Croatia: Best Wine Tour in the Istrian Peninsula

Rovinj by night

Croatia as a destination has been a popular one of late for many visitors. Most tend towards the Dalmatian Coast/Dubrovnik area -- and I can't blame them. From what I have seen, it is beautiful, and likely pretty cost-efficient. 

We instead decided to go to Istria, a place I had never heard of until J started his research. He found this to be the center of wine and food in Croatia...the fact that it is a bit off the beaten path helped, too.

Istria has a rich history -- it has changed hands between Italy, Slovenia, & Croatia several times. The Italian influence is very apparent here.  We stayed in Rovinj,  a gorgeous city on the coast (if you squint, you can see Italy). Rovinj's historical center is car-free -- and hilly -- and full of nooks and crannies and many feral tuxedo cats. 

With Rovinj as our base, we took a few day trips, one of which was one of the most fun wine tours I'd been on.  Eat Istria offers several types of wine tours all hosted by Goran, the owner and tour guide. We opted for the Central Istrian Tour, which took us a few hours away from Rovinj to the beautiful Croatian wine country. 

Old Wine Press

The wine in Croatia is quite unique -- the soil is very iron rich, which in transfers to the grapes in the form of a heavy mineral taste. The main white wine is a Malvazija -- which is rather crisp and mineral-forward. Each of the wineries we visited had several of these to taste, each was a little different. 

The main red in Croatia is Teran. To me, the iron is so rich it almost tastes like blood. (it was interesting to later contrast the Slovenian Teran...same grapes, totally different taste) 

Why Goran's Eat Istria Tour?

Taking a tour with Goran is like taking a tour with a member of one of the winemaker's families -- he is incredibly knowledgeable about wine, the area, and each of the wineries. The group was small -- a few women from Queens, a couple from England, and us -- which made for a very intimate tour.  Lunch was one of the best meals I had while in Croatia -- homemade fuži pasta in a very casual environment. We ended the tour with a deeper knowledge of Croatian wine, and a case or so of the good stuff!

Sicily: Not your Godfather's Palermo

J looking out from our balcony

Before we got to Sicily, we heard a lot about driving there. To be careful, that drivers were a bit crazy... but for most of our trip, the driving was pretty sane and the roads mostly country.

Until we got to Palermo.

Palermo is what folks are talking about when they mention the insanity of driving.

We were headed from Cefalu to the Kalsa neighborhood of Palermo. It was a bit harrowing, to say the least. As is often the case when you go to a new big city, we didn't know the rules of the road that locals follow, so we basically just followed what the cars in front of us were doing.

Our AirB&B was a nice one -- a big one bedroom with a lovely balcony that with a view of the nearby church. The weather was nice, so once we arrived and parked, we relaxed. There is always a point on a long trip where I need a day to not be a tourist, not do anything...this was that day. We hung out and watched movies, drank some wine, and eventually got ourselves together to get out of the house.

The first thing you must eat while in Palermo is arancini. These things are huge, and delicious. They are usually filled -- with meats, cheeses, and sometimes both -- and a wonderful snack while walking around. And, in my opinion at least, walking is the best way to see Palermo. This is a big city, and as such, you should take the same precautions you would take in any big city. My understanding is that there has been a concerted effort to rid the city of the mafia, and other than the Godfather souveniers, I didn't see any overt evidence of it. So there is nothing to fear there. But while there, like in other cities, be smart.

Quattro Canti

We walked towards the Quattro Canti, an important corner with beautiful artwork on each side of the street. This was the first but not the last time we visited this area -- you can spend quite a bit of time wandering the streets, following a parade, and checking out the various churches and monuments...you can also pop into a bar when you need a drink or to hear some locals shout about their families.

Eventually we made our way towards the Teatro Massimo, which takes you through the main pedestrian area. These streets are lined with shops, people, and food vendors.

Stop by il Siciliano to have a few drinks. Arrive early enough that to get some seats...then sit and watch the local nightlife unfold around you. The drinks came with some appetizers -- enough to hold us over for quite some time.  Eventually stumble out and over to get some proper Sicilian food -- it'll be filling and delicious and just what you need before you go pass out!

We spent our last night in this neighborhood, surprised how busy the restaurants were on a Sunday night. We found ourselves at Ciccio Passami l'Olio. The bar here was particularly great -- and had several local, Sicilian beers; I'd highly recommend.

