#30daysofawesome – DAY 28 – The Grotto.

As I’ve said before. I love flowers. Gardens. Etc… So when I was in Portland, looking for a hotel on hotels.com and it said the hotel I booked was close to “the Grotto” I had to explore.

Through a bit of research, I learned the Grotto was home to 63 acres of gardens. In the middle of Portland! That was enough for me.

It turns out the Grotto is not only a slew of gardens, but one of the most devout Catholic shrines in America. It is lauded as a place of prayer and reflection and it strewn with various shrines and monuments depicting saints and Jesus that can be seen among the miles and miles of hiking trails.

The coolest part of the Grotto, however, is the elevator that takes you up to the upper gardens. The 110-foot elevator is a huge stone building that  encompasses the elevator shaft and that alone. It’s sketchy looking, eh?

The elvevator and the Grotto cave

One you’re up, you are able to walk around the 62 acres. Included are the Rose Gardens:

St. Anne’s Cathedral :

The Meditation Chapel — built of polished granite and glass walls — and the Monastery — home to the Servite Friars.

And the Peace Gardens:

Even though I’m not an extremely religious person, it was hard not to be spiritually moved by being here. If you’re ever in Portland, I strongly suggest you go check it out.

See what the other girls of Awesome checked out today.

xoxo.