Bucharest: East Europe’s Hidden Gem

 

Night vibe in Bucharest’s Old Town 

Our room in the hotel Rembrandt, once a Jewish bank, faces copper-clad rooftops that gleam at sunrise as an all-night busker folds up his boom box after one last rendition of Jail House Rock.

Sunrise over the Romanian National Bank

Rembrandt Hotel 

From the upstairs breakfast room,  we watch the morning unfold in Old Town Bucharest, its pedestrian streets quiet until its bars and outdoor cafes reopen for the day.

Waffles served street side 

Our front window faces the Romanian National Bank, built in 1883. Around the corner is a blue trolly selling waffles and the Cafe Van Gogh with a shaded terrace. A block away is the Beaux Arts-style former Bucharest Stock Exchange, built in the early 1900s, now housing a restaurant and hotel.

In the past, Romania’s capital got a bad rap — known as much for its traffic-clogged streets as its concrete apartment blocks . We gave it a miss on a swing through other parts of the  country 17 years ago, but over the last decade much has changed. Subways, trams and buses are clean, modern and efficient, making getting around easy. Even better news: Bucharest has tourists, but not as many as most of Europe’s first-tier cities. And it has retained it’s own currency - the lei- making things less expensive than countries on the Euro.

Filled with Belle Époque architecture that survived World War II, Communist-era destruction and earthquakes, it was known throughout Europe as the Little Paris of the East. What was left standing in the historical center contrasts with the big boulevards, wide streets and Stalinist-style government buildings built by Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Ceausescu and his wife were executed by firing squad in 1989 after anti-communist uprisings in Eastern Europe. During his regime, buildings owned by wealthy nobles, businesses, banks etc. were nationalized. Once the government fell, they were returned to the heirs of the original owners and over time, restored.

CEC Palace, headquarters to CEC Bank

Among the most famous is the CEC Palace, built in 1897, headquarters to the CEC Bank, and now spectacularly lighted at night.

Caru’ cu bere

We were lucky to snag early dinner reservations at Caru’ cu bere, a brewery opened in 1879, nationalized by the communist state in 1949, and renovated in the 1980s with murals, Gothic decorative details and stained glass windows. 

As outstanding as the architecture is, it’s the Romanian people - entrepreneurial, energetic and English- speaking- that have made our stay meaningful.

Vlad and Lorena 

On just our third day in town, we were fortunate to have had dinner with Lorena Duicu and her husband, Vlad,  though the Eatwith.com program, a sort of Airbnb for dining. We got acquainted over glasses of their homemade plum brandy, then moved onto grilled eggplant salad, smoked fish, a delicious pork stew simmered in a clay pot, polenta and a homemade plum crumble pie. 

It was an evening filled with good conversation about American politics, the war in Ukraine and our mutual love of travel. We were happy to have made a connection like this in a city entirely new to us. Understandably, Romanians were fearful when Russia attacked Ukraine. Kyiv is just 500 miles away. For now, though, life goes on normally in Bucharest which is far away from the fighting.

Anaid of Freetour.com

Anaid, a guide with Freetour.com, gave us a short history lesson in a two-hour walking tour covering some of the Christian Orthodox churches that survived the communist era. Most impressive was the 18th century Church of the Stavropoleos Monastery where a few nuns still live.

Stavropoleos monastery

The story of the vamprire Count Dracula, she explained, was inspired by Vlad the Impaler (or Vlad Dracula in Romanian), an important ruler and national hero in the 1400’s. The castle in nearby Transylvania, marketed as Dracula’s castle in Bram Stoker’s novel, actually had little connection to the real Vlad, and there‘s no evidence Stoker ever saw it.

Mici at the Obor Market 

We don‘t eat much meat at home, however, when in Romania…everyone must eat mici, tiny, grilled, skinless pork or lamb sausages, served with a glop of mustard and bread. You can order them in the fanciest of restaurants, but we went by tram to stand in line with the locals and sample these ($1 each) at Terasa Obor in Bucharest‘s Obor public market.

Lining up for mici at Obor market

Tom samples a honey cone

Bucharest has beautiful, family-friendly parks. On our way to tour an open air folk village in Herastrau Park, we watched kids of all ages using small, fold-up scooters do tricks in a skate park while their parents relaxed at a cafe across the street, talking and drinking beer. 

The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum takes visitors through what rural Romania looked like a century ago. The man above was dishing out “honey cones,” like ice cream cones, only filled with a rustic mixture of honey, bee pollen and bee’s wax.

