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Review of the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with River Cruise in Portugal | Travel Tips for Porto, Portugal

Published on September 23, 2024March 20, 2026 by C'est le Brie6 Comments

Before we left for Portugal, I spent a whole day researching day trips from the city of Porto. I knew I wanted to get out of the city and visit a few of the vineyards because, well, you can’t really visit Porto without drinking port wine! When I found the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with a River Cruise by Viator, I knew it was exactly what we were looking for. I didn’t want to do anything too exhausting. I really just wanted to look at beautiful views and drink port wine. This tour was EXACTLY that. If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, you can check out my full YouTube video about our tour on my YouTube channel here!

We met our tour group super early in the morning and hopped on the bus. We were greeted by our super sweet and cute tour guide, Margarida. Our first stop was the beautiful town of Amarante. We only had about 30 minutes here to grab a pastry or a cup of coffee, peek into one of the churches and snap a few photos of the view. It was a quiet and gorgeous little town though!

Our next stop was the first vineyard, Casa dos Barros. It had a stunning courtyard covered in vines, free-roaming peacocks and delicious port wine. One of the workers at the winery showed us to one of the wine cellars and gave us 3 different port wine tastings, along with cheese. She was absolutely hilarious and so entertaining. We then enjoyed lunch at the winery in a lovely dining room, along with the rest of our tour group. It was a full 4 course meal, a salad, soup, main entree, and dessert. We had both white and red wines served alongside our lunch too! While the food wasn’t anything too exciting, it was substantial enough that we were content and full. Plus, we were there for the wine anyway, and the wine was delicious!

We made our way back to the tour bus and enjoyed the incredible views of the Douro Valley. The morning was cloudy but it finally began to clear up as we made our way to the traditional rabelo boat ride on the Douro River. By the time we were cruising the river, the sun was popping out and we were able to witness the rolling hillsides and beautiful vineyards along the river. The boat ride was quite slow and peaceful, which actually made me rather sleepy. But I thoroughly appreciate a slower pace on these tours because I’m typically exhausted from traveling. As a photographer, I loved this part of the tour because I was able to take some gorgeous photos of the Douro River as I sat in my seat, watching the hills slip by. It was rather meditative, and exactly what I needed after a few days in the hustle and bustle of Porto.

After the boat ride, our bus driver took us about 5 minutes up the road to our next stop, Croft Port. It’s one of the oldest wine producers in the world and was truly the most beautiful vineyard I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s because the weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and we’d already had a few glasses of port, but we couldn’t get over the scenery. We were given a tour of the vineyard and one of the workers told us about the process of port wine-making. We were then handed three tastings each; a white, a ruby, and a tawny port. They were all amazing. We bought a bottle of the white port for only 10 euros, which is insane. It was so incredibly refreshing. We wanted to stay there forever because it was such a magical place.

On the ride home, almost everyone took a nap as our tour guide filled us in on a few more facts about the Douro Valley. We got back to Porto just in time for dinner. And yes, we enjoyed even more port wine with our dinner. 🙂 We went to the most incredible vegetarian restaurant, Espécie. I’ve honestly never had a dessert as delicious as the sticky toffee pudding. I’ve been inspired to try to recreate that dish at some point back home. SO. GOOD.

I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Porto. It’s the perfect getaway from the city and it’s so relaxing. Any age group could go on this tour. The port wine was as delicious as I’d hoped it would be and we learned so much about the history and process behind it. This might have even been one of my favorite bus tours I’ve been on so far in Europe. I didn’t get carsick and I didn’t feel like it was too rushed. Most of the day was spent looking at stunning views and drinking port wine, which is precisely what we were hoping for. 🙂 I’d say it’s a 9 out of 10 on the tour scale. It was lovely.

If you’re interested in booking this same tour, you can find it here. And make sure to check out my Viator shop to see all of our favorite tours around the world so far! And you can see more videos from our trip to Portugal on my YouTube channel!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read all about our adventure! Make sure to check out our blog post about our favorite Cute and Affordable Hotels in Porto and Lisbon, Portugal. Or you can read about our 3 Hour Food & Wine Tour in Porto here!

