The moment I saw this elderly couple at the winery, I couldn’t help it but to think of my grandparents. They always wanted travel together, but they never had a chance to do so. My grandfather spent more than half of his life on earning money to raise his family. By the time he earned enough to retire, his health started to deteriorate unable to travel. I know I can’t turn back the hands of time and make him alive to travel with grandma, but I would like to dedicate this post to them.
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.
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They could hardly sleep last night as they were too excited to visit winery. By the time they arrived the winery, they acted as if it was their first school trip. Their vast curiosity encouraged them to keep looking around and touching whatever it was around them.
Their inner active child had never stopped until it was the time for wine tasting. They sat patiently and waited to be served with the wine. Both of them coincidentally took a small sniff of the wine and swirled it before tasting. ย When each sip of the wine slowly evaporated in their mouth, they started remembering the first wine they had together at their wedding.
All good memories kept flashing in their head. Then, he looked at the window when hugging her from behind. ย ‘Remember what I promised you when little princess was born?’, he asked. She looked down and nodded with a smile on her face.
I was surprised to find out the promise he made was to have a boat trip with us. What made me even more surprised was he already started channeling my travel desire on the day I was born. The mesmerizing picture of peaceful Douro River, colorful Porto boats and magnificent Dom Luรญs I Bridge altogether was the main reason why I wanted to travel to Porto 2 years ago.
They asked me to sit in between them and held my hands tightly when enjoying an amazing view of Douro River. I almost felt bad to be in this position until I saw how satisfied they were. I guess it just reminded them of the wonderful time they had when I was very little. Although they seemed to be living in their good old memories, they never forgot to teach me a life lesson as usual. “Never be afraid of all the challenging bridges you may face in your life because they will always teach you something valuable”, they pointed at the bridges we saw during our trip and said.
As I saw how much they enjoyed teaching me a life lesson, I somehow felt like teaching them how to say “hi” in English. They were shy to say it at first, but eventually took the courage to say it aloud to the travelers on another boat “hhh…Hi”. ย However, our trip was about to end. They both obviously seemed a bit upset about it, so I offered them a cable car ride to cheer them up.
Luckily, they accepted my offer with full of excitement. He gently held our hands when we first entered the cable car. He even asked grandma to lean on his chest if she ever felt scared of the ride. I knew she wasn’t scared at all, but she still pretended to be just to make him feel good.
I thought it would be awesome to capture the moment when she leaned on his chest, but they stopped me doing it immediately. They took a picture of me instead. It was sweet to see him using his left hand to hold half of my camera while she used her right hand to hold the other half of it. “It feels good to see you’re all grown up now”, they looked at me with tears in their eyes and said. What they said completely melted my heart and made me promise to myself to be the best granddaughter as I could be.
I never made empty promises and therefore I took them to Miradouro da Serra do Pilar to make them even happier after the cable car ride. It was a place where they could enjoy a panoramic view of Porto. They were speechless to see how breathtaking it looked and asked me to pinch their face to ensure what they saw was real. I knew It was the time for them to spend some quality time with each other.
I sat aside soaking up the sun to be grateful for having them as my grandparents. All they did for me was more than just memories. I believe it will make me a better person.
Time flies when you’re having fun. I couldn’t believe the sun started to set. All boats decided to rest after working hard for a whole day. Threads of yellow and orange lights in the sky slowly prepared us for a romantic night. Clouds kept rolling in to cover Porto with darkness gradually.
When the city was covered by a complete darkness, city lights glistened as twinkling stars in the sky.ย It became much more romantic than usual to allure them coming closer to the river. He wrapped her in his arms as a gentle breeze brushed up their face. ‘You will always be the woman of my life’, he looked at her with sparks in his eyes and said. ย She couldn’t react, but to be deeply intoxicated by his love.
Khloe, What a lovely tribute to your grandparents. Just gorgeous! ๐ โค
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Aww thank you so so much for your kind words! โค Hope they like it as much as I do! ๐ Have a great day dear! ๐
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You are welcome Khloe. ๐ ๐ โค
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Beautiful tribute Khloe! ๐
The pictures look amazing!! I can see you had a great time! The sunset made me want to pack my bags and leave to a sunny place now!!
I’ll definitely want to visit Porto now! ๐
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Thanks a lot for your sweet comment and liking the photos my dear! โค Yes, i had an amazing time there for sure! I wouldn't mind to travel to Porto again ๐ Let's start packing! You seriously need a sunny summer!!! ๐
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This is just so moving a tribute to your beloved grandparents. ๐ They did teach you well and you take them with you on your travels. ๐
I did not know my grandparents as they died before I was one, but when I read this I thought of my parents, and how I also take them with me ๐
Thank you for such a touching memory ๐
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Aww how sweet you are to say that! Heaps of thanks to you for your lovely compliment! โค My grandparents would love to hear that. I'm forever grateful for having them to teach all the life lessons!!! It's certainly my honored to take them on my travels. ๐
I'm glad this post made you think of your parents and they are equally precious as grandparents for sure. Your parents would be happy to hear you think of them when reading my post too. ๐ Always my pleasure to share with you guys ๐
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You are very welcome ๐
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Very beautiful, Khloe, both photos and words! It is like a prose poem, or even a fable, I love it!
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“prose poem, or even a fable” is certainly a huge compliment to me ๐ Thanks a ton for being so sweet! โค Hopefully, my grandparents love it too!!! ๐
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Khloe, there is a new genre called creative non fiction which you see in some of the literary magazines. I think this story would fit in. You might want to give it a try!
