The Portugal I Know

This year - thanks to Instagram believe it or not - I've fallen for the Portugal I know. I say thanks to Instagram because it's on trend to capture images of vineyards, lemon trees and fresh fruits which is exactly what I am surrounded by here. I used to desperately search for white backgrounds and perfectly painted houses but this year, I couldn't be less interested in finding those and rather sharing snippets of what I've known my whole life.



The Portugal I know is very different to the Portugal most people imagine when they think of the country, I know acres of land and old villages where the houses are made from stone, whilst you probably think of the beautiful beaches surrounding the Algarve for example. I'll be the first to admit that over the past few years I haven't enjoyed visiting, it's a completely different life to what I'm used to back home (being born and raised in London has had a huge impact on my upbringing) and the fact I have no siblings, cousins or friends my age here makes it that much harder to enjoy.

Although this year it's been slightly different; I've loved exploring my parents' village and grandparents' land, trying to source new locations for photos and I'm just generally a lot more open about being in the countryside when it's not far off 40 degrees during the day and I'd much rather be lounging on a beach!

These photos are from my first day in Portugal when I explored the village for the first time this summer, my mum wanted to pick some figs and so that's what we did! We also picked some grapes which were literally smiling at us so we couldn't leave them behind. I didn't have a day in the field in mind when I got dressed in the morning but I think my choice of dress worked really well. It's the perfect length, a midi dress is always a safe bet, and floral print which of course is a summer essential. I love the 90's ruched style of this dress - which, by the way, is from Nobody's Child - although I would say maybe size up as the top section is completely elasticated so it can get a bit too tight and uncomfortable as the day goes on, especially around the arms. My sandals are oldies from Dune and I wore a straw hat with off duty embroidered on it to keep the sun away from my face - it gets really hot!

SHOP THE POST:

Midi dress - (c/o) Nobody's Chid
Sandals - (c/o) Dune
Embroidered straw hat - (c/o) Melon Swimwear