Raquel has was the first to travel, and took her boyfriend, Nick to explore Japan for nearly two weeks. Here is a video recap of their trip, plus a descriptive follow up.

In July, Mike Donovan wed his sweetheart, Keri, and used their haiku trip to celebrate their marriage and learn more about Keri’s heritage. The couple took bike and canal rides to explore the city’s numerous museums, food culture and special events, such as Sail Amsterdam. The nonstop flight to Schiphol made for an easy trasnfer to Paris, where they finished out their European vacation. Hear about their honeymoon of a lifetime with this video and post-trip blog post.

To me, Amsterdam is a study in contrasts. We saw tons of construction and renovation on buildings such as the Rijksmuseum and the Royal Palace, yet almost every building, even newer ones, feel like they have an historic present.

Amsterdam prides itself on being a progressive and modern city, which it is, however, there are constant reminders of its past. From solemn landmarks such as the Anne Frank House to Genever (gin) distilleries that have been making gin and serving traditional Dutch food for more than 450 years, Amsterdam has an “old school” feel to it.

And while, bicycles are extremely prevalent as a transportation option, the canals are still used to get around, whether by canal bus or canal bike (paddleboats). Keri and I had a wonderful time on both, though the canal bike certainly gives you a workout.

One reason I wanted to visit the Netherlands with Keri was to find out more about her heritage. Keri comes from a family of proud Dutch-Americans and it was amazing to learn more about her family history. We were honored to be given a free walk throughout Amsterdam by local Ronald Winkels, owner of Amstour Holland.

Winkels researched Keri’s family name, Lenderink, and was able to tell us about the area where the Lenderinks originally lived. His knowledge and kindness was a perfect demonstration of the Dutch attitude that we encountered throughout our trip.

Having traveled to other European cities such as Lisbon, London, and Paris, I found Amsterdam much easier to navigate. Even on weary, jet-lagged feet, the city feels smaller than it is. Using the Central Station as a northern boundary and the city’s museum square, Museumplein, as a southern landmark, Amsterdam is filled with tourist attractions and great places to visit.

From its underrated food scene (Croquettes are a must try) to its array of fantastic museums (even while under construction, the Rijksmuseum is remarkable), Amsterdam is a world-class city to visit.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank I Fly Nonstop, the Portland International Air Service Committee, Delta Air Lines, and Avanti Destinations for giving Keri and I the trip of a lifetime.

Watch the video recap of Mike and Keri’s trip now:

Photo credits: All photos provided by Mike Donovan

After arriving in Amsterdam, there are definitely certain places Keri and I are going to visit. From Bloemenmarkt – the floating flower market on the Singel Canal – to Vondelpark, we are hoping to immerse ourselves into the Dutch culture.

As bikes and boats are common means of transportation in Amsterdam, we thought it would be fun to fuse the best of both worlds and tour the city by paddleboat. It will be nice to go at our own pace and experience a unique perspective of the local architecture and neighborhoods.

With the array of museums that Amsterdam offers, it will be difficult to see all of them, but we definitely think we will visit the Van Gogh Museum, which is home to works by not just Van Gogh but also Paul Gauguin, Edouard Manet, and Claude Monet.

The one other thing Keri and I are looking the most forward to is the food and drink. We have heard a lot about Dutch pancakes and cannot wait to try them. Apparently, they are similar to a French crepe, but are slightly thicker and are filled with an array of fresh ingredients. Combine that with the locally made and world-renowned beer, Heineken, and you have the perfect Honeymoon breakfast.

After Amsterdam, we will be making our way to Paris by high-speed train. Getting to Europe in one flight from PDX makes traveling to other European cities, like Paris, much easier. In Paris, we plan on exploring Versailles for a day and relax at authentic Parisian cafes.

We can’t wait for our trip, and we are excited to share our experience with you.

See Mike’s winning haiku here.

Photo credits: Amsterdam canal, Lyn Gateley; Bloemenmarkt, Jim Derda; Van Gogh Museum, Jan Tito; stroopwafels, Or Hiltch; Versailles gardens, Panoramas

We spent our time in Tokyo exploring all the districts. I was shocked by how many “downtowns” Tokyo has. All areas of the city are constantly buzzing with activity at all hours of the day and night. Even more surprising is how clean the city is. I think my favorite spots in Tokyo were the Meiji Shrine, the Tokyo Tower, the Asakusa district, Harajuku, and the Sumida River waterfront. At the Meiji Shrine, we saw several traditional Shinto weddings, and I was in awe by the beauty of the brides’ kimonos. From the top of the Tokyo Tower we were treated to a 360-degree view of the city, and got some perspective on the city’s density.