Palermo is ideal for wandering around, eating until you burst, and drinking granitas. I also loved that I didn't feel like I was running into too many other tourists, especially in the neighborhood where we were staying (that was what you would describe as "up and coming").



il Siciliano
Via Orologio, 37

Ciccio Passami l'Olio
via 90133, Via Castrofilippo, 4

Sicily: Seaside in Cefalu

Cefalu by Night

After a harrowing journey to get there, Cefalu was a very welcome sight!

It is a small resort town about thirty minutes from Palermo. Quite a bit of the town is off limits to cars -- though the rules are rather ignored, including by us! It was a bit easy to get lost, and ignore the signs, and no one seemed to care much...but be warned.

Cefalu was a darling beach town, and a nice change from the inland mountainous area where we'd spent the first few days. We parked the car, checked into the hotel, and meandered around town to grab a drink and decompress from the drive. We found ourselves in this lovely little town square at the base of a church, and since it was a Friday, there was a wedding going on. There was also a very happy happy hour, where we enjoyed prosecco and spritzes for a while, and maybe a bite or two.

There is a hike you can do that will take you above the town -- we chose not to do that. We chose instead to have a bit of vino on the roof of our hotel and watch the sunset, then to grab some food. Cefalu is small enough that you can walk from end to end during an evening passeggiata. 

The next morning we decided to take our time getting into Palermo, and to enjoy the Tyrrhenian Sea. There is a public beach, but your best bet is to spend a few Euro and rent a beach chair. We chose to stay right in the middle of Cefalu -- there are beaches a little further out, as well. We bought a towel in one of the shops (which came in handy later!), and rented chairs. Ours were probably about 10E a piece for a few hours of lounging. They have umbrellas should the sun get too intense, and most have a bar and some food, and will come to your chair and take/bring your order.

This was a fun, relaxing part of the trip -- it was interesting to watch all the beach goers from around the world. Like many places, there were "vendors" trying to sell their junk as we tried to relax; most of the time they were asked to leave by the beach chair company.

I'd highly recommend a day and night in Cefalu during your Sicily trip. Sicily is an overwhelming place -- the craziness of rural driving and the wildness of the cities really earn you a day or two of relaxation.

Sicily: Navigating the Island

Driving around Sicily is not for the faint of heart...especially when you do not have the option of the autostrade.

The day after our great wine adventure, we decided that we would head to Cefalu, a resort town outside of Palermo. It would be fun, we thought, to cut through the middle of the island. The truth is...there is no easy way to get to Cefalu/Palermo from the Etna region. To take the autostrade would require going back towards Taormina, then skirting the edge of the island -- quite a bit out of the way.

See those little squiggles? Those are all twists and turns. This may not be our exact route...I think we went further west

Off we set on what we thought would just be a few hour drive. We expected to see a few small towns, find a nice restaurant and have a good meal, and soon enough be relaxing in Cefalu.

These asses were blocking our way

What we did not expect was hairpin turns, a harrowing, suck-in-your-stomach trip down a very narrow street on a very high hill, and a bunch of asses in the middle of the road. There were also some crazy drivers that rode our tails for a good part of the way. We found out that what you hear about the drivers in Sicily was true -- they are kind of crazy drivers!

We also ran into quite a bit of construction. They are working on some roads to better connect where
we were to the main autostrade. I am sure everyone who lives in those areas will very much welcome these new roads!

Once we got to the autostrade, we flew to Cefalu (look at that, it rhymes!). The autostrade allows you to go very fast. It is a toll road, so there is a cost, but if you don't want to pay there are other options through the parallel roads. Both J & I were amazed by all these infrastructure projects -- the tunnels were new and efficient, and rather empty.

After our rather insane drive, we were very, very happy when we saw the exit for Cefalu!

Sicily: Wine Sippin' Around Etna

One of the main purposes of our trip was to discover the world of Sicilian wine -- specifically around the Etna area. The morning after we arrived, we were excited to get going on our adventures...but Mother Nature had other plans.


The rain we had encountered upon our arrival had not left us yet -- we had a slight reprieve on our first evening, but it came back with a roar our first morning. Luckily the scenery was worth staring at for a while.

