Although I have done some traveling in the past, lately, I have let life keep me grounded to home-base more than I had planned to. So this past summer, when opportunities arose for me to do all the globe-trotting I had ever dreamed of, I took them without a second thought, even when I wasn’t sure how I would pull it all off. But in the end, it was all worth it and then some.

Since traveling was such a huge part of my life the last couple of months, I decided to blog about my latest and biggest trip, an 11-day food and wine tour of Portugal.

Porto

When the plane landed in Porto, Portugal I was exhausted from the flight but so pumped to be in Europe. Since it was a group tour, most of the itinerary was planned out but that day was pretty free until the Welcome Dinner that night. So, despite my curiosity to explore, I fell asleep thinking about all the food and wine I would have that night and during the 10 days to come.

Welcome Dinner – Arroz do Forno (Porto, Portugal)

The Welcome Dinner was the ideal start to an awesome food-and-wine-focused trip. It was at a restaurant called Arroz do Forno. Even though we had just arrived in Portugal, the people and the environment were so warm and welcoming that I instantly felt at home.

The next two days in Porto were beautiful. It was a perfect balance of rest, sightseeing, and free time. Plus, the food was delicious and the wine kept coming, as our tour guide promised.

SIGHTSEEING IN PORTO

Our group went on a bus tour of some neighborhoods, monuments, and other sights in Porto. The city of Porto is known for its port wine and sweeping views. It is referred to as Portugal’s second city but some say with it’s charming, magical atmosphere, it is beginning to give Lisbon a run for its money.

Along the tour, we made a stop at a cafe for a pastry and coffee, two other things that we had a lot of and enjoyed during the trip.

Carmelitas Church

After the bus tour of the city, we went to the Douro River on a boat cruise where we learned about the history of Porto and the River itself.

FOOD & WINE IN PORTO

After the tour, we had a five-course lunch and all the wine we could ask for at Restaurant Dourum. My favorite dish was the codfish fritters but all of the food was excellent.

Later that night, after some free time, we went back down to the Douro River, where many restaurants and cafes scattered the riverside, to have dinner. This was our first taste of pasta in Portugal and we would discover that it wasn’t only flavorful and well-made in this restaurant but Portugal has great Italian food, in general.

We ate next to the Douro River again for lunch on our free day after a long and slightly adventurous walk along the narrow, cobble-stone streets of the town. We chose a seafood restaurant and paired our appetizers and entrees with a yummy red sangria.

The night of our free day in Porto, we found a cute tapas place where we had another superb meal.

And of course, there was the wine. We visited a winery that specializes in port wine, Ferreira Winery. We learned how port wine is made and tasted three different types of the robust, sweet wine.

Overall, my absolute favorite part of Porto was the Douro River and the scenic views that surrounded it.

Evora

Our next stop on the tour was Evora, the historic capital of Portugal’s south-central Alentejo region marked by its Gothic and baroque architecture.

SIGHTSEEING AND FOOD & WINE IN ÉVORA

Temple of Diana

Also known as the Roman Temple of Évora, the Temple of Diana is located in the main public square of Évora and is believed to have been built in the first century A.D.

Cathedral of Évora

Ruínas Fingidas

Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)

This 16th-century chapel is made out of real, human skeletal remains. The reason behind the odd construction of this building was to remind patrons that life is only momentary. It was meant to inspire people to contemplate their existence. It was pretty cool but also just as creepy as you would expect it to be.

Giraldo Square

On a free night, we had dinner at a traditional Portuguese restaurant in Giraldo Square called, Mr. Pickwick. Everyone’s favorite meal was this savory seafood stew.

The rest of the food and wine in the Alentejo region did not disappoint. We experienced a tour, a wine tasting, and had lunch at Herdade do Esporao.

Herdade do Esporao

Not only were the grounds beautiful, but the food was delicious and one of my most memorable meals in Portugal.

Douro River Valley

Next, we traveled towards Lisbon and made stops along the Douro River Valley. On our first stop, we stayed at Vila Gale Douro.

