Portugal with Lauren & Chuckie

We were so thrilled to have Tim's sister, Lauren, and Jen's brother, Chuckie, visit us for 2 weeks last month!

To celebrate Tim's big birthday (yes, the one and only 3-0!), we took a trip to Porto, Portugal. The home to all Port wines (including all the big names... Grahm's, Taylors, etc), this beautiful city sits just beside the Douro Valley and along the Douro River.

Our first day was spent exploring the city and it's many unique delicacies...






We also visited some very authentic outdoor markets, selling gigantic zucchinis, live chickens, and a huge assortment of fish & meat.

Saturday night, for Tim's birthday (and also Lauren's, whose was a few weeks earlier), Jim & Bobbi treated us all to a wonderful dinner. We celebrated the occasion at Don Tonto, Porto's most chic restaurant and one named to the Times' list of the Top 100 Restaurants in Europe.

Though Sunday was a bit overcast & rainy, we managed to take shelter in some of Port's namesake Port cellars where we learned all about the Tawny's, LBV's, Ruby's, and even the lesser-known white Port varieties.







After a great weekend, we came back to London where Tim & Jen went to work and Lauren & Chuck made their way to Dublin for a few days of Irish fun.

Back in London we saw the changing of the guards, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, and Abbey Road. Pics of these, along with more Portugal pics on Shutterfly...