Olà Portugal!

Escaping the German winter. Flying from snow and -4C degrees into sunny and much warmer Portugal.

This trip was planned with plenty of delicious inputs from our dear Portuguese friends. Thanks! Why the north? The home of our friends and a restaurant recommendation with a surprise menu (yeah!!!) from other friends.

We arrived in the city which passed the name to the country and its wine: Porto in Portugal. Even the hotel check-in starts with 2 glasses of Port wine! Already the English Gentlemen back in 1800 knew about the Port wine. Also fantastic: Port Tonic. Not sure how many we enjoyed – a new old favorite drink.

A morning (later evening) stroll up & down the steep streets of Porto. Little markets. Palm trees. A surprise dinner. Sea gulls. A coffee in a lush urban garden. Tapas. Fresh fish. Seafood. Sunshine. Little sunburn in our faces. T-Shirts and no coats. Sunglasses. Plenty of glasses of wine. And port tonics. City vibes.

Porto is famous for its production of Port wine, which is matured in the vast cellars that stretch along the banks of the mighty Douro River.

Leaving fantastic Porto and cruising along the Rota do Vinho do Porto – it’s beautiful.

Next stop: the vineyards. Of course!

Surrounded by orange & lemon trees, vineyards, olive trees and cherry blossom.

Leaving our little paradise & moving on to the place with the biggest waves breaking: Nazare, the Mount Everest for surfing. So big. So dangerous. So idealized.

No matter where you are in Portugal, you are always close to the ocean. And I loved the 80s music everywhere. Yeah!

What’s the expectation to a country we both haven’t been to? Well, it’s even more beautiful & delicious than we ever thought. Portugal is vibrant, colorful, energetic. I think we may have found a new favorite travel destination. Loving it.

Our suitcase is filled with olive oil, red wine, (which burst in my suitcase and plenty of clothes are ruined…), sardines, port wine, lemons and so much more…

Obrigado, Portugal!