It is crazy to say, but I have been living in Portugal for months now! It has been an incredible experience, and I have even been able to pick up a new language while out here — not to mention a few extra pounds.
With all of the good news I have been reporting back to the homeland, I have finally convinced my parents to join in on the fun. They came out here for 10 days, and they had an incredible time. We explored through Lisbon together and enjoyed traditional Portuguese cuisine, but the best part about the visit was when we ventured out. We wanted to see what Portuguese wine country was all about so we chose to visit Alentejo, a well-known wine and culinary capital to the local Portuguese.
Upon our arrival to Evora, a city within Alentejo, we approached our hotel with utter amazement. I found this hotel, which seemed to be in the middle of no where, on the SPG site and booked it without thinking too much, so I didn’t expect too much from it. We quickly found out that it was a converted 15th century convent! It was one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed in —hands down. After checking in, we were taken on a tour of the property and were then escorted to a wine tasting in the ancient wine cellar that used to house monks!
After the wine tasting we were then shown the church grounds, where they regularly hold weddings and other events. We enjoyed learning about the hotel and indulging in some of the best Portuguese cuisine ever, but the following day was only going to raise the bar.
We drove about another hour from the hotel to arrive at one of our favorite Portuguese vineyards, Herdade Esporao, where we spent the entire afternoon. Esporao is one of the largest and most well known vineyards in all of Portugal, and we were lucky enough to take advantage of it before we all left the beautiful countryside. We went on gastronomic adventures, wine flights, and even olive oil tastings.
Everything was perfect. I don’t think I have ever had such an immersive culinary adventure. It was really an unforgettable experience, and I am so glad my parents were able to be there to share it with us. (That, and I am also thoroughly happy that I had my camera to memorialize it all!)