The Good, Bad, and Random

As the title suggests, this post is a bit of a recap of what's being going on and what's on my mind. (In the Navy, they would call this "goods and others", which I used to find strange and now realize is so typical of military-speak.) I think most people's lives are a constant mix of positive and negative, this is mine currently...

-Our June is filling up with family visiting! My aunt and uncle bought tickets for the end of the month and my mom, sister, and adorable niece are looking at tickets for the beginning of the month. We haven't seen any of them since my sister's wedding in October. I can't wait to show them the place that we've called home for 2 years! Sidenote: Can't believe it will be 2 years at that point. Whoa. 

-We've been making a knockoff version of one of our favorite pizzas (from El Horno de Leña in Puerto). It doesn't look that exciting but it is ridiculously good. Sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, honey, and oregano. Delicious combination of flavors and oh so simple. We had it for dinner Monday night, with spinach and balsamic vinaigrette salad. If goat cheese is your thing (and it should be) give it a try.

-A friend of ours from Norfolk happened to be in town Tuesday night. It was a short visit, but we went downtown for drinks, tapas, and the Real Madrid v. Barcelona match. It was great to catch up with someone we hadn't seen in a while and it made me a little nostalgic for our time in Virginia. One of the perks of this lifestyle is that the Navy really is a small world and you never know when you'll meet up with someone again. And Madrid won!

Port Tasting in Porto

I had been hearing and reading great things about Porto recently, so when we were coming up with ideas for the long weekend, I suggested it. And by phrasing it this way "What about Porto? We could go port tasting!" I knew that Graham would be sold. 

He loves port, has for a while. I can remember buying him bottles of 20 year tawny for special occasions when we lived in Texas, way back when he was in flight school, when we were young younger and dating. During our first trip to Portugal, Graham did a little port sampling in Sintra and he bought a bottle in Lisbon. As for me...I have always preferred wine, simple, delicious, unfortified wine. But I've learned that the best way to gain an appreciation for something is to learn about it and try it at its source (worked for Guinness and whiskey in Dublin). 

Port tasting in Porto is ridiculously easy to do - simply cross the bridge in Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia and walk along the riverfront, with the old port boats anchored along the side. All of the cellars are lined up, each easily identified by large signs, and hours clearly posted out front. If you have any questions about tours or tastings, the staff at most cellars are very friendly and required to speak at least 2 languages, so English is no problem, but many speak 4 or 5, if you would prefer French, German, or Spanish. (Coming from southern España, where the concept of customer service is a little rough, we were impressed.)

Oh, Porto!

Last weekend, we traveled to Porto (sometimes called Oporto). Portugal's second largest city after Lisbon, Porto is situated in the north of the country. Even though we knew it was going to be a long trip, it sounded like the perfect driving vacation for the holiday weekend. So the whole family, Chloe and Cora included of course, loaded up in the Mini. And despite raining most of the time (including some really epic weather Saturday morning) it was a fantastic weekend!

If you like your European cities large, clean, modern, and sophisticated...Porto is not for you. But if you want a small city, an old port town, full of character, winding streets, and brightly tiled buildings that tumble down steeply towards a river that is lined with restaurants and port tasting cellars, where the noise is a mix of car horns and sea gulls...you will fall in love with Porto.