Carrie

This trip was courtesy of Six Senses, Douro Valley Even though it’s only an hour and 20 away from Porto airport, Six Senses in the Douro Valley feels like a true countryside escape. I’m always keen to visit places I’ve never been before, and in a decade of heading to Portugal every year, the Douro Valley hadn’t been ticked off yet. After a few days there in the sunshine, wandering the local vineyards and eating good food, I couldn’t recommend it enough as an add-on to a city break in Porto. I’m imagining a couple of days pounding the calçadas (pavements) and shopping, followed by a few nights here in the Douro Valley, waking up with a view of the river and indulging in an afternoon massage.

Just a quick post as taste of what’s to come, as sorting through all of the images shot over just a couple of days in Portugal might take me a little while. I’m going to be going in-depth on what we got up to in my next post, but for now, here are a few pictures from our first evening. I changed into this light dress from &OtherStories as soon as I could and slipped into a pair of cheap ASOS slides that are the kind you don’t mind wearing to death all summer long. That golden light that I love so much when I’m in the Alentejo was present here in the Douro Valley, too.

I’m not sure if it’s the same in other countries, but here in the UK, the invisible pressure to hit milestones in your twenties and thirties lays heavy. I’m not doing badly by any stretch, I know that, but there is something that doesn’t feel real about it, or feels as though I’m cheating because we rent. You reach an age where conversations turn to house renovations or moving out to the suburbs to be able to afford somewhere with a decent garden. If you follow the same circles of people that I do online, it’s hard to avoid the moving vlogs, bathroom or kitchen renovations, swatches of paint or gallery walls.

you get to see the outfit on Instagram with tags, why would you need to click through and see alternate angles a few days later? so I might as well spend just a little longer getting a few other shots to create something a little more substantial for the blog. I don’t mean to spill the content of my brain, but just wanted to let you know that everything you’ve asked for is coming – I know I’m going to be using it non-stop, as it’s the perfect throw-everything-in shape and size.