After the torrential downpour in Taormina that confined us to our hotel, it was time to head out to the Sicilian countryside to sip some vino and watch the volcano. After a harrowing journey back down Taormina's windy roads, we were soon en route!

Unlike most places in the wine country here in northern California, most of the wineries in Sicily require reservations. Unfortunately, thanks to the storms, we were running terribly behind. We decided to swing by one place, any way, in hopes that they still might entertain our visit.

Outside of our room -- vines creeping over the wall

Tenuta delle Terre Nere produces one of the wines J really likes, and just happened to be pretty much across the street from our agriturismo (which actually sat amidst their vineyards, which was gorgeous!). We hunted around the grounds a bit, then finally a very surprised winemaker popped out -- he wasn't still expecting us. But, we got lucky, and had one of the best wine tours we could imagine. He gave us a tour of their vineyards, which included going off roading into the hills to see some of the unique, volcano-side terrain. Once we got back, we got to taste their wines, and walked off with several bottles as well as some olive oil.

On our second day, we awoke with a mission...get to Mount Etna, and drink more wine! While it was a beautiful day at the base of the mountain, as we got higher up, it got decidedly chillier. We climbed up as far as we could by car, to an area that in the winter serves as a ski resort. That particular day it was too foggy to go any further, so we climbed around a bit on the volcanic rock, then figured we'd had enough of that type of nature.

Food and wine pairing -- YUM!

Soon enough we were experiencing another type of nature, the red, white, and juicy kind. We arrived Gambino Winery, where we'd had reservations the day before but had missed due to the rain. They were pretty forgiving about it -- they told us that there had been flooding in the area and they couldn't blame us for not wanting to drive up there.

This was quite a different experience than the day before -- this tasting room is much more of a destination and polished. The view was amazing -- Gambino is set on the side of the hill, so you can gaze at the valley below while sipping on their wines. It had a good deal of charm, largely thanks to everyone who worked there. We did the food and wine pairing, thankfully because we were pretty hungry! This is a big place, and we were invited to take a tour of their grounds and production facility. The winery was rather crowded, as was the tour; people from all over the world, it seemed!

Mountain View from Patria

Once we were done there, we were left with the tough decision of where to go next?! With no reservations anywhere, we decided to take our chances and stop by places that we might encounter on our way back to the agriturismo. We soon found ourselves at Patria, where they were surprised when we knocked on the door of the office and asked if we could taste. They were very accommodating, even though they weren't expecting us. As we wandered over to the tasting room, we were greeted by the winery dog, an older lady who made sure to guard the door as we drank. At Patria they had bubbles, which of course I loved! They offered us probably six more varieties, as our pourer talked about her love of California. We were lucky to be the only ones there tasting; we got lots of personal attention and learned quite a bit about their wines.

Sandro & J

We weren't quite ready to head back to our agriturismo, but we were ready to eat something. As we Cave Ox, which would end up being one of my favorite experiences! The kitchen sadly wasn't open yet, but our new friend Sandro kept us plied with wine as we waited. He brought J into the wine cave, and talked us through his inventory. We got to taste more local wine, and we sat there for a few hours enjoying the company, and eventually the pizza. As we carefully made our way back to our place, we were grateful that Cave Ox was just two turns down the road.
were driving back, we arrived to

Our trunk was full of a few newly-acquired bottles -- I'd say it was a very successful day!


Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Contrada Calderara
95036 Randazzo CT

Gambino Winery
Contrada Petto Dragone
95015 Linguaglossa CT

Patria
s.s.120, Km 194.500 |Solicchiata
95012 -Castiglione di Sicilia (CT)

Cave Ox
Via Nazionale Solicchiata, 159
95012 Solicchiata (CT)

In New York City: Empire State Building Tour

One thing I had never done on any of my trips to New York City was go to the top of the Empire State Building. I was lucky enough this summer to go to the top of Rockefeller Center, where I could SEE the Empire State Building, but this time I wanted to go to the place where the affair was remembered, where you could see the top of the shiny Chrysler building, and where Annie and Sam figured out they could make it even though they lived on separate coasts.  

