Portuguese Paradise

Oy vey! I think a hurricane has hit Amsterdam---an ocean is falling from the sky right now! Fortunately as I look outside, I think that in just a few weeks we'll be jetsetting to southern Europe--PORTUGAL! My twin sis and her hubby are visiting for a few weeks and we'll be spending a long weekend in Lisbon before they go off to Rome.


Christian, my sis and her hubs have no idea what they're in for in Portugal--I do! I was lucky enough to visit my aunt TWICE during the time she lived in the Algarve. On our first trip, Portugal was my first stop on a eurotrip I did solo--and I had never met her before! Well maybe as a baby :). As soon as she picked me up from the airport in Faro, I knew were in for an amazing time. My Aunt Steph has a stellar fashion sense and really knows how to enjoy the good life. For a whole week, we ventured all around the Algarve from her cute villa in Loule. We wined and dined on gazpacho, garlic-marinated carrots and Portuguese vinho verde and visited the fortress in Tivera, bought that delicious piri-piri sauce in teeny tiny Silves and relaxed in the mountain town of Monchique. I was completely and utterly amazed at the beauty and colors of Portugal. One of the most amazing places we visited were abandoned pousadas in the Portuguese countryside--old mansions and palaces of former wealthy patrons who left the place in ruins, but were still beautifully restored. And the coolest part is that there are hundreds of pousadas around Portugal which have been renovated into hotels :).


I loved being in Portugal so much with my aunt that I spent a good 10 days there while I was an exchange student in Finland. Any European would argue that flying from Finland to Portugal is crazy and long. I happily made the trek there to be able to lounge in the Portuguese sun with her once again! For a week we sat pool-side indulding in everything and anything Portuguese. My aunt and uncle drove me up to Lisbon to catch my flight back to Finland and I instantly loved the city. It was only a quick rendezvous around Lisbon before I had to say goodbye, but one thing was for sure--I loved Lisbon!


And in just a few weeks I'll be there with Christian and my twin sis! My aunt, who has since moved back to the US, will hopefully be meeting us in Lisbon for yet another rendezvous. Everything about Portugal is beautiful...here's a few snaps from my trips to Portugal with my super cool aunt...I can't wait to meet you there again soon! :)