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Monthly Archives: August 2025
[Pinhao / Regua / Porto, Portugal, May 9, 2025] The Douro region stretches along the Douro river some 60 miles inland from Porto. For 2,000 centuries, people have been making wine here by building terraces for the vines on the hillsides. Since the 18th century, the region is the only place in the world that can legally produce port wine – the same way only the Champagne region in France can produce… Read More
[Porto, Portugal, May 8, 2025] Our only full day in Porto turned out to be a busy one! And this was without any planning on my part! My only contributions to the day were a couple of sights in the morning and the lunch reservation. The rest was up to the group and I loved not having to look up all the sights myself. With our 12:30 pm lunch reservation looming, we… Read More
[Porto, Portugal, May 7, 2025] A rail strike that had just started sent us scrambling for other transportation options to Porto. Luckily, our friend Vessi, who lives in Lisbon, was aware of all this and got us tickets for the bus a couple of weeks prior. The tickets only cost EUR6 for a 3-hour bus ride! We had some time in the morning before our bus departed. I set out to get… Read More
[Lisbon, Portugal, May 6, 2025] My second day in Portugal was also a workday, so I had limited time to sightsee. I waited for Teddy to arrive (a whole day late!), then I headed out for the Belem district of Lisbon. I was itching to see central Lisbon but I knew I wouldn’t have enough time. It would have to wait for the tail end of my trip when I’d have 2… Read More
[Lisbon, Portugal, May 5, 2025] I had already planned all my travel for 2025 when, in November 2024, my friend Maria suggested we go to the Portuguese island of Madeira. Our other friend, Teddy, who lives in San Francisco, was on board. What else could I do besides say yes? We eventually figured out an itinerary. It was slightly different for everyone but included Lisbon, Porto, the Douro Valley and Madeira. Somehow,… Read More
