Looking Back, Looking Back...

A few months after Parker was born, one of my friends bought me a little journal in which to write down things that Parker does from time to time as he grows. Sadly, I am terrible at writing things down in a journal. It doesn't make sense, because I'm so good at using the same kinds of notebooks to write To Do Lists!

So I have this beautiful book with only a few pages filled out. But, I've also resolved to write in this blog more often -- at least once per week -- for the following reasons:

1. I love writing in my blog; it helps me reflect, which in turn enables me to better manage my stress and anxiety. 
2. I think being able to write is one of the most important skills we can and should develop. To further develop this skill, we must continue to practice. Fuck yoga, this blog is MY practice.
3. By documenting my adventures around the world, as well as the mundane but wonderful things that are happening in my life at home, I am able to share my life story -- the good, bad, ugly, and beautiful -- with my family. Perhaps my grandchildren will one day read this blog on a shiny contraption that has yet to be invented?

That said, it is time to transcribe my meager journal entries from December 2012 and January 2013, into a list of Unforgettable Parker-isms.

• December 6: At 5 weeks old, Parker smiled for the first time without simultaneously farting or pooping. Proud mama!
• December 7: Parker and I had lunch with our friend Amanda in Westwood, and Parker cried the entire way to and from the restaurant. 20 minutes both ways. That night, Jeremy and I went out for the Montana Avenue Christmas Walk, and Parker cried the entire way from 17th Street to 12th Street. We ducked into a pizza bar near our home for dinner, and I started to feed Parker a bottle, only to realize that we had forgotten to pack nipples. After all that crying, I really wanted some wine; breastfeeding was not an option. So Jeremy ran a few blocks home, got a nipple, and we fed Parker. But of course, after eating, Parker immediately needed to be changed. What BAR has a changing table in the restroom, though? Jeremy threw down a blanket and changed Parker on the bathroom floor. I like to think this experience boosted Parker's immunity. Perhaps it was all the trauma, but Parker slept 6 consecutive hours that night. Perhaps we should drag him around town more often?
• December 8: Parker "marched" down Jeremy's leg today, meaning he is starting to stand and move his feet. In non-baby news, I cooked a delicious pumpkin curry soup for dinner.
• December 9: Parker slept 7 hours last night. I think he is starting to get the hang of this fantastic night-time activity. 
• December 12: Parker is 6 weeks old! And he wights 11 pounds! I was cleared to exercise again, so tomorrow I am planning to go on a run. I wonder how many sports bras I'll need to wear? My boobs are milk jugs. Literally.
• December 16: Parker has consistently been sleeping 5 and 6 hour stretches every night. And he smiles a lot now.
• December 23: Our heater broke. The house is freezing. So Parker is sleeping in our bed. I don't know how I feel about this, but Parker sleeps long and hard, so that is a bonus. 
• December 24: Christmas Eve! Parker did a lot of eating and sleeping today. We opened a Christmas present early tonight, and Parker was vaguely intrigued by the process.
• December 25: Merry Christmas! We spent the day Skyping with the family. Parker also took a few steps while we held him for support. He was wearing his new desert boots.
• December 28: Parker has started to repeat back sounds that we make, especially, "Oh...." Tiffany and Chris are visiting, and we went on a hike to the Hollywood Sign. I nursed Parker in the Bjorn while we were there. I am rather impressed with myself.
• December 29: Road trip! We're heading to San Francisco, and we stopped in Paso Robles for the night. Parker has a bad diaper rash, so we let him "air out" at the hotel. He peed on everything. At least it wasn't our house...
• December 30: Made it to SF and spent the evening at the D'Alessios. Parker went through 5 diapers in 4 hours. We drove him home in a soaking wet cloth diaper that we had previously been using as a burp cloth. Jeremy, in the passenger seat and a bit drunk, kept asking if we could stop for a burrito on the way back to the hotel. 
• December 31: New Years Eve in Mountain View! Eva squeals when she touches Parker, which Parker finds amusing. The babies had a hard time falling to sleep, but the parents all passed out at 11:30 PM. My how things have changed.
• January 6: A new record: Parker has finally slept for 8 hours straight.
• January 9: Parker rolled over three times today and grasped his orange ball for the first time. Of course, he immediately put the ball into his mouth. He has also started to smile when we burp him in a seated position. Why do all males like to burp?
• January 14: Parker pretty much "tap danced" in his poopy diaper today. Poop everywhere, including the walls and me, and obviously, his legs and feet. Nasty, but hilarious.
• January 19: I had a total meltdown in the freezing cold, dingy pumping stall at Anderson. I'm back at school and work, and I have no idea how I'm going to make it.
• January 20: Parker has discovered the mirror. He likes to stare at himself. This evening, he started to bump his head against it and laugh.
• January 23: We put Parker into his crib "drowsy" but not totally asleep for the first time. It resulted in 2 hours of crying, but in the end, 9 hours of sleep. We will persevere.
• January 25: Parker again cried for about 2 hours before finally going to sleep. But at one point, amidst many tears, Parker stuck his tongue out at me. It was appreciated comic relief.