Both Asakusa and Harajuku are great areas for walking. A type of promenade in Asakusa leads to the Sensoji Temple, and it is lined with small vendors selling souvenirs and traditional Japanese treats. We went to Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s a good thing we did! On Sundays, young people head out to Harajuku dressed as rockabillys, anime characters, and Goths. It was really cool to see a bunch of teens dressed up in elaborate costumes when it wasn’t Halloween. Another bizarre and unique thing we did was go to a cat café; meaning a café filled with cats for people to hang out with. Crazy!

Kyoto had a completely different feel from Tokyo. It’s what you envision when you close your eyes and think of traditional Japan. We stayed in a traditional Japanese inn and got to couch surf as well. The best sites in Kyoto were the Sanjusangen-do Temple that houses 1000 Kannon statues, Nijo Castle, the Pontocho neighborhood along the water front, Gion, and the Inari Shrine. While walking through Gion, we saw a geisha that was beautiful beyond belief. Her dress, hair, and make-up were unbelievably elaborate-much more stunning than I could have ever imagined.

Our couch surfing host lived around the corner from Inari Shrine. The main shrine sits at the base of Mt. Inari, but there are thousands of smaller shrines along a trail that circles the mountain. In addition to the shrines, the trail is completely lined with torii gates. Their size, quantity, and beauty did not cease to impress us even after walking under the last one. It was amazing.

Our last stop was Hiroshima, and we were impressed by the liveliness and beauty of the city, especially considering what happened there 65 years ago. We first stopped at the Peace Museum and Peace Memorial Park, where we learned a considerable amount about what happened the day of the atomic bombing. We walked around the sobering memorials dedicated to victims of the event. It was an inspiring place.

From Hiroshima we took a ferry to the island of Miyajima where we were greeted by a herd of deer running about while trying to snag food from onlookers. Miyajima is famous for the O’torii gate that appears to float on the water. The gate was especially beautiful when the sun was setting on the island. We hiked up Mt. Misen, which gave us a stunning view of the ocean and surrounding islands.

Besides all the great sight-seeing experiences, we also had excellent food experiences. The food in Japan is so delicious! We had our fair share of sushi, especially in Tokyo. We ate at several “floating” sushi bars in Tokyo. We were also lucky enough to have sushi at the Tsukiji Market. In Tokyo, we ate at a restaurant with an automated menu, where you ordered from a coin-operated machine outside the restaurant. In Kyoto we had excellent ramen and in Miyajima, we had a traditional savory pancake dish called okonomiyaki.

I don’t think there are enough words to describe all the beautiful and interesting things that I saw in Japan, but all in all it was an amazing place with amazing character and incredible people. Thank you so much for this opportunity…it was without a doubt the trip of a lifetime.

Photos credits: courtesy of Raquel Benito

Meet the Winners

Mike Donovan - Amsterdam

My Fiance’s One Wish

Her head on my arm
Flying non-stop is the best
Off to her homeland

My name is Mike Donovan and I have lived in many places across the United States and England. I am getting married to my wonderful fiancee, Keri Lenderink. Keri is a Dutch-American and has always wanted to travel to the Netherlands. We plan on using this trip as our honeymoon and are thrilled to be able to go on such a lovely trip. While there, I am hoping to help Keri connect with her family’s past, take a canal boat, and maybe even check out a brewery or two.

Raquel Benito – Tokyo

Restful Escape

eyes closed in Portland
eyes opened in Tokyo
non-stop dreams between

My name is Raquel Benito, and I grew up in Madrid, Spain before coming to the U.S. at age seven. I’ve always been an avid traveler, which is why I’m so excited to finally have a chance to visit Tokyo. My boyfriend Nick is coming along and we look forward to sampling everything from ramen to sushi to Yebisu and sake. If we can time it right we’d love to see the blossoming cherry trees. I hope to bring back some cool gadgets from the Akihabara district, take pictures with the Elvis impersonators in Harajuku, and hike around Mt. Fuji. Perhaps we’ll have time to sneak out of Tokyo on a high speed train and visit some of Japan’s more rural areas-Nikko for example-to see its magnificent temples and shrines. We’re both incredibly excited and thankful to hop on a nonstop flight from our humble little city here in Oregon and wake up across the world!

Photos by Tim Jewett and provided by the Port of Portland