Sipping visinata at SIP

Anaid, our Freetour.com guide, left us with a final tip. “Be sure to try Visinata,” she said,  Romania’s signature spirit made with sour cherries. 

The base is plum brandy that is infused with fruit, often sour cherries, but sometimes blueberries or strawberries. It’s alcohol content is high, so best tried at a bar like the one, appropriately named SIP.

Tired of crowds and high prices? Try second-tier travel for local connections and good value

 

Let's have some papanasi, a typical Romanian dessert made with a sweet dough, blueberries and cream

Over-tourism seems to be the buzz word these days as major European cities grapple with thousands of visitors all seeking the same experience.

On my desk is a story about the trails linking Italy's Cinque Terre five villages snarled by pedestrian traffic jams.

Venice has started charging day-trippers a 5 euro entry fee.

Locals in Spain sprayed tourists with water pistols during a recent protest over how visitors have affected apartment rentals and food prices.

My guess is Bucharest, Romania and Trabzon, a Turkish city on the Black Sea near the border with Georgia where my husband and I will visit soon, don't have these problems. 

They are what travel guru Rick Steves calls "second tier" cities (or in this case, maybe third tier), destinations that hardly rate a mention in his guidebooks and are not on typical tour itineraries.

Granted, we are lucky enough in more than 40 years of travel, to have seen most of Europe's major tourist sites, meaning we have the luxury of skipping the most crowded areas in favor of more remote destinations.

After spending nine days in Romania 17 years ago touring the medieval fortress towns of Transylvania and the rural Mararmures, we headed straight to the train station in Bucharest without stopping to see the city. At the time, it didn't look like much and had a reputation for crime. In retrospect, like many of the post-Soviet capitals of Eastern Europe, it was just waiting for the 21st century to happen.

Fast-forward from the early 1900s when Bucharest was known as "Little Paris" due to its French-inspired Belle-Epoque buildings to 1989 when much of it was destroyed by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to today where 19th century palaces stand next to colossal Communist edifices. The historic old town buzzes with cafes, restaurants and bars with outdoor terraces and prices far less than you'd pay in Rome or Amsterdam. A double room with breakfast in the Rembrandt Hotel in Old Town is $120 per night.

Rembrant Hotel

Old Town Bucharest

One of our most vivid memories of our last trip was being invited for Sunday "mici" at our homestay in Sighisoara, site of Bran Castle, considered to be the home of Dracula. Mici- small, stubby spiced sausages- are a Romanian staple. Our host cooked them on a grill and served them with white bread, mustard and homemade wine.

On our list for this visit is to eat mici more than once, and hopefully at Hanul lui Manuc, an inn built in 1808, and originally owned by a wealthy and flamboyant Armenian entrepreneur. Like many businesses and buildings, it  was nationalized under the Communist regime, then reverted to private ownership in 2007. The interior yard has some of the wooden tiles from the 19th century, while the verandah, the pillars, and the stairs retain the original wood. The menu lists a platter of mici cooked on a wood fire grill and served with potatoes, chili pepper and mustard for around $10. 

Hanul Lui Manuc

Also on the agenda is dinner in the home of Lorena, a former Airbnb host, who now hosts visitors through Eatwith.com On the menu are drinks, appetizers, an entree of either traditional pork or chicken stew baked in a clay pot or garlic served with polenta and sour cream; and a dessert of homemade plum or sour cherry pie. Like other Eatwith dinners we have done in other countries, I expect this one to be as much about connecting with a local as it is about the meal.  Finding ways to make people part of the landscape when traveling is often more memorable than a visit to a famous site.

Moving onto the Black Sea region of Turkey, we'll fly from Bucharest to Istanbul, then go six hours by bus to Safranbolu, an Ottoman city popular with Turkish tourists but unknown by most others.

Our guesthouse in Safranbolu

Still a center for saffron production, it was an important trading center on the Silk Road between Europe and Asia. Wealthy merchants built large mansions and villas in Safranbolu. Its architecture is unique due to its traditional Ottoman-style houses with wooden balconies and ornate facades, some of which have converted into bed and breakfast inns. We're paying $70 a night with breakfast for the guesthouse above.

Trabzon surroundings

From here, we'll take a another bus ride to the Turkish capital of Ankara where we will meet up with a Turkish friend for the afternoon, then get an early morning non-stop flight to Trabzon, a coastal town surrounded by mountains, lakes and tea plantations near the Georgian border.

