Summer in Portugal

One of the many gifts from my marriage with Diogo has been the blending of our families and for me, an invitation into Portuguese culture, cuisine, and language. Diogo was born in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. His family moved to Atlanta, Georgia when he was six but have made sure to return yearly to their hometown where both Diogo’s maternal and paternal grandparents still live, to spend the summer holiday with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Nowadays his parents spend a lot more time there and we have taken up the mantle of the yearly summer visit.

Last year we started in his hometown and made our way through inland Alentejo, Cascais, and Lisbon. This year we started in Algarve, to celebrate a belated honeymoon, and made our way north through Ericeira and then to Figueira. I feel so grateful for our opportunity to experience new regions of the country as tourists and then to reunite with family as locals. This year we even got to visit Diogo’s grandfather’s suit factory before it is sold. It was like walking through a time capsule with all the old sewing machines, buttons, and zippers. It is a legacy I am so happy to have seen.