Last year, I took a little trip to Portugal and thought Lisbon was the bee's knees. It's a super cool city with endless design shops, amazing food, and plenty of sunshine. I can't wait to find a good excuse to go back. But what I might've left out was how completely in love I fell with the countryside down south in Alentejo and along the Algarve coast.

On our way south from Lisbon, we stopped at every parque natural we could find and every last one was as gorgeous as the last. Coming home every night to a farm in Odemira, we explored the coast from Sines to Lagos. We hiked out to see the pounding surf and took long walks along the dunes. We drove through so many tiny whitewashed villages and took the long way home. We ate simply grilled fish and hearty seafood stews. Did I mention the wine?

You should find an excuse to go there, too. Be still my heart.

All photos shot with either my Pentax 645N & Kodak Portra 400 or my iPhone.

Portra just loves that Portuguese sunshine.

Earlier this year, I headed with two college BFFs to Portugal! The three of us planned to intersect in Lisbon for an extra long weekend, head south to the Alentejo and Algarve coasts, and spend a couple of nights exploring the City of Seven Hills. The three of us are old pros at traveling together, and trips are always the best excuse to spend quality time together and ensure great hijinks. We've endured Italian rail strikes, held baby sea turtles in the Dominican Republic, crashed wedding parties in India, and hiked on Alaskan glaciers.

I don't know that any of us were quite sure what to expect from Lisbon, as the last minute logistics didn't allow for a lot of planning or reading up on the city and all it has to offer. But WOW, what a city. We stayed across the street from the Eduardo VII Park in a lovely part of town and explored so many neighborhoods: Bairro Alto, Alfama, Baixa, Chiado, Amoreiras.

Months later, I'm struck by the clarity and quality of light in Lisbon: those Mediterranean blues and yellows sing. The city is full of textures, too; the craftsmanship of the Azulejo tiling is just incredible, and I can’t get enough of the decorative cobblestone pavilions and bright colors everywhere. Architecturally, the vibe seems to sit right at the center of a wonderful melting pot of Roman, Moorish, and North African influence and ornament. Don't even get me started on the food and wine. Let's just say we probably wore out our welcome at Lost in Esplanada, and there are a now approximately one million more rooftop bars and design shops on our list.

I'm excited to share the first set of images I have from the trip, and working on more! Happy travels and have a wonderful weekend!