Trabzon was one of the main copper mining centers of the Ottoman Empire, and was, and still is, famous for its copper cauldrons, bowls and buckets. Its history dates back thousands of years when it too was an important trade center on the Silk Road and a gateway to the Black Sea region. 

In researching our stay, I noticed that many of the hotel reviews were written by visitors from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, attracted to its mild climate.

We're going off-season, but Trabzon in summer as it turns out, can be as busy with tourists from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman as Venice or any other European city is with Americans and Australians.

 

Chinatown-International District food tours create tasty cultural connections

 

Harry Chan, a third-generation owner of Tai Tung, welcomes guests at the counter

Seattle's Wing Luke Museum in the city's Chinatown-International District is where visitors gather to learn about the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans.

There's a gallery devoted to Hong Kong martial artist and actor Bruce Lee; exhibits on how immigrant communities celebrate the New Year; and historic photos tracing the journey of the first Chinese settlers to Seattle in the 1860s.

On select Friday afternoons, however, the buzz revolves around food when the museum hosts its Tastes of Chinatown-International District food tours.

"The tours are just kind of an extension of the story telling we do," says Wing Luke staffer and tour guide Doan Dy. "People may not be familiar with the museum, but everyone likes food."

Started in 1985 as a way to draw people back into the neighborhood after a mass shooting at the Wah Mee gambling club, the tours were suspended during the Covid pandemic. Now they have resumed year-round as Wing Luke strives to help family-operated restaurants recover and combat anti-Asian sentiment.

 "While some restaurants we loved have closed, there is still a lot to love," says Dy. "We want to bring you into our neighborhood to taste, enjoy and find community while sharing our favorite dishes together."

Some, such as Tai Tung, the oldest restaurant in the area, opened in 1935, serve classic Chinese-American fare, a throwback to a time when it made sense to combined traditional Chinese recipes with inexpensive ingredients available in the U.S. Others innovate with dishes such as vegan pizza.

"The food that comes out of these spaces reflects the history of the times," says Dy.

Every tour is different as organizers alternate restaurants and dishes according to the season. Groups of 25 are divided into three as they embark on two-hour walks covering a distance of under a mile.

Pandan at the Wing Luke

A recent stroll started out in the museum's theater with savory appetizers called Pandan, a waffle-like treat made with leaves from a tropical plant, coconut and black sesame by Phin Vietnamese Coffee & Etc.

Around the Lazy Susan at Tai Tung

The walk continued along King Street, past buildings that used to be boarding houses for Chinese laborers. At Tai Tung, a favorite Bruce Lee hangout when he lived in Seattle,  Harry Chan, a third-generation owner, greeted us from behind the counter. Soon we were gathered around a Lazy Susan where we munched on fried chicken, garlic pea vines, tea and fortune cookies.

Cucumber and wood ear mushrooms at Jufeng Noodle House

 

The next stop was Jufeng Noodle House, a modest hole-in-the-wall Cantonese restaurant Dy says people could easily miss, or mistake for not being open. Served family-style at a long table decorated with red paper lanterns were bowls of cucumber and wood ear mushrooms and Singapore-style fried rice noodles seasoned with tumeric and curry.

Doan Dy of Wing Luke serves up tofu and noodles at Phnom Penh Noodle House

At the Phnom Penh Noodle House, a Cambodian restaurant that traces its origin to a mobile food cart on the streets of Battambang, we sampled noodles with ground shrimp, roasted peanuts, salted radish, tofu and pickled cucumber and Mee Katang (wide rice noodles) with chicken or tofu.

The tour ended back at the museum where dessert awaiting - Ube (purple yam) cookies from  Filipino Hood Famous Cafe & Bar. 

 Wing Luke staffers are constantly testing out new places to add to the tours, says Dy.

 "Our aim is to introduce you to a lot of the places that we enjoy. "Besides being businesses in the community, they are all our friends." 

 If you go:

Tours are held on Fridays from 4 p.m.-6:30. Vegetarian options are available. See link for reservations and upcoming dates. Cost is $55.95 per person. Children under 5 are free.

Paris: For lasting memories, settle in, and find your own special spots

 

Street art in the Butte-aux-Cailles

I had mixed feelings when a friend suggested meeting up in Paris just two months before the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in late July.

Not only would preparations be underway for an expected 15 million visitors - think rising hotel rates, construction of viewing platforms in front of the Eiffel Tower, Metro stations closed and bus routes rerouted due to construction - the city itself would likely be overrun with tourists hoping to get an early start.