Wow. Now that I actually type out these moments from Parker's early weeks, I can't believe how much of my life during this time focused on Parker's ability to go to sleep -- and to stay asleep. Throughout all of February and March, Parker would cry for 2 and 3 hour stretches before going to sleep most nights. Worse, he would rarely let Jeremy touch him without wailing. I had to put him to sleep every night. It was tiring and frustrating. And thinking that this was how things would be forever more was frightening. I think that by April, things improved; and obviously, Parker is a great sleeper now.  

No wonder I used to have a hard time answering the question, "Don't you just love being a mom?" No, I did not JUST love it. I SOMETIMES loved it. And I sometimes LOATHED it. The first six months of Parker's life were very hard. And I was very afraid to tell someone that I was having a really hard time. Being anything but elated after having a baby is a scary thing to discuss. I feel like the topic of postpartum depression makes others automatically assume that a mother does not love her baby. For me, that was never the case; I have always loved Parker. Motherhood was where I struggled. I had no idea what I was doing, I felt like a total mess, and I was so exhausted. 

I guess the only difference between now and those months when I was sleep deprived and not sure how I would make it through another day is that I have made it through those days. Well, that and now I am taking some anti-anxiety medication. And I am being kinder to myself. Not holding myself to ridiculously high standards has been incredibly helpful in making motherhood something I actually do love doing. With experience, the enormous task of satisfying a baby's every need is now a little less daunting. I actually understand why experienced parents don't mind holding a screaming newborn or changing a really disgusting diaper: babies are soft, they smell good, and for the most part, they want you to hold them. These three facts outweigh how hard it is to be a human milk machine that never sleeps and is constantly cleaning, because none of this lasts forever. Our children are babies for such a small, special, chunk of our life. 

Parker, I love being your mom. I always have, really. But I love that I can now make this statement with so much more confidence now than I could nearly a year ago. Thanks for sticking by me. You are a wonderful, beautiful boy.

Leaving Lisboa

Although we had intentions to drive from our place in the Algrave back to Lison via the very scenic coastal highway, we realized that spending five hours in the car -- even with rest stops to snap photos, play on the beach, or grab a meal -- was exactly the opposite of what we were hoping to do on this vacation with Parker. Yes, Jeremy and I have routinely traveled 5 hours by car throughout Spain and France, but we chose to visit Portugal because we would be able to see many regions of the country with minimal amounts of drive time.

So after a quick "breakfast bandit" at the hotel, we wrestled Parker into his car seat, and hopped on the A1 back to Lisbon. Three hours later, we had arrived, dropped our luggage off at our last AirBnB apartment, and were ready to explore the city. Well, Parker and I were ready. Jeremy had to return the rental car. So Parker and I ventured out in the Baixa for a quick lunch. I stumbled upon a cute cafe and dined on gambas e frites. Shrimp with french fries. Unfortunately, the shrimp still looked like it did when alive and well in the ocean. I don't know, I am just such a whimp with eating animals when I can still see their faces. Hell, I'm barely a fan of eating animals that didn't roam free or eat organically while alive.

This time, though, my main "beef" with the heads and legs of my shrimp was the fact that I had to prepare them for eating with an infant on my lap. Probably the messiest meal I have had to date. But the white whine / butter drenched shrimp and french fries were delicious. Parker was a perfect date. He made friends with a Spanish couple sitting nearby, and I even got to practice my Spanish with them. I'm amazed that after all of this time -- jeez, 14 years now since my last class? -- I can still remember so much Spanish. Don't get me wrong, most of my speaking is total shit. But I was able to communicate that Parker is 10 months old, my husband is returning a rental car, we had been in Portugal for two weeks, and that we were very sad to leave. Also, that it was so kind of them to describe Parker as "muy lindo" which translates to very cute / beautiful.

