Well looky there, I've got three days until my actual 50th birthday and boy do I have a lot of catching up to do!! Here's one I checked off my list back on December 20th, 2017....whoops! There is a beautiful park owned by the Catholic Church….(at least that’s what I thought until I looked it up) called the Grotto in outer NE Portland. It’s actually a National Catholic Shrine dedicated to Mary, our Sorrowful Mother. It was once a quarry owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, but was sold to very enthusiastic priest who had a vision to turn it into a peaceful sanctuary for all to enjoy. The story is actually very interesting and you can read it in full here. Although the shrine was designated a National Sanctuary in 1983, and was always considered a “natural Cathedral”, the Grotto’s fame in Portland lies in the extravagant Christmas light festival created every year. For many it’s a family tradition to go walk through the campus covered with many different displays while sipping hot cider (or chocolate) and listening to local musicians perform. Every day and evening there are choral groups from throughout the Northwest that come to sing in the amazingly acoustic chapel. We were pleasantly surprised by the incredibly talented two high school choirs we heard. Because of the unusually snowy and icy Holiday weather Portland has had for the past two years, this was my second attempt at going to the Grotto. The year before I tried to take Mom, but even with all wheel drive, the limitations on parking and how far we would have had to walk on icy terrain made it a “no go”. This year, we didn’t have quite as much snow and ice (yet!), but it was definitely cold! Overall my expectations were not really matched. It was very crowded and the exhibits weren’t all that creative or extensively lit. I realize this is a Catholic church and not Disney Land, but I was a tad disappointed. The positives were hearing the choirs sing and learning the history. But this is one of those experiences that I can confidently say, I don’t need to do again.
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