My NYC-based friend agreed to go on this tourist lark with us, and off we went. We booked tickets online, and were excited when we got there and saw no line (this summer, when I walked by, the line seemingly snaked out of the building). This was very misleading, as once we got in, there was a line. A line that moved at a snail's pace. And, while in this line, we were bombarded with weird messaging about electricity. Eventually we almost got to the elevators, and they tried to force us into taking a picture that made it look like we were in front of the building. (I immediately became curious about how many people bought these pics. My friend A predicted 60% of people. If that was the case, they are raking in a lot of dough!). 

After probably an hour, we got to the elevators and headed up to the 80th floor...where we were greeted with ANOTHER line to get to the 86th floor. A worker let us know that we were welcome to walk up those six flights -- which we did. Finally being on the 86th floor made the wait (almost) worth it. We got to see a beautiful view of New York City -- from bridge to bridge, Central Park to Brooklyn. It was pretty awesome to see how vast this City is. We also were very lucky that it was a really clear night. Chilly, yes, but the sky was without a cloud and we could see for miles.

We had also paid to go to the 102nd floor -- so up we went. This was cool, though I don't think worth the extra money. You are in a tight space, can't go outside, and I know personally I was affected by the altitude (and saw another woman with her head between her knees so am assuming she was having a worse reaction). It was cool to be up there, but I think the view from the 86th, and being able to go outside, was the better bet.

I am very grateful my friend A indulged me in this activity and didn't even roll his eyes when I asked if we could go, even though I know it probably isn't so cool for people who live there to do these things. It was something I had always wanted to do, and I can now cross it off my list!

Madrid: In Pictures

Got ham?

Inside the Catedral de la Almudena

A look through the gate at the Royal Palace

Don Quixote

A few of the military watching the Columbus Day parade

En Madrid: Best Craft Beer - Fabrica Maravillas

After a week or so of pretty much only drinking wine (or Port), it was time to switch things up.

In all my times in Spain -- from living there to visiting -- I can't remember good beer being much of a choice. There were maybe one or two national brands available (depending where you were), and they weren't all that great. So, to say Spain isn't known for beer is an understatement.

But beer is what we (or perhaps just I) were craving, and beer we needed to find. Luckily, times in Spain they are a'changin'.

Much like in other parts of the world (or at least here in San Francisco), there is a surge in beer popularity, craft beer in particular. So I took a chance and did a little googling to see what I could find while in Madrid, crossing my fingers that there would be something, and not too far from our place.

And the finger crossing paid off! We came up upon Fabrica Maravillas, located not too far from our place in the Malasana neighborhood. This modern space is where the beer is actually brewed -- as evidenced by the clear casings showing off the tanks. It is modern while still being comfortable, and has a serious neighborhood vibe to it. We arrived just moments before the placed started filling up, and found ourselves a space at the bar.

When we arrived, they had perhaps five beers on tap. There are three different sizes to choose from -- a taster, half pint, and full pint. This is one approach I see very rarely in the States but really appreciate those choices when you just don't want to commit to a full glass. I started with a half pint of the Weitbeir (spelling incorrect, I know), which was very traditional and tasty. My friends had the Saison -- that is not my favorite style in general, but this was a good variation of it. Next I moved to the FL(ipa), which was a pretty nice IPA. I also had the Malasana, a pale ale named for the neighborhood occupied by Fabrica Maravillas. This was my favorite of all of them -- lucky for me this was also one of two beers they had actually bottled!

We liked this place so much we returned the next night just to taste (or heavily drink, depending on how you look at it) again. Thankfully for us, the staff speaks English so we could ask a question or two before the place got too crowded (and be warned, it does get crowded). With each drink, you'll get a bowlful of Spanish green olives or a snack mix. But that is the extent of the food they serve there. But if you want to escape the tourist trail and hang out with some locals and drink some good beer...this is your place!

Fabrica Maravillas is located at Calle Valverde 29 in Madrid.

Em Porto: Port Tasting

We were lucky enough to spend several days based out of Porto. This beautiful city is, as the name would indicate, a port, and, also as the name would indicate, the hub of port wine.

This city sits on the end of the Duoro River, and served as the transportation point for the port made further north up the river. As such, the port houses have caves and/or tasting rooms, largely located directly across the river in the town of Vila Nova de Gaia.

We were lucky enough to be staying in Vila Nova de Gaia, so we could stare at the beautiful Porto from our windows. It was also fortuitous when it was time to go port tasting.