But off I went for nine days in late May. Away from the usual tourist sites, the city was not as crowded as I expected. The weather was beautiful.  I loved that it stayed light until early evening. But I felt a bit sad for first-timers who might be disappointed to find many iconic monuments off limits or obstructed by Olympics reviewing stands and ugly orange barriers.

Notre Dame under reconstruction after a fire in 2019

It's times like these that call for seeking out the hidden gems, or better yet, finding your own special spots that can reward you with a memory more lasting than a picture of Notre Dame with a crane next to a reconstructed spire or a partially-blocked Eiffel Tower.

One way to start is by staying in a neighborhood outside the main tourist areas, but with easy public transport to whatever is on you must-see list.

For me, it was an Airbnb in a family home in the Butte-aux-Cailles, once a fenced-in, hill-top village outside of Paris, now a charming residential neighborhood in the 13th arrondissement near the Place d'Italie where several metro lines and buses converge. 

My Airbnb on Rue Villa Daviel

My compact room with private bath and breakfast ($130 per night) was one of three in a house on the Villa Daviel, a quiet lane with street lamps and flower boxes.  From here, I could zip down on the Metro to see the latest exhibit at the Musee d'Orsay, then bask in that relaxed feeling of "coming home" to a neighborhood filled with friendly restaurants, bars and bakeries catering to a local clientele of French apartment dwellers.

Rue Villa Daviel

Helping me get to know the neighborhood was Isabelle O'Leary, a volunteer with Paris Greeters, a group of local ambassadors who donate their time to show visitors around their favorite parts of Paris.

 Isabelle at a neighborhood fountain that dispenses water from an artesian well

We walked for two hours on a sunny morning as she explained how the Bièvre river runs under the streets after being covered up in the 18th century to make room for the expansion of the city of Paris into outlying villages.

Isabelle pointed out an Art Deco neighborhood swimming pool, a secret set of stairs leading to a hilltop viewpoint and street murals by a well-known female artist named Miss. Tic. At the Place Verlaine, the site of the first successful hot air balloon landing in 1783, she pulled a plastic cup from her purse so I could have a drink from an artesian well that dispenses fresh drinking water.

Across from my Airbnb was La Petite Alsace - a working-class housing estate of half-timbered houses built in 1913 linked to industrial sites such as the Gobelins Tapestry Factory which supplied the court of the French monarchs. We continued strolling through the Sunday outdoor farmers market, and over a stop for coffee in the Parc Montsouris, we talked about our mutual interest in travel and her upcoming plans for a trip to Japan. 

La Petite Alsace

After a few days in the Butte-aux-Cailles, I moved to the Hotel Du Levant, a long-time favorite hotel near Place St. Michele in the heart of the Left Bank.

Tourists outside Shakespeare & Company bookstore on the Left Bank 

The two areas couldn't be more different. While there were virtually no tourists in the Butte, St. Michele swarmed with visitors, attracted by its location on the Seine River, across from Notre Dame, and dozens of cheap restaurants advertising onion soup, crepes and pizza. This is a fun and convenient area for exploring, but not one to seek out for an authentic Paris dining experience. I was surprised, then, to find two made-for-the-memory book gems just a few blocks out of the fray.

Searching Trip Advisor and various blogs for a casual wine bar, I found 5e Cru, a few steps away from the backside of Notre Dame, and a block away Le Tour D”argent, one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris. 

5e Cru on Rue Cardinal Lemoine

5e Cru is tiny cave manger (wine bar that serves food) in the 5th arrondissement. There were only a few tables scattered among shelves and boxes of bottles. But no reservations seemed necessary, at least when I showed up at 7 p.m.

I chatted a while with Beatrice, the friendly wine steward/waitress. We decided on a beautiful veggie quiche with roasted vegetables, and two excellent wines by the glass. Business had been slow in May, she said. While the restaurants around St. Michele were packed, there were just two other customers here, leaving her time for a stranger to feel appreciated and remembered. 

“Merci, Carol,” she said when I left. Dinner and two glasses of wine came  to $30. I vowed to come back.

More memorable than a five-star restaurant was the intimate dinner a friend and I and another German guest had with Catherine, a Frenchwoman in her 60s, who hosts guests in her home via the website Eatwith.com.

Eatwith works a little like Airbnb, only for dining rather than spending the night. Hosts post a menu for a proposed meal, tell a little bit about themselves, and post the price and available dates. Guests then send a request, pay in advance by credit card and show up at the agreed-upon time and day.

