In full disclosure The National Portrait Gallery is not exactly off the beaten path in Washington, DC.  But, I’m betting you don’t hear as much about the gallery as you do other museums in the city.  Case in point.  The National Portrait Gallery had 831,000 visits in 2017 while the National Air and Space Museum had 1.6 million visits.  (Smithsonian Visitor Statistics) So, yeah, in my book it’s a bit off the beaten path.

When you think of Washington, DC, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The DC Murals, right? Ha! I’m betting your answer was politics.

When most people think of Washington, DC, politics is probably the first thing that comes to mind.  It’s only natural.  But, here’s the thing, the city has so much more to offer, that politics really does seem to take a back seat on most days.  Don’t ever let the current political vibe dissuade you from visiting such a beautifully diverse city.

I hate to admit it but we’ve been living just outside of Washington, DC for the past 3 1/2 years and it was only just today that we finally made it to Ben’s Chili Bowl – the iconic diner.

It pretty much came down to a proverbial coin toss.  Do we spend a week in Dijon, or do we spend a week in nearby Beaune, which is where we had booked a bicycle tour through the Burgundy Vineyards.  In the end, Dijon won the toss.

Potsdam, Germany.  Melk, Austria.  Mondsee, Austria.  Have you heard of them?  They were not at all on our list of chosen destinations while traveling across Europe with Eurail.  And, yet, these unexpected treasures turned out to be three of our most memorable experiences.

The first time we entered Casa Natal, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm.  Of course, not wanting to embarrass myself I kept my glee in check, but oh… in my head a party was going on.

There were a few things we didn’t know as we stepped off the train in Seville.  We didn’t know where the bus stop was, nor did we know how to get to our hotel.  But the biggest thing we weren’t prepared for was how unbelievably hot it was.

Our relationship with the City of Porto began in 2010 when Abi and our son took a Port wine – vinho do Porto – tour of the Douro Valley and it’s when they first met Andreia and were introduced to the Kopke Port Cellar.

It’s a fairly bold statement, “Why Everyone Should Visit Ashland, Oregon” but sometimes you just gotta make a big statement.  And, as long as you can back it up, why not go bold?

This is a tale of how we fell under the charms of the City of Porto, and how we found our way to one of the best wine shops in Porto, Garrafeira do Carmo.