My friends decided to take a bike ride, but due to our very late start I decided to stay back and hit up some caves. I figured this would be similar to wine tasting here in the States, where you can sit at a bar and learn about the wines, and talk to the pourers or others standing nearby. So, I didn't think it would be a big deal to head off by myself.

I think this was stop 5...the barrell wouldn't dance with me

Unfortunately...port tasting at these houses is way different than what I was expecting. Perhaps it was the places I went, but my experience went something like this:

1. Pay for tasting -- one place was 5Euro for 3 tastings, one was 20E for 6 (including a few wines). Others were about 2-3E per glass
2. Go sit down...by myself somewhere on a chair, usually no where near where the drinks are poured
3. Get drinks brought to me. All of them. At once. With very little explanation and no way to ask further questions.
4. Drink everything provided. These were not small pours, either...they were what we would get here in SF if we paid for a nightcap. And remembering that port is much stronger than regular wine, and that there was no food other than some chocolates, well...things can get weird.

This is not to say it wasn't fun -- it was just much less social than I would have liked it to be. I had so many questions, and the pourers really don't come back around to answer any. With so much delicious port, the experience really makes the difference in what you'll purchase. In fact, the only bottle I bought was probably mediocre, but we had the most fun tasting at that particular cave (they were open late, and had a fado singer). You really can't go wrong with any of the ports you'll try, and you'll figure out what time you like -- white, tawny, ruby... and you'll figure out just how much you can drink before this happens: 

Porto: In Pictures

Porto is easily one of the most beautiful cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Vibrant, hilly, and on water? I am sold.

These are a few of my favorite images...

One of my first pics -- the port boats with Porto in the background

Hope it's not time to leave yet.

Sunset on the coast -- edge of the world

One last shot before we go.

Em Porto: Day Trips!

"Here Was Born Portugal"

 We were lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time in Porto -- and I highly suggest at least 2 full days there, if not a third. But it is also a great place to be based, as there are several easy day trips that take you to smaller towns in Portugal -- just a quick train ride away. We were told that we needed more time/overnight stays to visit the Duoro Valley, so we went along with some suggestions provided by the trusty bike rental place guy.

The first we were told to visit was Guimarães, a university town up northeast from Porto. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site (Portugal has a lot of these!). It is about a one hour train ride from Porto -- just make sure you purchase the correct ticket (we didn't), and seemed, to us at least, to be a nice quiet escape from the business of Porto.

Historical Center of  Guimarães

The two sites that we headed off to see were the Palace and the Castle. We discovered that these two terms to not mean the same thing. The Palace was lovely -- it wasn't overly used and then was refurbished and is now just a museum. There is a beautiful chapel full of stained glass windows that was a nice place to just sit a spell. Right up the hill was the Castle...which was largely a shell with a pile of rubble inside. It was perched atop a hill, so clearly at some point it was an important fortress...but now it just looks like a cool place for maybe a live show or a photo shoot!

The town has many cute little shops and restaurants that line the streets on the way between the train station and the Castle/Palace. Also, if you wander a bit around the center, you'll come upon a beautifully manicured street that leads up to a pretty church.

Then, the following day, we headed to Viana do Castelo. About an hour north of Porto on the coast, it is a lovely train ride. For some reason, in my head, I thought we would be seeing a really pretty castle. I was incorrect!

Upon arrival, you can see the beautiful church that sits on top of a very steep hill. We had planned on taking the funicular (the Portuguese love their funiculars), but by the time we got there it was closed for lunch. So we braved a cab ride...and brave it was, as this guy whipped us around the steep hills and curves like they were straightaways. I think we were all holding on for dear life.

Despite the ornate facade, the inside of the church was rather plain. Very pretty, but not crazy. What is really special about this church is the view from the very top. For 1Euro, you can opt for the stairs or the elevator to get there. But, be warned...even with the elevator, you'll still need to climb quite a bit -- including a very narrow and steep spiral staircase. It is worth it for the view, from which you can see the whole city and then some; it feels almost as if, on a clear day, you could see across the seas to the Americas. Getting down from this peak was a little daunting -- I pulled some muscles in my leg doing it! Ouch.

After taking the funicular down from the mountain, we meandered through the old town to find some food and take in the sights. Of all the places we visited, this seemed the least touristed...also the most difficult to find someone who spoke English. My Spanish came in handy, because at least I could read most things, and we found that was more easily understood than our English. This town isn't too big, so it is easy to walk around the old center and see the other churches, municipal buildings, and what not. It felt like siesta time while we were there, but perhaps it is just that sleepy a town!