We met up with Jeremy so that he could also eat lunch, and found a great wine and tapas bar. Jeremy and Parker feasted on their final octopus dish. I had a taste, but like eating ears, eating octopus is not for me. We had a great flight of wines to taste, though; and the waiter recommended a bottle for us to buy. A nice red to drink later that night once Parker fell asleep in celebration of our last night in Portugal. The bottle was a blend of Torrigas Nacional (Portugal's favorite grape) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Later that night, when we drank it, I have to admit, the Cabernet Sauvignon reminded us a bit of California, and we got a little excited to head home.

After our snacks, we boarded Tram 28, listed in the Lonely Planet as a "Must Do" in Lisbon. We rode up and down the hills of Lisbon and saw all of the neighborhoods. It was fun, and I snapped a couple great photos. But Jeremy and I apologize, Lisboa. We lived in San Francisco for too long to be over the top impressed with your city's hills or cable cars. First, the hills aren't even that steep. I don't think drivers need to curb their car's tires on any of them! And second, the cable car was more of a trolley. We're cable car people. It's just the way it is.

Tram Views...

...that Parker didn't see because he slept throughout the ride.

Narrow Lisbon Street

Pretty Yellow Building

After the tram ride, we headed to Bairro Alto, a neighborhood high in the hills of Lisbon. It was definitely our favorite part of town. Narrow cobblestone streets lined with cafes and bars. While Parker napped, we had a drink for happy hour. Jeremy opted for his last Super Bock of the trip -- at the stellar deal of only 1 Euro -- while I opted for a sangria. Parker woke up, and we ordered probably one of the best grilled cheeses -- 3 Euros -- that I've ever had. Parker loved it.

Bairro Alto Cafe

 Then, for our last dinner in Portugal, we went to a Spanish restaurant. I know, we should be ashamed of ourselves. But the Portuguese places have been so hit or miss, and this restaurant had tables in an alley with stairs that we knew Parker would have a LOVELY time crawling up and down. They even had pillows out on the steps for people to just sit in the middle of the alley (it's not gross if you don't think about it too much) and hang out. Other little kids were playing with the pillows when we arrived, so we thought it would be a good spot.

We were right. Jeremy moved on from Super Bock to Estrella Damm, the best cerveza in Barcelona. Parker stuck with his formula, and I of course, stuck with my red wine. We had a bunch of amazing tapas and chatted with the other diners while Parker made friends with a few small German girls. One of them lifted her dress at him, too. I guess that on top of walking, waving, riding a boat, and eating octopus, Parker also experienced his first flasher in Portugal.

Cheers!

And then the night was over. We headed back to our apartment in the Baixa district, rocked Parker to sleep with our typical "Ah ah" music, and enjoyed our last bottle of Portuguese wine, as well as the full moon.

The View from Our Apartment

We vowed to take another international journey next June after I graduate. Where to next? Greece? Croatia? Italy? Or should we give South America another whirl? Let's see what this next school year unfolds. But we will be back to see you again, Portugal. You have the most under-rated wine, and the friendliest people who just love babies. We are so grateful for your hospitality these past two weeks. Great memories, for sure. Abrigada and adeus!

Ciao, Algarve!

Our time in the Algarve could not have been more perfect. Yes, it started a bit rough with all of our misadventures and Parker’s ouch reports, but the past three days have been pretty spectacular. Here's a sample itinerary of our four days there:

1. Wake up and make breakfast in our room.
2. Head to the beach for a few hours.
3. Head back to our room for lunch.
4. Put Parker in his stroller and walk him around the resort’s cobblestone sidewalks for 10 minutes.
5. Parker falls asleep, and then we head to the pool to relax until he wakes up.

Parker's naps have been fabulous here. It must be the fact that his noise machine (which normally plays the sound of waves) has been replaced by real waves. He has napped so well that I have even had the time to read a book! Since Parker was born, I've done a lot of reading for school, of course. But in terms of reading for pleasure, I have only read Lean In. And to be honest, while I really loved a lot of what Sandberg was saying in this book, it felt more like a book I was actually reading for school in many ways, mostly because it made me think long and hard about how I would like to structure my career. And isn't that all we do in business school? Think about working?