Vila Gale Douro

Dinner at Vila Gale Douro hotel was very festive, as it was our first night in the beautiful accommodations and our whole group was excited.

SIGHTSEEING AND FOOD & WINE IN THE DOURO RIVER VALLEY

Our first day was spent on a tour of Casa de Mateus, which was nothing short of a castle with extravagant gardens and even its own, private chapel. It is located in Vila Real in northern Portugal.

Casa de Mateus

The chapel was reserved for the family of the house so they did not have to venture out to worship with the rest of the town.

The house is currently still occupied by descendants of the family who built the palace in the 18th century.

The gardens were just as magnificent as the castle was and provided multiple photo opps.

After the tour, we had a wine tasting on the grounds.

When we left Vila Gale Douro, we continued along the valley, heading towards Lisbon. Our first pit stop was a quaint little village in Amarante that was filled with pastry shops. We admired scenic views of the countryside and explored a few shops.

Confeitaria Lailai

Then we stopped in the Dao Region for a wine tour and lunch at Quinta do Medronhero.

Quinta do Medronhero

As we made our way to Lisbon, we visited Almendres Cromlech, which is 2000 years older than Stonehenge.

We also took a tour of a cork farm and learned how cork is grown and harvested. If you look closely, you can see the cork growing near the top of the tree. Towards the bottom of the tree is the area that has already been harvested. Harvesting occurs every 9 years but it can take up to 25 years for a tree to produce cork.

Lisbon
We finally reached Lisbon, the capital city known for its global, cosmopolitan atmosphere, on the 9th day of the tour. It definitely lived up to its reputation as a metropolis, being the home to many people from all over the world who had come to Portugal for education or business.

SIGHTSEEING IN LISBON

Instead of participating in the guided tour, the small group that I traveled with decided that we wanted to explore Lisbon on our own. So we decided to go to the beach. After asking around, we chose to go to Costa da Caparica, a short taxi ride away from our hotel. The sand, water, and weather were beautiful and we had such a fun and relaxing time. It was the perfect daytime activity to end our trip.

Costa da Caparica

FOOD & WINE IN LISBON

On our first day in Lisbon, we had lunch at an Italian restaurant where the pasta was made fresh on the premises. It was appropriately called La Pasta Fresca. It was absolutely the best pasta I had ever had! The dessert was also to die for.

On our last night in Lisbon and our last night of the trip, we had one of the best experiences of the whole trip. The group participated in a cooking class at Kiss the Cook. It is stationed in a trendy part of Lisbon called the LX Factory, which used to be the site of an old fabric company but now houses cool shops, cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and other entrepreneurial initiatives. The streets were filled with unique art.

Kiss the Cook
I’m not sure whether it was because it was the last activity we would do as a group, because it was our last night in Portugal, or because we consumed more than 25 bottles of wine by the end of the night, but the cooking class at Kiss the Cook was such a lively and awesome experience.

We were asked to partner up and get ready to prepare two Portuguese dishes together – apples with chicken sausage, topped with a glaze and a stew that featured potatoes, onions, peppers, tomatoes and the staple fish of Portugal, codfish or Bacalhau.

Although everything was laid out or given to us in perfect portions by the staff, we did have to chop, cook, and assemble all the ingredients into what would be our final meal in Portugal.

Voilà! Or in Portuguese, “Aqui!”

As I look back on my trip to Portugal, I am truly grateful for the chance to travel to a place I had actually never thought of visiting before. It was amazing to experience a new culture, absorb the beautiful landscapes, and try all the tasty food and wine Portugal had to offer.
This trip inspired me to keep traveling and it opened my mind to other places that I could see myself spending a lot of time in, writing and getting my creative juices flowing, besides my family’s home country, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. It reminded me that there are other countries around the world that could be welcoming to someone like me who needs a break from all that I reluctantly call home in the US. It has motivated me to prioritize travel (locally and abroad), no matter how busy I get, knowing that it is a form of my own self-care.