If you feel like shopping while in Viana do Castela, you're in luck -- there is a large mall right across the tracks from the main train station. If you can figure out how to get over there (read: take the stair overpass or the kind of unsavory looking underpass).

Again, another very worthwhile day trip. While Portugal overall doesn't seem to be too heavily-touristed by Americans (yet), it was fun to really get away from it all into towns that, while they had some tourists, felt more "local."

Em Porto: A Cruise Down the Duoro

 It is hard to escape the lure of the water when you're visiting Porto. You watch it lap gently against the shore in the morning, and by evening you fall asleep to the stronger waves that have developed.

Easily one of the most touristy things we did on our trip was a boat cruise down the Duoro -- which I highly recommend. It was about 15 Euro (I don't think that was the cost; it could have been between 10-20E so 15 seems like a happy medium).


These are guided to a point...there is someone talking to you, but, it had gotten too windy for us to hear anything. But it is really cool to cruise and see the edges of the city, as well as to get close to the mouth of the ocean. Watching the sunset over the Duoro was truly incredible, as was getting to see the city of Porto drenched in that dusk light.

The boat we were on also had a bar, however, it was barely staffed, and not worth our time to try to get a drink. We did end up with a few glasses of wine...of which we could barely choke down two sips. It had definitely turned and was no good! 

Taking one of these tours is definitely a great introduction to this beautiful city.

Lisbon: In Pictures

The sun set too quickly on our time in Lisbon. Here, pics of our journey.

Artwork in our apartment

She was enjoying the show going on below her window

View from right outside of our apartment 

Placa Comercio and the hills of Lisbon

The "other" Golden Gate Bridge

Some street art off the funicular Gloria

Real-world I Heart Lisbon

One last sunset

Em Lisboa: A Run Down the Tagus

Perhaps going on vacation the two weeks prior to a half marathon is the not the best timing (or, I guess in this case, signing up for a half marathon the weekend after returning from a trip!),but that is the way things fell for me this time around. Doing any sort of training meant wrapping things  up and starting taper while out of the country,including my longest run while in Lisbon.

Luckily, this is a great place to get that done. The topography is similar to San Francisco's,including some long,flat stretches. I woke up on Saturday morning, tired (we walked about 11 miles on Friday, then drank a lot,then I watched the A's game until like 4am),dehydrated, and determined together this long run over.

I set off right around sunrise, headed from the Bairro Alto towards the water. As much as I had wanted to get some hill training in,the prior day's activities had rendered this a less-than-desireable option, so I headed west (I think) from the Praço do Comércio along the Tagus (Tejo) River toward Belém. 

This is an ideal route for visiting runners -- it is flat and very straightforward, with little chance to get lost. On the outbound, head towards the Ponte de 25 April. The footpath is well marked... The only drawback is there is some cobblestone that makes running a bit uneven... In many of the cases, inlaid with the cobblestone are some flat stone details, which everyone competes to use. This makes the running a bit more comfortable. One of the nicest things about this route is that you can go almost any distance...From the Praço to the tower of Belém is somewhere between 9-10 miles round trip,but I think you could even further. 

The most challenging part, for me, anyway, was a stretch after the bridge but before the Padrão dos Decobrimentos...the cobblestone was severe and there was only one little strip, right on the edge of the water, that was flat. We all -- and there were a lot of runners out there, we're jockeying for that strip. One false move and you were tumbling down a steep sea wall and into the water. So, be careful!

Bring a euro or two with you, as well, to get water on the route, as there were no water fountains  as far as I could tell. There is a little store/deli along the waterfront, as well as a gas station about a mile before the Tower where you can pick some up.

This run along the Tagus was of the more incredible I have had the luck to do -- had it not been for the huge blister on my toe and the fact that the temperature hit about 80 by the time I was done, I would have liked to go a little farther...but, wow...it was something else to see. It was also fun to feel a part of the vibrant running community of Lisbon (the shirt I was wearing had a silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge, older sister to their Ponte, so I got plenty of double takes and big smiles). Walking back up the hill to Bairro Alto may have been a bit of a challenge, but one well worth it!

