Our last day in Porto was arguably the best (don’t miss day one and day two). Exhaustion pressed on, but so did we. We left bright and early for another tour in the Douro wine region, this time with CoolTour Oporto, and our adorable guide Jose who was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and kept us entertained all day. The…
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Touring the Douro River Valley
Day two of our Porto trip started early (you can read about day one here and day three here). We had some wires crossed regarding a tour we had booked and got up way earlier than necessary for our pick-up. I’m not usually a big fan of taking tours on vacation, because I hate having my day scheduled for me, but…
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Inside a Port Wine Cellar
The Porto trip was real. It was amazing. Those Internet travel sweepstakes are legit people! Sign up for them. Or don’t, so I can win another one. We had a fantastic experience with our travel, and stuffed as much fun into the two and a half days we had in Portugal as possible. We left on a Lufthansa flight from Dulles, VA…
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Traveling without plans
This post comes to you from Dulles International Airport as I anxiously await my flight to my first European destination! We won a trip to Porto, Portugal from RF|Binder and the Wines of Vinho Verde. Yes, like those sweepstakes you get emails for all the time. Much skepticism has been involved in this process, but it does appear to be real….
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Snapshot: 17 Mile Drive in Monterey
During our honeymoon last year, Tom and I took the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey, California. We got out at almost every scenic overlook to gawk and shoot photos. Our trip concluded with a meal at Beach House Restaurant at Lovers Point. It was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon.
Hiking and Wine Tasting near Winchester, Virginia
One of the many things I love about living in DC, and the East Coast in general, is the easy access to all sorts of destinations – within driving distance of several big cities and beaches as well as a plethora of cute, small towns nestled in the country or in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Last year, Tom and I…
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8 Great Wineries in Loudoun County
I like wine a lot. Because I’m classy? Yes, we’ll go with that. My love started with my generous brother and sister-in-law treating me to fancy bottles I couldn’t afford on my own (and frankly, probably still can’t) and grew steadily over the years. On Tom and my first date, we took 20 minutes at Dino (the original location) picking…
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Napa Valley Honeymoon
Around this time last year, Tom and I spent our honeymoon in beautiful Napa Valley. We had a lot of ideas of where we’d like to celebrate our nuptials, but after planning a wedding, a trip centered around drinking seemed like the obvious choice. Is there any better place to be imprisoned than with barrels of delicious wine? I think…
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A Weekend in Rio de Janeiro
Once it was confirmed that we’d be going to Brazil this month, we had to cancel a trip to Wrightsville Beach we’d planned for our first wedding anniversary. We were scheduled to get back less than a week prior to that trip, and we just couldn’t afford to do both. Not a huge sacrifice. A six-hour drive to the beach can happen…
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