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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, 2024April 1, 2025 by C'est le Brie5 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 this tour with 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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Review of the 3 Hour Food & Wine Tour in Porto, Portugal with Viator! – The Best Tours to Take in Portugal

Published on August 21, 2024July 6, 2025 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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The Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon – A Foodie Haven

Published on August 9, 2024 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

I just got back from visiting my sister in Portland, Oregon and felt the urge to share some of the lovely meals and desserts we experienced over the course of five days. So here is my list of odd and spectacular foodie places to experience in PDX!

Screen Door – The Mother of All Brunches

Brunching is a huge deal in Portland. There are multiple episodes on Portlandia centered around brunching and the show features some of the best brunch restaurants around, including Screen Door. My sister and I are both avid brunchers always seeking both sweet and savory foods. I feel like it’s way too common that popular places are overrated, and I was nervous that Screen Door would not live up to my expectations. But indeed I was proven wrong and indulged in the most delicious brunch a girl could dream of. There were five of us dining and we all ordered different things which resulted in our table becoming a smorgasbord of an insane amount of food. We ordered basically everything: Eggs Benedict, Chicken and Waffles, Cathead Chicken and Biscuit Sandwich, Praline Bacon, Cheddar Grits, and Bananas Foster French Toast. Also keep in mind that each dish could easily feed three people until they are full. The Chicken and Waffles alone features three steak-sized fried chicken slabs on top of a ginormous waffle. It was glorious. And made us delightfully miserable for the rest of the day.

There was quite a long wait for Screen Door, but it just so happens that right next door is the perfect coffee shop to wander into while trying to waste time and which happens to be our next recommendation.

Kopi Coffee House – Best Coffee House

This is the coffee house every cafe should aspire to be. Its decor and ambiance is asian-inspired and tranquil, it has signature lattes as well as the classics, and features delicious breakfast sandwiches. I got the Crème Brûlée Latte that the barista caramelized with a torch in front of me. Perfection, right? So go and check it out!

Pip’s Original Donuts – The Best Bite-Sized Donuts in the Universe

If you wanna skip the VooDoo Donuts line, and stand in another line, albeit, a much shorter one, check out Pip’s Original. Grab yourself a dozen of Honey, Sea Salt and Nutella doughnuts and a yummy Chai drink before spending your day exploring the city!

Cascade Brewing – The Best Brewery in Portlandia

You have to go to at least one brewery when in Portland, and Cascade Brewing has a diverse beer menu as well as upscale bar food. It also has a great open patio where you can sip on as many beers as you like and just hang out in Portland and eat yummy pretzels.

Yataimura Maru – The Best Asian Cuisine

I don’t think I had ever truly had authentic Japanese food before coming to Maru on Division St. in Portland. The restaurant seems to transport you to Japan and allows you to soak up the culture. It has the most incredible Ramen dishes I have ever tasted and their Teriyaki Chicken is definitely worth a try as well. Definitely make sure to save room for dessert. We ordered the Red Bean Ice Cream and Mochi as well as the Tempura Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream— we may have gone a little bit overboard!

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House – Best Dessert House with a Thrill and a Really Creepy Bathroom

This is one of the most “Portland” places you could possibly go, it’s located on a dark street, in a creepy, creaky old house and serves dessert and coffee late until midnight. My sister hadn’t originally planned to take us here, but we decided to go after spending a long day hiking at Mount Hood and exploring the Timberline Lodge. We were just getting back to the city and the house seems like the set of a scary movie.

It has dark lighting and is decorated with candles and creepy puppets and wallpaper. My sister warned us of the enchanted trickery that the house is famous for, so we kept out eyes and ears open. Our waiter was extremely nice and had an intensely dry sense of humor that matched the spooky vibe of the house perfectly. We ordered a variety of the desserts they offer (the Banana Split was to die for!) and sat back and observed the eclectic frills and mischief.

The most alarming thing I have to admit is the bathroom. It is by far the creepiest room due to the most terrifying man-doll I have ever seen in my life. Even after we covered his face with a napkin, I made my mom wait for me right outside the bathroom door. I was more than certain he was going to start turning his head to stare at me or start whispering in my ear. He didn’t though, thank goodness!

Even More Amazing Places:

Salt & Straw – The Best Ice Cream in the World

Nothing I say about Salt & Straw will actually do this place justice. It is simply magic. And simply the best Ice Cream ever. Make sure to get a waffle cone, sample as many flavors as you desire, buy some merchandise, and enjoy uninterrupted happiness. Seriously, the line is worth the wait and you will not regret coming here!