Dinner with Catherine

Catherine, a retired fashion industry exec whose father was a chef, hosted the three of us in her Right Bank apartment just across the bridge from the Île Saint-Louis near the Sully Morland metro stop and a short walk from the Bastille.

Jazz and candles set the mood for a five-course feast, and of course good wine and conversation. 

We chatted over appetizers of homemade sardine pate and cucumbers with pesto and olives, then moved to the table for white asparagus soup and a fish dish with tomatoes, peas and garlic. Next came five different cheeses and a homemade strawberry tart.

The meal - prepared with all organic, in-season ingredients - was the best I had the whole trip. And at $57 each it was a good value. 

Walking back to my hotel after dinner, my thoughts drifted back to the evening spent listening to the soothing voice of beloved French singer Françoise Hardy. Catherine introduced us to her music as we chatted about politics, travel and food.

Hardy died at 80 shorty after I arrived back in Seattle. I read the tributes in the New York Times and Washington Post. Then I put her 1962 hit, Tous le Garçons e les Filles (All the Boys and Girls), on my playlist, and wrote Catherine a note thanking her for the memory.

Slow down and discover what there is to do and see on the road to Mt. Hood

 

Mt. Hood as seen from the Draper Girls farm in Parkdale, Oregon

Bike high above the Columbia River through tunnels blasted through basalt by road builders in the 1920s.

Sip cider made from locally-grown apples and pears while salsa dancing on outdoor patio.

Spend the night in a doll-sized tiny house in the woods, followed by sushi and saki in a vintage school bus.

Seattleites traveling to Mt. Hood - Oregon's tallest mountain and a year-round outdoors destination - might be tempted to make a beeline to the ski areas, hiking trails and iconic 85-year-old Timberline Lodge. The drive, after all, takes a minimum of 3.5 hours, and that's if you take the shortest route directly through Portland. 

With some extra time to spare, my husband and I decided on a slower pace for our first post-Pandemic trip south. By bookending our trip with stops between Hood River on one end and the small-town villages of Welches and Sandy on the other, the journey to and from the snow-covered mountain became part of the adventure. 

Views from Mosier biking/hiking trail above the Columbia River

Heading south on Interstate 5 towards Portland, we  first detoured east for a bike ride above the Columbia River near the town of Mosier, then used the car to explore orchards, cideries and farm stands in the lush fruit-growing area in the Hood River Valley.

From there, it was a 40-mile drive to Timberline Lodge, a destination worth several days, but also easily enjoyed in just a couple of hours. Snow fell as we warmed up with bowls of roasted cauliflower soup before heading down along Highway 26, a byway that for decades has connected travelers to campgrounds, roadhouses and old-school resorts.

Here were a few of our favorite stops.

The Mosier Twin Tunnels 

Hikers catch the view from a window inside one of the Mosier twin tunnels

Walk or bike through the Mosier Twin Tunnels, built for the original Columbia River Highway (replaced by I-84), now part of a car-free section of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.

The views of the Columbia are spectacular along a wide, paved trail which runs 4.5 miles between the towns of Mosier and Hood River. Give yourself plenty of time. Although short in distance, elevation gains and high winds make it a longer ride than expected.

Builders dynamited through solid basalt to create the tunnels when this section of the Columbia River Highway was built in 1921. With the completion of the new highway in 1954, the tunnels became obsolete, and were filled with rock rubble. They were reopened in 2000 with help from local benefactors who wanted to ensure the highway would remain car free.  

Start your hike or ride at the Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead, and finish with a stop at Randonnee CQ Coffee https://www.mainstreetmosier.com/randonnee  CQ in Mosier, or a tasting at several wineries nearby.

Cider stops

Since a change in the state law in 2017, small orchards have been allowed to operate tasting rooms with alcoholic ciders made from fermented apples, pears and other fruit.

In summer, drive the Fruit Loop, a 35-mile scenic drive through Hood River Valley farmlands, wineries, you-pick orchards, cideries  and lavender farms.

Salsa dancing at Cider Crush Cafe

Off-season, the family-run Cider Crush Cafe  is a one-stop venue for sampling a variety of locally-produced European-style alcoholic ciders.

Choose from 17 ciders on tap while dining on flatbread pizzas, chili and cornbread in an outdoor cider garden. My favorites were the Nellie 2022, made with winter Nellis pears from Hood River, and the Kingston Black made with local British cider apples. 

A local salsa dancing club offers free lessons at 6:30 p.m. with open dancing at 7 p.m.