Have a lovely day!

❤ Myles Katherine

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Delicious Pumpkin Cupcake Muffins with Molasses Cream Cheese Filling & Bourbon Frosting

Published on September 19, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

September is here and I decided that I needed to make something delicious/warm/pumpkin-y to help me forget my upcoming winter woes. I couldn’t find a pumpkin cupcake recipe that had a filling AND a frosting, so I combined a few different recipes and invented my own. & it was totally worth it. Though I would consider them more “Muffcakes” than cupcakes or muffins. Or “puffcakes” since they are pumpkin. YAY I LOVE PUMPKIN (AND BOURBON)!

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 & 3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 sp. ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (I used a Canned Pumpkin Pie Mix– it gives it some extra fall spicy-ness)

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (if you can get a hold of pumpkin cream cheese, it’s even better. Trader Joe’s has one in the fall!)
2 tbsp molasses
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (again, you can try it with pumpkin cream cheese!)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (just use some of the leftovers from above)
1 tsp cinnamon
2-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tsp bourbon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line muffin pans with 24 muffin liners & set aside.
In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. In a smaller bowl mix together the eggs, oil and pumpkin.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until smooth.
Fill the muffin liners 1/2 of the way with the pumpkin batter.
With a mixer cream all of the filling ingredients together.
Drop small spoonfuls of the filling (about a teaspoon) into the center of each filled muffin liner.
Add a little more batter to each cupcake, enough to cover the cream cheese. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the edges of the cupcake begin to harden. (Don’t test in the middle since the middle will stay soft and gooey).
While the cupcakes are baking, mix together the cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and pumpkin in a medium bowl until fluffy to make the frosting. Gradually add powdered sugar. Fold in the bourbon and vanilla extract at the end and adjust for taste.
Frost the cupcakes once cooled. Dash with cinnamon for added appeal 😀
Enjoy!

By Myles Katherine ❤

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Hormone-Balancing Maca Peanut Butter Protein Power Bites for Endometriosis

Published on August 26, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

I’ve struggled with endometriosis and hormone imbalances for years. I’ve read every book and blog and article on endometriosis I can get my hands on, searching for ways to help with my symptoms. I can tell you from experience that endometriosis will not disappear just because you change your diet, but I will say that diet can help minimize symptoms, which is super important! I try to keep these protein power bites on hands at all times because I immediately notice them helping with my digestion the second I eat one. My digestion is a rollercoaster every month and I try my best to maintain a balanced diet filled with tons of protein, vegetables and fiber. It’s hard though! But these protein bites help to fill in those gaps on days when I don’t feel like cooking every meal. I love having one in the morning with my coffee, or in the afternoon for tea time!

HORMONE-BALANCING INGREDIENTS

If you’ve never heard of maca, it’s a root that you can buy in powdered form and add to smoothies, baked goods, and of course, these protein bites! You can find it on Amazon here. I recommend organic! Maca is known for it’s potential to assist in balancing hormones, particularly estrogen. Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent condition, so balancing estrogen is essential. Personally, I have high estrogen, or “estrogen dominance”, and I truly believe this is why I struggle with endometriosis. Maca is also known to potentially help with fertility, menopausal symptoms and libido too. It even helps with stress management, energy and mood. It’s an incredible tool for women with hormonal issues. I urge you to do your own research and learn more about this amazing root!

Another issue for women with endometriosis is maintaining healthy digestion. With our hormones being all over the place, it’s a struggle to manage digestion and regularity. The flax meal in these bites help to regulate digestion and aids in fiber intake. Flax meal is also known to help balance estrogen too! It’s a win-win!

Chia seeds are filled with Omega-3 fatty acids, when are super helpful with inflammation. When I’m having a flare-up with endometriosis, I try to focus on anti-inflammatory foods. Eating these protein bites consistently helps to ward off those flare-ups by combatting inflammation. Chia seeds also have tons of antioxidants, which help to ward off cancer and protect our cells!