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Aww you say too kind to say that Phil!๐ I never knew such a genre until you told me. I wonder which literary magazine I can give it a try lol๐
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Hi Khloe, check out Creative Nonfiction Magazine on the web! Happy Sunday!
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Thanks again for telling me! ๐ ๐ ๐ I’ll check it out for sure. I had an amazing Sunday. ๐ Have a great day Phil! โค
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You too!
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Lovely post, especially the pic. Though I had to rush through it, I didn’t miss your pic on the wall. I think that was amazing ๐
Thanks for sharing!
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You’re most welcome Anoop ๐ Glad you liked the post especially the photos! Thank you so much for taking your time to read it and giving a lovely comment! โค
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Love this! Very nice and amazing pictures as well!
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment! ๐ Glad you liked it! ๐ Have a great weekend ahead! โค
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This is such an awesome post and tribute to your grandparents ~ and it was nice that they were able to visit this winery…even if only through you ~ their amazing granddaughter. And as a tour guide, they must have been so proud to have seen the lessons of life they taught you being so well observed by you. Such a creative writing piece, “They asked me to sit in between them and held my hands tightly when enjoying an amazing view of Douro River” is very touching ~ and clever photos as well, rolling right along with the story. Brilliant photos Khloe, but it is the writing that parallels these photos that I like the best – wonderful post!!!
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Thank you very much for your kind words Randall! ๐ I never thought I could write this piece, but I’m blessed to have them as my grandparents and also my inspiration. โค I also thank the elderly couple I saw at the winery for inspiring me to create a story like this. โThey asked me to sit in between them and held my hands tightly when enjoying an amazing view of Douro Riverโ – I intentionally add it to bring back their good old memories. Hope I didn't get you teary when reading this post lol! (just kidding) Honestly, it was a bit hard to make my writing parallel the photos at first but like you said before every photo has a story which somehow inspire to make it cohesive in the end. ๐ Thanks again for your appreciation! Have a lovely weekend ahead! ๐
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Wonderful tribute Khloe and your grandparents sound like a very sweet couple. โค
Gorgeous images also. ๐
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Aww thanks a lot for your lovely comment! They would be happy to hear that ๐ ๐ โค
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I am going to echo the thoughts of everyone here – this is a touching and wonderful tribute to your grandparents. I could just picture them taking the camera to take your picture. Such a great post.
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Aww heaps of thanks to you for your huge compliment! ๐ I wish they could take my picture! But anyways, I was happy to make this story as a tribute to them ๐ Enjoy your weekend with your husband and Choppy! โค
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Great adventures and so great shots;
I enjoy and love all of them;
You are so beautiful in pictures.
Best wishes for you, your family and your lovely grandparents, โค
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You are always so sweet to me dear โค Thanks a ton for your lovely compliment! ๐ Have a wonderful weekend and best wishes to you and your family as well! โค โค โค
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You sure can tell a story,and what a find to have found two sweet people ,you had me from beginning to end
Great piece
As always Sheldon
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Aww Sheldon what you commented means a lot to me! Thank you very much! โค Same here…I'll always be there to support you my dear friend ๐
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Beautiful and heartwarming post Khloe! Your grandpa must be looking down from heaven, loving you, his grand daughter with pride. Loved the writing and the photos. Well done Khloe ๐
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Aww it’s super sweet of you to say that dear!!! โค Thank you so so much for that! ๐ Hope he is proud of me writing this story as a tribute to them than to remembering how naughty I was as a kid! ๐ Thanks again for your appreciation my sweetie! ๐
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My pleasure…it’s the truth ๐
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Aww โค
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Just dropped by to say hello
Sheldon
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Aww how sweet! ๐ Hi from Hong Kong! Wish you a great week Sheldon! ๐
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Such a beautiful story full of emotions and the lovely pictures to compliment them ! Loved every bit of it! Great job, Khloe !
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Aww thanks a lot for your kind words! I’m glad you liked it as much as I do. It means a lot to me and my grandparents!!! Have a great day Prateek! ๐
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A lovely day to you too, Khloe! And do share your cake ๐ Happy birthday !
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Thanks again for your lovely wishes! โค I had a wonderful time yesterday ๐ ๐ ๐ Will share the cake with you for sure ๐ Enjoy your day!
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The moments you described were priceless! She resting against his chest just so he could feel like he was making her feel safe. Simply beautiful. A gorgeous trip of a lifetime.
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Thank you very much for your sweet compliment Prajakta! โค Glad you enjoyed this post! It is a beautiful trip filled with lots of good memories and inspires me to write a story like this ๐
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Awesome Photography. Keep up the good work. You are a fabulous photographer.
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Thank you very much for taking your time to read it and leave me a comment here! ๐ I totally appreciated it โค I'll keep it up for sure. Thanks again for your kind words! Have a great weekend ahead! ๐
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Khloe, this is a beautiful post and a wonderful tribute to your grandparents. Your photos are incredible – such gorgeous sights and brilliant colours.The sunset pictures are magnificent! I’m sure you learned a lot from your beautiful grandparents. โค
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Aww you are too sweet to say that sweetie Millie!๐ Glad you liked the photos! I did learn a lot from my grandparents… They are a role model for me. ๐ Thank you for your sweet compliment!๐ Have a great week ahead!
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*Smiles,with tears in eyes
That was a lovely thing you did for your grandparents!
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Aww thank you so much for your appreciation! ๐๐๐ Have a great week ahead!
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That was really good of you to create a great memory for your grandparents and yourself!
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Aww thanks again for your appreciation!โค๏ธ It means a lot to me!!!๐ Have a great day!
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๐ ๐ ๐
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Love the pictures of the marina!
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Glad you loved the pictures! ๐
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