For vacation, I wanted to read something that would make me laugh. (Honestly, I really just can't bring myself to read 50 Shades of Grey.) And because I was afraid I wouldn’t get much time to really do any reading on this trip, I selected the latest David Sedaris, Let’s Discuss Diabetes with Owls. I’ve been a Sedaris fan forever, but I’m really loving this book. So many of his anecdotes are incredulous, and yet they make me crave having a large, crazy family one day. But this Portuguese wine I’ve been drinking tastes too good to think about being pregnant again, let alone being pregnant 4 more times…

Back to the Algarve. We decided to visit a nearby beach, Marinha, on our last day here. Jeremy read some travel magazine article that said this beach is one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. I can’t produce the citation, but here are some pictures. I think you’ll agree it’s gorgeous.

The View at Marinha Beach

Parker fell asleep during the 10 minute drive to this beach. (We should have walked, but there's too much to carry when you go to the beach with a baby.) Parker has been having a tough time in the car lately -- I think he is getting too big for his car seat. So we were surprised that he fell asleep during such a short drive; moreover, we were floored when Parker stayed asleep down the 100 or so steps from the car to the beach. So while Parker took a snooze, yes, Jeremy and I hung out. We even did a little more reading!  

Parker Living the Life 

We headed back to our place for lunch, when it was clear that Parker had tired of eating sand and was not interested in swimming in the ocean. I think that this year, the waves are just too loud and confusing to him. He enjoyed splashing around with us when we held him past the breakers, but since he was still clawing at my neck and climbing up my waist with his feet, we thought it would be better to spend the rest of the day at the pool.

Back at our apartment for a quick bite to eat, Parker made it clear he was very thirsty when we found him drinking out of the bidet. Clever, clever, child. (And #UnforgettableParker Item 11.)

Parker Takes a Drink

So Pleased

And now for the video:

Parker Bidet Fountain from Nicole Bolton on Vimeo.

After our last relaxing afternoon, we finished the evening with a typical Algarve meal: grilled seafood. I have to say, Jeremy and I have been a little disappointed with our food since Amarante. We have been searching for good seafood high and low, and tonight we scored. Finally. Jeremy had a soup filled with every type of fish swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. Parker had omelet, and I had sea bass. It was good, once I got passed the fact that my meal showed up still wearing its head.

Guppy Face

The bill was less than 40 Euros, inclusive of a two glasses of wine (Nicole) and two beers (Jeremy) which was also especially nice. So long, Algarve. We will miss you.

Parker Grunting Ciao!

Misadventures in the Algarve

Argh, so frustrating. I don't even have the energy to complain about all the crap that happened the past two days. Instead, I’ll just list each of these annoyances and classify them as generic, run-of-the-mill, Boltano misadventures.

1. Upon waking up, I let Parker “air out” and spend some time without a diaper. So of course, he took this time as an opportunity to take a dump on the kitchen floor. In front of Lauren. And Nico. Parker actually does this a lot at home – poops on the floor during the brief intervals in which he is diaper free. But in front of friends? Unacceptable.
2. Upon packing up our car, we likely pushed our limits and put too many items in the trunk. How do I know this? Because all of a sudden, the trunk won’t close. Then, even when we took a bunch of items out of the trunk, it still wouldn’t close. Something happened to the latch. When Jeremy had picked up the car, the “nice people” at Sado Rent were working on the trunk, assuring Jeremy that everything was fine. Well, they were wrong. We drove to Estoril in an effort to get a new car – we obviously cannot drive with a trunk that doesn’t close. However, the dimwits in Estoril couldn’t help us, and in the end, we had to head into Lisbon to swap cars. Overall, it was a very smooth misadventure, it just caused us to lose a few hours of fun with Lauren and Nico. We dropped them at the airport, I cried a little because I wished I lived in much closer proximity to my bestest friend, and eventually we were on the road to the Algarve.
3. Amazingly, Parker slept for nearly the entire three hour drive from Lisbon to our place in the Algarve. I cannot believe it. Jeremy and I listened to Bossypants (all hail Tina Fey) for most of the drive, and the only misadventure that happened en route was when Jeremy’s iPhone died and we had to wait 15 minutes for it to charge enough to continue playing Bossypants. 
4. Our place in the Algarve is SICK. I mean it – it’s amazing. I have dreamed of visiting the Algarve ever since Lauren sent me a postcard of its rocky coast back in 2004 I believe. And here were are. Our hotel is on the beach, the coast is rocky, and there is even an arch right at our doorstep. 

