, the views could apparently be seen for free by just walking further up the hill, so this is what we did.
Once at the top of the hill, we walked down again and to Fort Allen Park to look at the USS Portland Memorial and Fort Allen which was just off the coast.We then continued walking in Eastern Promenade, a wildlife reserve on the harbour which has a number of different walking and cycling path and even a train you can ride through it.
Having done so much walking, refreshments were needed. Luckily for Lee, we found out that Portland was one of the top Brewing cities in the USA! On our way back to the hotel, we detoured to sample the beers in 4 very different breweries. One of the surprises for us in the US has been just how good the beer scene is. We often say that only a few years ago, you were limited to Bud, Bud Light or a Sam Adams. Today there are do many different breweries all producing very unique and different products. It's very difficult to choose what to drink - so you simply have to try a large selection :)
After all the beer, we needed a snack so we headed to Duck Fat to try out their Duck Fat Fries. We weren't disappointed, they were really tasty and came with some yummy mayo and ketchup dips. It was just a shame we hadn't found this place sooner as their sandwiches looked epic but with dinner only a couple of hours away, we didn't want to spoil our appetite too much.
We headed back to the hotel where after a quick change of clothes, we headed out to Shipyard Brewery who produce my favourite beer, Pumpkin Head. Those who know me, know that I am not a big beer drinker, I will drink 1 or 2 pints but I prefer something with a little less liquid but one night in Portsmouth, I managed to drink 7 Pumpkin Head beers in 3 hours, I actually out drunk Lee for the first time ever! What makes this beer so good, its the spiced pumpkin taste and the cinnamon sugared rim.
After realising there was no way I was going to get a barrel of Pumpkin Head home, we headed off to grab some sea food in one of the harbour side restaurants (we shared scallops and fish cakes, both of which were fresh, tasty and perfectly sized portions) before heading off for one last night cap before bed.
The next day over breakfast, we both agreed that we really enjoyed our time in Portland. It felt like a safe city where you could walk everywhere, it wasn't too big or too busy, there was plenty to do to keep you occupied for a couple of days and the food and drink was excellent, there is so much variety and the quality was high without the price being extortionate.
If we were to visit for again for a little more time, we would look to take one of the many ferries from Portland to the islands just off the coast. Some of these islands are big enough to spend a whole day exploring whilst others, maybe just an hour or two. I think there is even an island hopper ferry that goes to each of the islands and you can hop on and hop off, allowing you to explore them one after the other without coming back to Portland which could be a lot of fun, as long you as don't miss the last boat home!
Fancy connecting the abundance of people with a British accent to a PNO Ferry Cruiser ;-)
ReplyDeleteBut then you managed to spend some time of the day finding Breweries which seemed to have played a big part of your MERTA trip. Happy you enjoyed all the samples :-)
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