I also added cinnamon, which is also known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties! Cinnamon helps calm digestion too.

And let’s not forget the oats! Oats are heart-healthy, fiber-filled, and help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which ultimately helps to balance hormones!

Here is the full recipe for these super tasty bites! I’ve even gotten my husband addicted to these. They are the perfect protein boost at any time of day. Sometimes I’ll leave out the maca for a more peanut-butter forward flavor. You can also roll these in hemp seeds as the last step, for extra nutritional value. Or even add dark chocolate chips! Unfortunately, I have high iron due to some of my hormonal issues, so I have to be careful with certain ingredients.

I hope you love these as much as I do! Maca is an interesting flavor that is somewhat earthy and nutty. It can be quite a dominating flavor and may take some getting used to. I recommend trying these with and without the maca to see the difference! They are both delicious and will help balance hormones.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know if you try these out!

❤ Myles Katherine

INGREDIENTS:

(makes about 12 protein bites)

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey ( I prefer maple syrup!)
3 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp maca powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together. If the dough is too dry or crumbly, just add more maple syrup or honey, 1 tsp at a time. It really all depends on the consistency of your peanut butter!
Roll into 1-inch balls using your hands and place on the baking sheet. Makes about 12 protein bites.
Place in the freezer for at least an hour. Once set (just so they don’t stick together in the ziploc bag), you can put them in a freezer ziploc bag and pull one out whenever you’d like! You can also keep them in the fridge if you’d prefer, but I like to store them in the freezer so they last longer.
Enjoy!

Review of the 3 Hour Food & Wine Tour in Porto, Portugal with Viator! – The Best Tours to Take in Portugal

Published on August 21, 2024March 20, 2026 by C'est le Brie3 Comments

To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Portugal before our trip. What I did know was that it was going to be absolutely beautiful and that we would be drinking a lot of Port wine. I also knew that it was one of the easier countries to move to from the US, if I ever get that urge to flee off to Europe. That was enough to convince me to plan a trip! I booked our flights and hotels with Booking.com and didn’t look back! To calm my nerves though, I decided to book a couple of tours during our trip so that we weren’t left trying to figure everything out on our own in a country we knew very little about. For our first full day in Porto, I booked a 3 hour food & wine tour through Viator. I’m so incredibly glad we did because it was the perfect way to get acquainted with the city of Porto. Our tour guide, Cristina, walked us past stunning landmarks and filled us in on the history and the culture of Porto. It really helped us get our bearings for the layout of the city and got us excited about the rest of our time in Porto. Cristina was extremely engaging and even sent our group a personalized email at the end of the tour with all of her recommendations for the city. I’ve pretty much decided that I want to take a food & wine tour at the beginning of every trip now because we learned so much! Plus, who doesn’t want to be handed tons of local snacks and drinks that are guaranteed to be tasty! It really took a lot of the guesswork out of traveling, which is nice when you’re exhausted and jet-lagged upon arrival in a new place.

Our first stop was Confeitaria Imperio, a cute pastry and tea shop located on the Rua de Santa Catarina ((St. Catherine Street). It’s a great street for walking and shopping if you’re looking for a pedestrian street with lots of restaurants and people-watching! We tried the delicious pasteis de nata (cream pastries) that Portugal is known for, and our tour guide told us to try them with cinnamon which was a game-changer! I could eat these all day long. We were offered tea or espresso to go alongside them as well. Our guide filled us in on the history of green wine, AKA Vinho Verde, and how the Portugese women used to get away with drinking this “green tea” back in the day when women weren’t supposed to drink alcohol. It’s insane to me that women had to deal with that, but that’s a blog post for another day!