See See Motorcycles Coffee – Best Merchandise and Portland Vibe

Its a dream coffee shop for motorcycle enthusiasts and has super cute clothes and decadent hot chocolate, I wish I could bring it back to the East Coast with me.

So now I recommend that everyone go to Portland and try these awesome places for yourselves! ❤

A Weekend of the Best DC Restaurants

Published on August 4, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

My sister and I don’t get to see each other often, but when we do we always make it a point to try out some new restaurants together. In March, I flew to DC to photograph a Saturday wedding in Charlottesville. I stayed with Natalie in Arlington while I was there and we went to some of the tastiest restaurants I’ve ever been to. Literally everywhere we went was amazing.

Best Beer Garden | Courthaus Social in Arlington, Va

After a long plane flight into DC, I was ready for a drink. My sister suggested this place since it was within walking distance of her apartment. After dealing with endless rain in Portland, I just needed a restaurant with an outside patio and alcohol. This was the perfect place. We ordered a giant pretzel and a few different happy hour items. We people-watched and took way too many photos of our food and ourselves. If you’re looking for beer, a fun atmosphere and delicious happy hour plates, go here.

Best Thai Food | Sawatdee in Arlington, Va

Also within walking distance of my sister’s apartment, we weren’t sure what to expect. However, this thai food was delicious. Perfectly fresh vegetable rolls and a tasty pad thai. Also with an outdoor patio and refreshing drinks. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for Thai Food in Arlington.

Best Happy Hour | Thunder Burger Bar in Georgetown, Va

We kind of accidentally stumbled upon Thunder Burger Bar. I had read an article online that it has amazing burgers, but we were just on the look out for some appetizers and a happy hour drink (yet again). We both ordered margaritas and an assortment of items off of the happy hour menu. Everything was delicious, the only problem was that we had tons of leftover food to eat for later! And that’s not really a problem. 🙂 Next time I’ll have to try a burger!

Best Cupcakes | Georgetown Cupcakes in Georgetown, Va

We always make it a point to get cupcakes when my sister and I are together. Georgetown is our go-to. They have festive flavors and amazing icing. While I wouldn’t say these are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had, it’s always an experience going there. The line is usually pretty long so it’s a nice time to just enjoy the hustle and bustle of Georgetown.

Best Brunch | Bearnaise in Washington, DC

SO GOOD. It’s a little off the beaten path, but totally worth it. We were worried that it would be packed with people on a Saturday but we didn’t even have to wait in line! It has a lovely French vibe and the food is incredible. The Eggs Benedict was perfect, and the Croque Monsieur was one of the best I’ve had in the US. I thoroughly enjoyed this brunch spot. It was quiet and bright, the perfect brunch vibe.

Best Coffee | Le Pain Quotidien in Arlington, Va

We ended up going here twice because we loved it so much. While it is a chain restaurant, it’s one of the best chain restaurants I’ve ever experienced. Everything was impeccable, from the coffee to the Belgian Waffles. A bit on the pricey side, so I’m glad I don’t have one of these in my neighborhood, I’d go there all the time! I ended up going home with some of their Speculoos spread, yum!

Best Italian | Il Porto Ristorante in Alexandria, Va

I love Italian food. I was looking forward to this meal from the second I arrived in DC. Sometimes you just need a good glass of red wine and a pasta dish. Il Porto Ristorante did not disappoint. Incredible service, food and dessert. The atmosphere was perfect with the stone walls and dim lighting. Definitely on the fancy side, but I would go here again in a heartbeat. Everything was incredibly fresh and full of flavor. My sister said it was the best lasagna she’s ever had!

Best Ramen | Momofuku in Washington, DC

Hands down my new favorite restaurant in DC. I love ramen and any kind of asian-fusion food, so this place was a dream. My dad had never tried ramen or pork buns or any sort of dish like these (crazy, I know), but he loved it! The pork buns melt in your mouth, the ramen is about as tasty as ramen can get and I love that it’s encouraged to share food here. Plus, the simple fact that Milk Bar is attached makes it the ideal restaurant. We got here right before the crowd so we didn’t have to wait in line, but I’d definitely recommend getting here early.

Best Dessert | Milk Bar in Washington, DC

OMG. If I could go here every day I would. Cereal & milk flavored ice cream, confetti cake truffles (my all time favorite dessert now) and crack pie. TRY ALL OF IT. My only regret is that I couldn’t stuff more in my face.

Let us know if you’ve tried any of these restaurants and what you thought of them!

