In Portugal, Kelsey's family joined us for a week-long adventure. We started in Porto, securing two adjacent apartments in the center of Oporto. Jet-lagged but determined, Kelsey's family successfully navigated their way via subway, train, and taxi to Porto from the airport in Lisbon. Our first stop was to grab them real food; we snagged octopus, sardines, and francesinhas followed by pastel de nata and coffees before retreating for much-needed naps.

Over the next few days, we ate delicious meals, enjoyed daily pastry stops, and wandered the picturesque town, stopping for coffee, beer, and wine. One evening, Kelsey and her mom accidentally climbed countless flights of stairs to cross a bridge to Douro. Once over, we realized we were very far from our intended destination & took an unplanned gondola ride down during the last bit of dusk. We celebrated our impromptu adventure with a port tasting before joining the rest of the crew for an evening walk and dinner.

The highlight of our Porto stay was a day trip to the Douro Valley, Portugal's wine region. The cloudy and foggy weather only added to the region's beauty. We drove along the river, passing all the big port names we'd become familiar with before arriving at our first vineyard, Quinta da Gricha. It was a pleasant surprise when we arrived at the vineyard & learned we not only had a private tour but the entire place to ourselves. We had a bit of a photo shoot, learned how they make their port (still manually crush the grapes by foot), and then had an outstanding lunch. For dessert, we were introduced to our favorite Portuguese dish, "Drunken Cake." As we sat waiting for lunch, the fog rolled in, enveloping us in its cool embrace. Our second stop was at Wine & Soul, where we moved away from port and learned more about Portugal's wine. Impressed by the quality, we snagged a few bottles to enjoy over the remainder of our time together.

Before the trip, Kelsey and Eloise had been unsure how to split our time between Lisbon and Porto, almost changing plans to spend more time in Lisbon. Thankfully, we stuck to our original plan and spent more time in Porto. It's a stunning city; we can't wait to return.