The Arch at La Praia Suites Alba Resort

Where is the misadventure, you ask? See the three items, below:

• This morning, Jeremy opened the bedroom door not realizing Parker was behind it. He wacked Parker in the forehead and gave him a massive egg on his forehead. 
• Parker has been walking, and I’m very excited for him. Perhaps too excited. And perhaps, too confident in his abilities. He still needs some assistance from time to time, and I unfortunately didn’t provide that to him while he was in the hotel baby pool. He took six steps and then fell right into the concrete edge, scraping his nose and adding a second egg to his forehead, this time in the eyebrow region. When I look at him, all I can see is how horrible of a mother I am.
• Somehow, I messed up our safe. I placed our ipads, passports, and jewelry into the safe, entered the code and thought all was well. But later that day, I couldn’t open it. We needed an administrator from the hotel to help us open it. Very embarrassing.

 

So our vacation is going well, obviously. We love a few misadventures mixed in with great scenery, relaxing days, delicious wines, and gorgeous photos. I sincerely hope that we avoid a day of “ourch reports” in the near future, though. 

Silly Family Photos on the Beach

Time to get back to the beach and pool, I think…

Parker Loving the Infinity Pool and View of the Atlantic

Day Trippers: Lisbon Edition

Prior to arriving in Portugal, Jeremy had made it clear to me that he really wanted to spend time in Lisbon. I’ll be honest. I didn't care much one way or the other. Aside from a few very special towns in Europe, I don’t really notice the unique identifying factors that differentiate Lisbon from Porto from Madrid from Sevilla. I know, shoot me. I love traveling. And I do love each of these places in a slightly different way. But at this point, I am not expecting my heart to stop beating upon spending time in a new European city, save Prague. (I've just heard too many wonderful things!) Anyway, if I didn’t see every corner of Lisbon, I was not about to cry about it.  In contrast, Jeremy was. Really. He was going to cry about it.

And so we boarded a train to Lisbon after our first morning in Cascaish. Lauren had visited Lisbon before, but we didn’t really have much of an itinerary. After exiting the train station in Lisbon, we headed East towards the Baixa / Chaido. The adults had two main goals for the day: to drink alcohol (responsibly) and eat as much seafood as possible. We kicked off the adventure with very large beers, that took forever to arrive. Yes, we reluctantly picked a café in the downtown tourist region because 1) we were super thirsty and 2) it had free wifi and 3) it had an open table. And yet, we sat for about 15 minutes before Lauren transformed from her French, laid back self to her American, assertive self and demanded service that later turned into 3 awesomely large but possibly contaminated beers, plus a tap on the arm – “Sorry, friend” – from our waiter.

Super Bocks for the Besties

Upon finishing our beers and full of liquid strength, we opted not to hop onto the #28  tram for a relaxed time taking in the city. Instead, we marched up the hills of the Alfama district, pushing babies in strollers and/or carrying  babies in our arms  until we reached a castle that we were too cheap / bored/ more interested in another beer to actually visit. Throughout this time traversing up many a mountain to the castle, Parker, who has just recently learned how to wave “Hi”, literally said hello to every tourist in the city of Lisbon. Hilarity ensued. This kid is only happy once everyone with whom he has made some form of eye contact acknowledges his presence and returns his “ Eh” plus waving with “Hola, Ciao, Hello, or Hi.”  I sound like I’m complaining, but really, saying hello to every tourist who finished viewing the Castelo de Sao Jorge might just be my favorite memory of this vacation. I love how much Parker loves to see and be seen by other people.

Parker Waiving to Everyone in Lisbon

We did a lot of wandering around the city and enjoyed a great dinner before heading back to Cascais. Parker enjoyed his food - he again munched on all different kinds of fish that I don't think I had the guts to try until I was at least nineteen years old. However, more than anything, Parker enjoyed climbing the steps up at this restaurant. He ascended up and down at least three or four times before our food came, and another three or four times afterwards. He was so dirty that he required three rounds of scrubbing in the bath to ensure all of Lisbon's dirt was removed from his skin before bed time.