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Our next stop was a quick walk through the Mercado do Bolhão, a famous marketplace in Porto known for selling tons of fresh produce, cured meats, local cheeses, tinned fish and lots of other things! You should definitely visit this market if you’re in Porto! Cristina told us all about the history of codfish and why the Portugese use it in so many recipes! We then walked to A Favorita do Bolhão, a small local wine shop and grocery store. We were given the option for white, red or green wine. Nearly everyone tried the green wine, of course, since it’s one of Portugal’s specialties. It was delightfully effervescent, bright and tangy. It was quite a bit like a blend of white wine and champagne.

(our cute tour guide, Cristina, and her assistant ^^^)

We then continued our walk to a local bar called A Provinciana where we tried the Super Bock, the best-selling beer in Portugal, alongside a bifana sandwich. Bifana are traditional Portuguese sandwiches made with sliced pork and a tasty white wine and garlic sauce. It reminded me of a sloppy joe! We also sampled codfish fritters and learned a bit more about the types of liqueurs that the Portugese like to enjoy.

Cristina walked us through the famous and stunning Sao Bento train station and shared a bit of history about Porto.

Finally, it was off to the final stop of the tour to try Port, Lado Wines by Avepod. We got to sample all three styles of Port, the white, the ruby and the tawny. My husband, Chris, and I both like the tawny the best, but they were all delicious. We were even allowed to pour a little extra in each of our glasses at the end if we wanted! I’m absolutely obsessed with Port wine now. It’s like wine, but sweeter and stronger! It’s filled with flavor and nice to sip on before or after a meal. The tour was from about 3-6pm so afterwards we had plenty of time to stroll along the river back to our hotel and grab some more Port wine along the way!

I just loved every minute of the tour because I’m typically the planner/leader on every trip. I finally was given the opportunity to relax and allow the tour guide to lead the way. I didn’t have to pull up apple maps or google the best place to get a beer. I definitely intend to use these types of tours to my advantage in the future. Plus, we got to meet a few Swifties in our tour group that were also planning on going to Lisbon to the Eras tour later that week, just like us!

If you’re interested in signing up for the same tour with Viator, you can find it here. Or if you’re traveling elsewhere, you can check out our Viator shop to see what other tours we recommend around the world! I also posted a YouTube video about our Food & Wine tour with Viator here!

If you’re looking for hotel recommendations in Portugal, make sure to check out our blog post here.

I hope this post gets you excited about your trip to Portugal! We had an absolute blast. We also went on a full day trip to the Douro Valley with Viator too. You can read the full blog post about that tour here!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

❤ Myles Katherine

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Refreshing Elderflower Chia Seed Pudding with Turkish Honey and Raspberries

Published on August 12, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Chia seeds are high in fiber, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and so much more. They are amazingly delicious and are the spotlight of my new favorite breakfast/dessert. When soaked in almond milk (or any type of milk/liquid) for just 30 minutes Chia seeds expand to create a natural pudding consistency to which you can add honey, brown sugar, and fruit (like pomegranate seeds, strawberries, raspberries etc.). Lately, I’ve been getting the Chai Chia Pot with Pomegranate Seeds from Pret a Manger once a week for a delightful breakfast, until I decided to buy the ingredients and make my own homemade batch of Chia seed pudding this past weekend.

I adapted it from a recipe I found on Pinterest

I tripled the original recipe to make sure I had plenty of leftovers for the next several days and I also added fruit, brown sugar and honey:

Ingredients for the pudding (4 servings):

3/4 cup of almond or oat milk (I used vanilla flavored almond milk)
1 can of coconut milk
6 tablespoons of chia seeds

Additional Flavors and Sweetening:

Elderflower Syrup
Turkish Honey or Maple Syrup (I always like honey in the Spring/Summer and Maple Syrup in Fall/Winter)
Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Strawberries
1/2 cup Raspberries

Directions:

I have a large Mason Jar cocktail shaker that I combined the almond milk, coconut milk, and Chia seeds into. I also added a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of the Elderflower Syrup into the jar before putting the lid on it and shaking it for a minute.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge for thirty minutes (or longer)
When the mixture has become solid (similar to a tapioca consistency) mix 1 teaspoon of brown sugar into each serving and top with whatever fruits you desire or are in season!
Enjoy!

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