Porto, Portugal's Coastal Gem

Arrived in Porto from Lisbon early in the morning. Our first order of business was to explore on foot. We started by grabbing coffee and a pastry from the local cafe, and then ate outside with views of a beautiful cathedral. The churches here have blue and white tiled mosaics which really catch the morning light beautifully. After finishing 'breakfast,' we then made our way to my favorite spot in Porto: the Harry Potter library. Livrario Lello is a beautiful library in the center of Porto, thought to have inspired a lot of the places in the Harry Potter books. JK Rowling was a frequent customer here, and we could definitely tell why! After buying a Portuguese version of the Great Gatsby as a souvenir, we then made our way to the Crystal Palace Gardens where we ordered sushi and picnicked with a stunning view over the city. Our day ended with a walk along the river and a sunset view from Kitty's rock.

Our second day was filled with vineyards, wine, good food, and stunning views. We decided to take a wine tasting tour through the Douro Valley before heading back south. The day began with a stop at a small family owned winery. We started in the cellar learning how they made their wines, and ended with a wine tasting on their beautiful terrace. We then drove to our next winery on winding roads, following the river which sliced through the green patchwork of the valley. At our second stop, we sat outside and enjoyed lunch in the sun, a cool breeze drifting up from the river. After another round of wine tasting, we were off to our last stop, a river boat ride through the valley. We got on the traditional wooden boats and let the current take us down river . With vineyards towering around us on both sides, wine had never tasted better.

Our last day in Porto was spent relaxing. We went down to the river and sat talking at a cafe for hours while the sun traced across the sky. After lunch, we strolled through small streets with colorful houses and peeked into tourist shops. Dusk came quickly, and we watched the last sunset from our airbnb balcony.