Parker Climbing Another Lisbon Staircase

I'm pretty sure he thought the day was awesome. And I have to say, Lisbon is probably one of my new favorite cities in Europe. So I apologize, Jeremy, for not being more excited about it when we were planning our trip. Glad we have one more day here after the Algarve and before we fly home!

Lisbon Sneak Preview

A Long Lisboan Style Weekend

I only get to see my best friend once a year, on average. This statistic takes into consideration the years that I don’t even see her at all, coupled with the years I see her twice, maybe even three times. Lucky for me, this year, I have seen her two times, and I may even get to see her once more. So despite the hangover I should have felt after having too much wine in the hotel bar last night, I felt great upon waking up this morning at 5:45 AM. Today was the day we were leaving Amarante, picking up Lauren at the Lisbon airport, and spending three glorious days with her and Nico, the newest addition to her family. We planned to spend a relaxing long weekend where the Lisboan locals spend their summers, a posh beach town only 30 minutes outside of town called Cascais (pronounced Kush-kighsh).

As we departed Amarante, we entered the Lisbon airport into the GPS to ensure we didn’t get lost trying to read Portuguese street signs. At this moment, the GPS told us the trip to the airport would take 3 hours. I have no effing clue what happened – there wasn’t any traffic, and we somehow saw only a handful of cars during the entire drive – but at some point, the trip duration jumped to 4 hours. When we finally made it to the airport and picked up Lauren and Nico, we barely had enough space in the car – yes, the entire car, not just the trunk – for our bags, plus her (minuscule) backpack, stroller, and carseat. (Sidebar: How does anyone in Europe take a road trip? I guess the trains really are better options...) We had initially rented a station wagon, but were told at the rental center a full size sedan had more trunk space. I feel like we were driving in a Honda Civic, which as you know, is no real full size sedan. Nevertheless, we somehow managed to close the trunk (more on that later...) and get everyone buckled in, to drive 30 more minutes to Cascais.

We had rented an apartment through AirBnB, which looked LOVELY on the AirBnB website. And to our hostesses’ credit, the place was lovely on the inside. But upon arriving at our destination, we kind of felt like we had stumbled upon either a crack house or a meth lab. OK, it wasn’t that bad, but it was pretty close. Not sure how the insides of a building can be so nice when the outsides are so decrepit. Our hostesses, Ana and Izabel, greeted us from the kitchen window, smoking cigarettes and waving. They certainly know how to welcome a gaggle of parents with two children under the age of 1. No comment. We certainly are in no position to judge.

Once we settled inside, we were thankful that the inside was indeed, lovely. So we put on our swim suits, took a walk, and ended up at the city beach.  Just beyond the center of town and many different bars and restaurants, the Cascais beach is conveniently located. Parker took his first dip in the Atlantic Ocean (from the European side, I’d like to add) with Nico, Lauren, and me. Jeremy, a fan only of water that is a few degrees warmer/cooler than his body (but not more than a few degrees warmer/cooler) stayed on the beach and documented the occasion taking pictures.

Parker's New Bud, Nico

Crazy Babies after a Swim

Once we tired of swimming, we traveled back into town, searching for a place to eat dinner. We stumbled upon a pizzeria, and while asking a man who ended up NOT working there for a menu, we were invited to sit down and join him for appetizers whilst he waited for his girlfriend. I know right? Who would have thought that this guy’s girlfriend would actually ever show up? But she did. He wasn’t a total DB. We hung out with them for an hour or so, while the boys luckily napped, had a couple drinks, and discussed where in Portugal we had to visit. It was awesome. We eventually left this lovely couple to enjoy their date without three additional adults and two crying babies, went home, and devoured two pizzas – one with truffles, the other with anchovies – and passed out. (I’ll pretend that we didn't spend any time dealing with putting babies to sleep. It’s a better memory of the vacation that way.)

By the way, I’m serious. Pizza #1 was not covered in mushrooms. They were truffles. The real effing deal. Dee-lish. Thanks for coming to meet up with us, Laur. I am so excited to spend a few days with you!