(I also got to run by this party?rave?weird gathering of late teens/very early 20-somethings, who were still partying/starting to head home at 8.30am)

Em Portugal

Apologies (mom) for the lack of posts...Internet here in Porto hasn't been that great -- we essentially have to go into the hall outside of our apartment and pray that we hook into it. I wanted, however,to provide a quick update.

We left Lisbon on Sunday afternoon (after a beautiful sunset on Saturday night, above) and headed up to Porto. This city is amazing. I will write more about it later, but...not sure it could be more picturesque. We've been so very lucky with the weather, as well -- hot but not too hot, a little humid but overall really pleasant. Sweaters haven't had to come out until about 9 at night (or 21:00, as they call it here (I think)). 

That pic above is from my window here in Porto -- not sure we could have a more amazing view! We spent some time here in town, which included a river cruise for allows us, some port tasting & exploring for me, and a bike ride for the other ladies. We also visited the towns of Guimarães and Viana do Castelo. It was great to see others parts of northern portugal, but I do think Porto is my favorite! 

Em Lisboa: Day 2

Our second day here -- and our first full one -- saw us one quite a trek. We headed from our home in the Bairro Alto and walked down to Belem -- a little over five miles. This would have been fine if it weren't so hot, and if all of us brought proper footwear (I have some really lovely and ginormous blisters!). 

When we finally arrived, it was definitely time to eat.  We found a nice outdoor cafe, and proceeded to wait to order...and wait...I always forget I need to pack my patience when dealing with service in various European countries. I think it wouldn't be so bad if I had a drink, but often times we're just sitting there, hoping someone will finally stop by our table.  When we were finally able to order, one friend & I got our meal super quickly, while the other two didn't get theirs until after we were done eating (we were starving and couldn't wait).

We made sure to stop by Pasteis de Belem after -- these tasty pastries were a favorite of mine last time and they definitely did not disappoint this time! 

Rather than walk all the way back, we hopped on the 727 bus to take us back to Centro. It was getting a bit desperate for us to find good shoes! Of course. It was El Corte to the rescue!

Later that evening, we had the most fun of our dinners so far, at El Gordo Bar 52. We'd passed this little tapas restaurant several times, and thought it looked fun and a little different. Despite being in a heavily tourist neighborhood, the place had a ton of locals...one of whom, after telling us how sexy she thought Jack Nicholson is (there was a pic of him on the wall), became our best friend. Kristina is a proud Lisbon native, an expert on the town, and I would say she was rather drunk. Her husband tried several times to get her away from our table, but was not successful. Instead, she gave us her number. 

It was soon about midnight or later, and the party was just starting in our hood. It felt a bit like we were in the marina, if it closed down the streets to traffic; the folks were so young and so drunk! We, too, decided to join in for a bit -- when booze is this cheap it is hard to pass up! We somehow found our way home around 2am...I had some important business to attend to!

Bom Dia, Portugal!

We have arrived!

Our first day in Lisbon was a short one... After an Ambien-laden flight or two, we finally got into town in the late afternoon. We were met by a great driver, Kiko, who gave us the low down on this weekend in Lisbon -- apparently it was to be a very busy one.  Three cruise ships had just arrived, and there is a Rock 'n Roll Marathon & "Mini" (half marathon) on Sunday. So basically, it will be a little cuckoo-crazy pants with tourists. 

Once he deposited us near our apartment in Bairro Alto, we decided to eat. And, like all newcomers after a long journey, we chose the place that: 1. Wasn't empty, and 2. Had a lovely, translated-into-many-languages menu. We just needed easy, regardless if it was screaming tourist. 

The food was fine, and not super expensive. Definitely not anything to write home about, or something I would necessarily recommend,but it did the trick.  We were all quite tired, but decided ton walk around a little bit and check things out.  We stopped for a bit at an overlook with views of the whole city, and then off to a park where we learned the price of alcohol here is really low! 

On our way back to our apartment, we heard the low rumble of a massive crowd. As we got closer, we could see that crowd start growing bigger and bigger...and closer to home. The rumors are true...Bairro Alto is the spot for the youngins to come get their drink on.  Kids filled the street, sang songs, and did lord knows what else until the wee hours of the morning. Luckily, I was in the back room, in yet another Ambien-fueled sleep... My friends were not so lucky.