❤ Myles Katherine

Foodie Delights in Ireland – Top 9 Favorite Restaurants from our Trip

Published on June 30, 2018March 31, 2025 by C'est le Brie7 Comments

I just recently got back from a trip to Ireland with one of my best friends and knew I had to do a post about the delicious food we ate. Traveling there was probably one of the most comical experiences of my life since we are just two American girls who decided to rent a car and explore as much of the country as possible. We battled many spiders along the way and made many many Irish friends who would let us pet their dogs and reverse our car when we were stuck and lost.

In anticipation of going to Ireland, I did not give food much of a thought and prepared myself thinking that it would be bland and monotonous. But I was completely wrong about my assumptions! While there are some platters you would expect to see consistently (Beef Stew, Chicken Curry, etc.), there was a wide variety of restaurants and options. Not to mention all of the food was tasty fresh and lovingly prepared. Ireland presented us with the perfect dose of comfort food and farm-to-table indulgence!

I have compiled a list below of my favorite Irish culinary experiences while visiting earlier this month. Keep in mind we did do a lot of traveling around the country so these places are scattered location-wise but all were incredible. Did I forget to mention the hospitality in Ireland was out of this world. Every person we met was so genuine and kind!

The King’s Head Pub in Galway, Ireland – We had gotten off the plane, picked up our rental car, visited Clonmacnoise (so beautiful!) and headed to Galway for site-seeing and fooood! The King’s Head is one of the more famous pubs in Galway and rightly so. It had a peaceful back patio where we were seated and enjoyed a lovely meal of Fish & Chips and Roasted Chicken & Veggies (an appropriate first meal in Ireland). We also had the bread and cheese platter for an appetizer and split a nice cold beer.
Hazel Mountain Chocolate Factory (Instagram) in County Clare, Ireland – Our first full day in Ireland was crammed with castles, caves, and cliffs. We had a midday pit-stop at Hazel Mountain which we had heard fabulous things about. We tasted different dark chocolates and then had a lovely tea break outside on their front porch. The desserts were delicate and rich with incredibly deep flavors. We tried the Rose & Raspberry Fika and White Chocolate Fruit Tart with Hot Chocolates on the side!
Keanes Garden Center Cafe in Kilcolgan, Ireland – While en route to the stunning Killarney National Park, we randomly pulled off to grab breakfast and what a delight! Keanes Garden Center Cafe was surrounded by beautiful flowers and served up delicious Coffee and Quiche Lorraine.
Salvador’s in Killarney, Ireland – We were hangry and tried to go to Bricin but did not have the patience for the long wait. Salvador’s gave us a delicious and traditional Irish meal of Guinness Stew and Roasted Chicken not to mention a tasty Bruschetta for appetizer.
Cafe Hans in Cashel, Ireland – While en route to Kilkenny, we stopped by the Rock of Cashel and figured we would pick a quick lunch spot. What was originally going to be a quick sandwich turned into a three course meal from one of my (now) favorite restaurants in the world. Cafe Hans delivered the most thoughtful meals with intense and complimentary flavoring. Not one ingredient was overlooked and every component to the dishes was essential to creating this perfect meal. I had the Mozzarella, Roasted Tomato, and Beet Salad, Pork & Mushroom Risotto with Crispy Sage and Fried Butternut Squash (currently drooling thinking about it), and White Chocolate Mousse with Pomegranate Seeds for dessert. Needless to say, it is a meal I will never forget.
Ristorante Rinuccini in Kilkenny, Ireland – If you are ever in Ireland, or anywhere else in the world, and are craving a perfect Italian meal, then stop everything you’re doing and head straight to Rinuccini’s right away. Located adjacent to Kilkenny castle, this beautiful restaurant features traditional Italian dishes made so perfectly, you would think you were in Italy, and they had displayed the countless awards to show for it. I indulged in their Polpettine con Spaghettini and Cheesecake Al Caramello for dessert.
Cakeface in Kilkenny, Ireland – On our way out of town after mailing some post cards and finishing up last minute shopping in Kilkenny, we headed to Cakeface to try out yet more dessert. I got the Rastachio Sambo and it was so tart and sweet and indulgent. ❤
Queen of Tarts in Dublin, Ireland – If you like brunch, then you can’t go to Dublin without going to Queen of Tarts. They have quiches and scones and cookies galore. The restaurant was quaint and the food hearty. I had the chicken and bacon sandwich, and it was perfect before a full day walking around the city. Even if you’re super full, do not skip dessert. In my opinion the Victorian Sponge Cake should not be missed! Also they have the cutest coffee mugs if you need a fun souvenir!
Guinness Factory in Dublin, Ireland – Get beer, get drunk and have fun. It’s like a giant party for tourists, plus the city view at the top bar is stunning. Be sure to book your tickets in advance and keep in mind a free beer is included in admission. ‘Nuff said.