Top left: Lisbon has incredible viewpoints (miradouros in Portuguese). Miradouro: Largo Portas do Sol
Top right: San Bento Railway station (Porto) made of the iconic Azulejo tiles found throughout Portugal.
Bottom right: Barefoot grape crushing
Bottom left: Cruise along the Duoro Valley
A piece on the Portuguese city of Porto inspired my first trip last autumn to this charming city that lies 2½ hours by train from the capital city of Lisbon, along the Duoro Valley, one of the oldest wine regions in the world.
I took a beautiful cruise along the valley, but not before port tasting and the centuries-old tradition of barefoot grape crushing that has been carried for generations. This special art of crushing grapes is meant to save the grapes without breaking the seeds as well as make wine taste better (and don’t worry, this practice is indeed hygienic!)