Heading away from town to Mt. Hood along Highway 35, the Draper Girls Country Farm  is a must-stop for canned cherries, peaches, jams and ciders, all produced on the farm Theresa Draper inherited from her parents, and now runs with her partner and three daughters.

Theresa Draper

Country music welcomes visitors into an old-time general store leading to a flower garden and goat pasture with a view of Mount Hood from the patio.

"Why let anyone walk out the door without buying anything," was Draper's thinking when her daughters encouraged her to start selling hard ciders a few years ago from her farm-grown fruit.

Flavors include quince, made their own quince, and cherry pie, made with seven varieties of cherries.

Mt. Hood Tiny House Village

With summer rates ranging from $255 to $455 per night, the Timberline Lodge isn't in everyone's budget. Fourteen miles east along Highway 26 in the town of Welches is Mt. Hood Village, an eclectic collection of forested cabins, cottages, yurts, and for anyone who wants to try out what downsizing might feel like, tiny homes.

Glamping under cover at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village

Built by a company called Tumbleweed, the miniature houses, all on wheels and with names such as Zoe, Scarlet and Lincoln, surround a well-kept courtyard with chairs and a fire fit. 

Small enough to fit in a driveway, the colorfully-painted houses  range in size from 175 to 260 square feet. All come fully furnished and have a full bath, kitchen, heat and AC. Rates start at $139 per night. With sleeping space in a loft, the largest can accommodate up to five. 

Koya Kitchen

Red paper lanterns and strings of colored lights flashing from the highway draw curious travelers to the Koya Kitchen, an Asian-inspired restaurant, saki bar and gift shop.

Koya Kitchen's outdoor living room 

Describing herself as a "white lady making Asian food," owner Jolynne Milone lived in Japan and India before remodeling a "haunted shed" into a restaurant, taking inspiration from historic log-cabin roadhouses that offered travelers with food, music and fun.

Koya means shanty or shack in Japanese, a place to rest and relax. 

"Seven years ago, I didn't think the mountain was ready for sushi, but it became my No. 1 seller," she says.

Milone and her staff prepare the sushi, poke bowls and Indian curries in a food truck out back, Customers eat inside the cabin under a ceiling filled with hanging plants; outside in outdoor living room decorated with heaters and curtains; or inside a vintage church bus with a psychedelic ceiling.

School bus dining

"It rolled it up, and I said myself, 'is anyone gong to want to sit in a bus? Turns out they do, especially kids who like to open and close the door.' "

Splurge option

If you're up for a splurge on the way to or from Mount Hood, consider an overnight stay at Sakura Ridge Farm & Lodge in Hood River.

Reminiscent of an Italian agriturismo - a farm that also provides accommodations to visitors - the five-room inn provides a luxury stay on a 22-acre working farm, surrounded by 4,000 pear and apple trees, gardens and berry patches. Sheep roam the hillsides, and resident chickens lay fresh eggs.

Log-cabin style balconies overlook Mount Hood

Operated for years as a modest log cabin-style B&B, the property took on new life when the owners of Vashon Island-based Nashi Orchards began looking for property in Oregon to expand their apple and perry (pear) cider business.

In 2005, Jim Gerlach and Cheryl Lubbert bought a home on the island designed in the tradition of a 17th century Japanese country estate. It happened to come with a declining 300-tree Asian pear orchard. Neither had an agricultural background, but they set about renovating the orchards. Jim started fermenting the fruit. People loved his Asian perry, and Nashi Orchards was born.  

This time around, while looking for property in Oregon, they acquired an orchard that just happened to come with a lodge. 

Carrying out their love for Japanese design, they embarked on renovations, incorporating stone soaking tubs, fire places, cork floors, private balconies and long log-style porches with views of Mount Hood.

Breakfast is served

A private chef takes orders in advance from guests to produce breakfast from organic ingredients grown or raised on the farm or from a local co-op. Appearing on the dining table might be buttermilk biscuits with homemade blackberry jam, chia seed pudding or Persian-inspired herbed frittatas.

Biscuits and homemade jam

Overnight guests can arrange for private dinners at $150 per person. The inn is open April through October. Rates range from $425 to $650 per night. 

If you go:

Tourism information at Travel Oregon 

Click here for Old Columbia River Highway State Trail info.There are parking lots and pay stations at both ends of the Mosier Twin Tunnels trail.

Click here for maps and listings for the 35-mile Hood River Fruit Loop scenic drive.