savvynomadadventures

A Fall From Grace (We blame the flowered Tuk Tuk) Lisbon was our final stop on our 12-day whirlwind through Portugal, and folks, this city is something else. If you’ve been keeping up with my blog (and if not, what the heck are you waiting for?), you already know the lowdown on Portuguese street tiles…you…

Oh, Sintra. Magical, enchanting, and straight out of a fairytale. I half-expected fairies and elves to greet us at every turn as the delicate white floaty things (the ones that drift in the wind, like they’re sprinkled by some invisible pixie?) danced around us. From the moment we arrived, I felt like I was in…

We left Évora and were headed straight to Sintra when Ravi (our friend from our Douro Valley adventure—remember him?) texted and said: “I’m around! Why don’t you meander this way and let’s meet up for lunch? It was on the way to Sintra and just made perfect sense to us. Ravi, who just happens to…

Évora: Where History, Heat, and Bed Bugs Collide Alright, after leaving the “Venice of Portugal” (aka Aveiro), we set off deeper into the Portuguese countryside, headed for the historic town of Évora. If you’ve never been to Évora, let me paint you a little picture: it’s a quaint, sun-baked town that’s absolutely dripping in history,…

Alright, time to say a goodbye to the romance of Porto and grab our RESERVED (emphasis necessary) and PAID-FOR rental car. Should be a breeze, right? Yeah, no. Not here, my friends. We arrive at the rental car agency—let’s just call them “unnamed” for now, because I’m pretty sure they know where I live. I…

A trip to Porto without visiting the Douro Valley is, quite frankly, sacrilegious. With all the cathedrals around, we didn’t want to anger the wine gods, so naturally, we booked a day trip to this legendary region. I’ve spent almost 30 years of my career immersed in the world of fine dining, surrounded by truly…

Leaving Edinburgh was bittersweet. Not just because we loved it, but because we managed to catch some kind of nasty bug on our way out. Ever tried traveling while feeling like a human-sized puddle of misery? That was us leaving Edinburgh. 10/10 don’t recommend. But when Porto is waiting on the other side, you power…