Thanksgiving in Portugal

Why, hello 2015. Hello, blog world! Remember me??

 I am excited to share about a recent-ish trip we went on with some of our dear friends Carson & Megan over Thanksgiving to Porto, Portugal. The timing of the trip couldn't have been better because as you may or may not know, Germany sits nestled under a blanket of clouds from October - March. Since moving to Wiesbaden, I have learned that I am one of those people who needs sunshine in my life. Thankfully, Porto happens to be situated on the Atlantic Ocean and averages +15 degrees warmer than Wiesbaden (yay!) and bonus- allows its residents to see the sun and sky even in the winter! Heaven. 

We booked our very affordable flight on Ryan Air which left at the painful hour of 6:30am from Frankfurt Hahn (an hour away), but put us in Porto a little after 8am Portugal time. We had the entire day to explore this new city and country known for its Port wine (obvi), cork and hand-painted tiles.

We dropped our things off at the hotel, AC Porto Marriott, and made our way downtown using the train. Since it was still early and her birthday, Megan talked us into visiting the ever-so-quaint Café Majestic for a delicious breakfast and even better atmosphere. You know a place is going to be excellent when a man dressed in a tuxedo opens the door.

With out bellies full, we made our way to the hop-on-hop-off bus to give ourselves an overview of Porto and all the local attractions. Our ticket not only gave us access to the bus for 48 hours, but it also included a river cruise and tastings at three of the local Port caves.

Please note that the bus driver may drive like a maniac and may not stop when he's supposed to, but other than that it was great! :) Another recommendation- don't make the mistake we did by visiting the well-marketed cave called Porto Cruz. You know it's a red flag when they don't give you an option of which wine you'd like to taste and on top of that tell you the rosé  you and everyone else is sampling can be used for mojitos and other fruity cocktails. Can we say "desperately trying to get rid of a bad batch of wine?"

Megan's face says 'This is my first time trying Port and it's awful." As we all thought after trying Porto Cruz's rosé.

Don't worry, we soon learned how delicious Port can be and what makes one "better" than another. What makes Port wine different than say a "normal" wine are two basic elements: 1. Sweetness 2. Strength (as in alcohol). It is also a little thicker than the wine you're used to.

Port vinters wanted to make a sweet wine to drink as an aperitif  either before dinner with cheese or with chocolate after dinner. I am obviously not a vintner, but how it was explained to us was that in order to keep the wine sweet before the yeast eats the all the sugar and turns into alcohol (aka fermentation), they need to stop the fermenting process. How do they do this? By adding alcohol, of course! The man compared the alcohol they add (which has a neutral flavor to keep the wine's true flavors) to moonshine! And you just thought moonshine was a back-woods, redneck type of alcohol. Not in Portugal!

More fun facts about Port wine: There are multiple names associated with "types" of Port; however, these names are just age indicators. Also, as Ports age in the vats, their color will evolve from a rich burgundy to a golden caramel color.

From youngest to oldest:

-Ruby (aged 2-3 years in the oak vats)

-Reserve (aged 4-6 years)

-Tawny (aged 6-9)

-10 years

-20 years

-30 years

-40 years

All of the wines I listed above have reached their peak of aging in the vats at that time. There is one kind of unique Port called Vintage which is the only one that can age in the bottle. The vintner who toured us around his cave- which we loved- called Vasconcellos said there are typically no more than two Vintages per decade. 2011 was the most recent Vintage, so of course we had to buy one to hold onto for a special occasion... many, many, MANY years from now.

One of my favorite things we did was a boat cruise up and down the Rio Duoro in an old timey boat that used to transport grapes from the Duoro Valley to the various caves.

Our last day in Porto was wisely spent...at the BEACH!! 50s with sunshine felt like 75 and ah-mazing! Just look at that BLUE sky! We enjoyed a wonderful little lunch right on the beach and walked what felt like 15 miles. Part of that was getting lost looking for a place to eat and the other was spent soaking up the view of the Atlantic. Just an ocean away from our families on Thanksgiving weekend. Black Friday? No way, I'll take this view every time.

I had no idea really what to expect from Porto, but I had such a great time and really enjoyed the bright colored tiles & roofs, unique architecture, sweet wine and friendly people. Well done, Portugal. Well done.

 

Tschüss!

A Royal Girls Weekend in London | Day One

London. A city which needs no introduction. It's hard to walk a block without stumbling upon some important building, monument, palace or museum. Rich with history and overflowing with charm, London in summertime could easily be one of the greatest cities in the world.

My trip to London began as an idea last fall after one of my best friends from growing up, Ali who currently lives in London, realized I live just across the English Channel in Germany. When Richard found out he had to go TDY to the States in June, a London girls weekend quickly developed from a good idea to reality.

Meet Ali! 

Middle School BFF/Londoner for five years/Went to that school in Georgia that barks (boooooo!)/Getting her PhD in British Architecture from Middlesex University/Engaged to an awesome British guy

We packed a TON into three and a half days and thanks to amazing weather, I have completely fallen in love with all London has to offer!

Day One

A very early Ryan Air flight from Frankfurt Hahn to London Stansted provided for a full first day to explore the capital city. Although London Stansted is actually about a two hour bus ride outside of London, I would recommend using the bus vs. the train/tube as it is not only WAY less expensive (£18 round trip instead of £33 each way), but it's also much less stressful if you're like me and manage to get lost using a GPS. 

After arriving at her new apartment "flat" {a lesson in British vocabulary}, I was introduced to the English way to start the day...

My first "real" cup of English tea in a royal wedding mug! So British, I know.

A quick tube ride later and we were walking along the Thames River soaking up the vitamin D and gorgeous views of London.

St. Paul's Cathedral - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - Tower Bridge in the distance

Just around the corner was a fabulous market called Borough Market filled with various foods, flowers, fish, cheeses, meats and even some delicious sangria! I don't know if it was the fact that I was excited to speak English to the shop workers or if years of watching my Dad has finally rubbed off one me... I tried to barter with the cheese guy. Apparently, this is not appropriate, but don't you think £6 for a piece of cheese the size of my iPhone is a little ridiculous? That's almost $12. However, my embarrassment for my faux pas negotiation attempt left me £6 poorer.

After a quick burrito picnic overlooking the London Eye, we were off again toward Westminster Abbey/Big Ben/Parliament!

Sadly, we didn't make it inside Westminster Abbey, but I guess it's OK to leave a few things for our next London adventure. Side note, it is £18 for adult admission to the Abbey. Tourists like me who want to see where Kate and William and the other 15 royal weddings took place not to mention the site of every coronation since 1066 as well as dozens of kings and queens' tombs continue to pay whatever the fee.

As we made our way to Trafalgar Square, I noticed we were about to pass a street with a large gate and armored guards. After glancing up at the street sign labeled "Downing Street" I realized we had literally just stumbled upon the street where the British Prime Minister resides. 

"Number 10" as the Brits call it, is the dark brick building in the top right.

Only a block down the street was another lovely building called the Horse Guards Parade. We also got there just as the Changing of the Guard was taking place. In fact, I went up to the guard and asked if I could take a picture with him {assuming he would nod since they're not allowed to talk} instead he said no because they were changing the guard in a moment. He wasn't kidding! {And way to totally violate the no talking policy Mr. Guard} A moment later here they came... marching and then some!

Fun fact about Horse Guards Parade is that it hosted the 2012 Olympic volleyball matches!

Unfortunately, waking up at 3:30am meant crashing early, but I'd say it was a solid first day of our weekend! Stay tuned for our "Progressive Picnic" on day two of our Royal Girls Weekend! 

Tschüss!