A Day in the Douro Valley

I think that after today, Jeremy and I have found a new place to retire. We’ll spend spring time in San Francisco, winters in Lake Tahoe (we plan to snowboard well into our 90s), summers in Nice, and the autumns? We’ll spend those in the Douro Valley. By now, Jeremy and I have had the good fortune to visit wine regions in France, Spain, and of course, California. However, not even the stunning landscapes of Bordeaux or Napa Valley, come close to competing with the beauty of the Douro.

Family Photo

To visit the Douro, we hopped in our rental care and drove  the winding and often treacherous switchback style roads from Amarante to the town of Pinhao. In total, the drive was about one hour, so this entire region is about as far from the city of Porto as Napa is to San Francisco (90 minutes).  I always love a road trip that involves drastic changes in scenery, and this trip was no exception. We started driving through the grey, cobbled streets of Amarante, initially built by the Romans and ended up in green, rolling mountains, tangled up in terraces of grapevines, and flecked with lovely white cottages with red roofing. Glorious.

Landscape

Although wines from France, Italy, and Spain dominate the  “Old World” wine scene, Portugal’s Douro valley is the world’s first demarcated wine region. Yes, the entire area is a World Heritage Site, so Jeremy was thrilled to spend an entire day engulfed in such history. The “quintas” or wineries that line both sides of the Douro river produce grapes that are unique to Portugal only – you won’t find a merlot, cabernet sauvignon, or pinot noir up here. The favorite grape of the country is Torrigas Nacional, which makes a smooth, delicious wine that is easy to drink. (Yes, large quantities have been consumed by yours truly.)

What’s really incredible is that these wines are also so affordable. We purchased a lovely 2003 tinto (red blend) from one quinta for 18 Euros. We also purchased the 2010 version of this wine and vowed to save it for two more years, when our winemaker said it will peak. (Jeremy and I have never saved a bottle of wine this long. Fingers crossed we can keep our promise. We plan to drink it on our 5 Year Anniversary – looking forward to July 3, 2015!) Even at other quintas, we purchased more excellent wines for less than 20 Euros. My favorite was Quinta do Vallado. They made a really interesting muscat that smelled like a typical muscat – very sweet – but was completely dry, even lighter than a sauvignon blanc. As our host who shared the wine with us said, “Drinking this wine is a delightful surprise!” I even liked Quinta do Vallado’s Tawny Port – it was smooth and melted like caramel in your mouth. We bought a bottle (13 Euros) to drink when our family comes out to Santa Monica to celebrate Parker’s birthday.

Speaking of Parker, wasn’t he again the star of the show all day? We actually began our day in the Douro with a boat cruise. Jeremy likes to call it a float trip, in respect for his annual guys weekend with his friends from college. On our boat, we didn’t consume nearly the amount of alcohol those guys do on their trip, but we made up for it with many, many pictures.

At first, we were a little nervous about taking Parker on the boat, but it was a smooth ride and Parker was able to walk around a lot. In doing so, he buddied up with a few men from the Netherlands who loved making different sounds that resulted in Parker laughing hysterically. Parker also flirted with a very pretty French woman, who was kissing him and holding him by the end of the trip. And because Parker has really fine tuned his hello and good-bye waving, you can imagine how much time we stood at the boat after the trip was complete, waving good-bye (au revoir, adeush, not sure what it is in Dutch…) to all of the passengers.

Party Boy 

We arrived back in Amarante 100% sober. The first time Jeremy and I went wine tasting without getting drunk. Clearly, Parker has slowed our wine tasting game considerably. We only hit up three quintas; on an average day in Napa/Sonoma, we easily make it to five or six! Oh, well. That’s life! Being 100% sober though, the last thing we wanted to do was find ourselves sitting at a restaurant being presented with“typical” Northern Portuguese food like ears or kidneys or tripe again. So we stopped by a pizzeria. It wasn’t the best pizza of our lives, but it was also free of cured meat, so we all lapped it up, including Parker. Who also broke one of the restaurant’s dishes. Our waitress, Sabrina, was great, though. She played with Parker and told us that she hopes to visit the United States one day. Since our son broker her dish, and because we also hope she makes it to America, we left a big tip.  

Tomorrow’s agenda? We have an early-morning wake-up call, as we’ll be getting on the road to pick up one of my very bestest friends (Lauren) and her son Nico for a weekend at the beach in Cascais, just outside Lisbon.