![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Stack-3.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s\na breakdown of everything I packed in my suitcase: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clothing: <\/strong> Once\nI had gathered my clothing, I folded it and placed it all in a medium-sized\npacking cube. These cubes are available in many sizes and can be purchased on\nthe internet at sites such as Amazon. These little wonders corral your garments\nand keep them compact. It all fit perfectly and left plenty of room for my\nother essentials like toiletries and shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking\nof shoes, I brought five pairs. I focused on lightweight, streamlined footwear\nthat would be comfortable for walking\u2014several of the cities we visited are on\nsteep hills\u2014and would match easily with my clothing. Here is my list of\nfootwear: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Footwear: <\/strong> I\nchose a silver and crystal color story and a gold and crystal color story for\nthis trip. For accent pieces, I brought a pearl necklace and my tried-and-true\nturquoise bracelet that I often travel with. I wore each piece at least once on\nthe trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I also\nbrought a small group of bags for daytime and nighttime use, plus a small\nbackpack that I used as a carry-on. I realized on the trip that I could have\njust packed my gold bag for evenings and left the black evening bag at home; the\ngold bag is a fabulous neutral and looked great with all my outfits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bags: <\/strong> The\nday we flew to Madrid, I wore dark denim jeans, a white t-shirt, and my pewter\nsneakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\ntopped the look with a black knit jacket and a white linen scarf. This outfit\nwas my \u201ctravel uniform\u201d\u2014a functional and chic look that is comfortable for a\nlong flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nblack jacket was one of the bulkier items I planned to bring, so I wore it on\nthe plane instead of packing it, and it kept me warm in the chilly evenings. The sneakers\u2014another bulky item I didn\u2019t want to\npack\u2014were a comfortable option that gave my travel uniform a polished overall\nlook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nwore these jeans, the black jacket, my sneakers, and my white linen scarf on\neach subsequent travel day. However, I did mix things up by wearing a different\nt-shirt each time. Getting your travel uniform right can be tricky, but once\nyou\u2019ve done it, you will feel cozy, fashionable, and ready for the several flights\nand rides to and from airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our\nfirst stop was in Madrid, Spain\u2019s bustling capital city, where we spent several\ndays exploring. After our arrival, we settled into our hotel room, changed\nclothes, and then headed out for dinner. I wore my white eyelet top with pale pink pants, the gold flat sandals,\nand my pearl necklace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nnext morning, Barry and I headed out into the city. The mornings in Madrid started\noff cool, but it always got much warmer by the afternoon. I wore my navy skort,\na white t-shirt, and the navy cotton cardigan. I paired this outfit with navy ballet\nflats and, after it got hot outside, I draped the cardigan over my shoulders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our\nfirst stop was the Royal Palace, the official residence for the royal family.\nThe grounds of the Palacio Real\nwere lavish and stunning, and we enjoyed taking in the ornate architecture and mesmerizing\nart on the premises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nour second evening in Madrid, we enjoyed another great dinner, dining on some\nof the most delicious paella I\u2019ve ever eaten. For the festive occasion, I wore my postcard print dress and accessorized it with gold\nsandals, my turquoise bracelet, a coral cashmere scarf, and my gold bag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nnext day we rose bright and early and met up with our tour guide to check out\nthe world-famous Museo Nacional del Prado, which is home to the works of Francisco\nde Goya, Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, and many other legendary artists. Dating\nback to the year 1819, the museum\u2019s bicentennial coincided with our trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nthis day of sightseeing, I wore my black-and-white cotton skirt with a black\nt-shirt, my black knit jacket, and the pewter sneakers. The sneakers proved\ngreat for walking through the many rooms of the Prado, as well as the\nadditional walking we did around the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After\nwe left the museum, our tour guide walked us through a local neighborhood to\ngive us a better sense of the city. We had a great time checking out the shops,\nthe caf\u00e9s, and the street scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While\ndoing a bit of window shopping, I discovered a local store that sold stylish\nwaterproof handbags and backpacks. I ended up buying one that I loved in\nmarigold, a cheerful color for summertime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nended our busy day by having dinner at a fabulous restaurant, Ten Con Ten. I\nwore a long skirt from my closet that I have owned for 10 years. This\nskirt is one of those gems that is great for evenings when you want to look\ndressy but feels comfortable in warm weather. The pattern adds interest, and\nthe material is light and cool\u2014perfect for a Mediterranean climate. I paired it\nwith a white tank top, the white pearl necklace, a white cashmere shawl, my\ngold sandals, and the gold bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nour last day in Madrid, we went to the Reina Sofia Museum to get our fill of 20th<\/sup>\ncentury art from masters like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dal\u00ed. After that, Barry and I enjoyed a\nnice lunch and did a little more sightseeing around town. I knew this would be\na heavy walking day, so I dressed accordingly in the navy skort and cardigan, blue t-shirt, and sneakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On our final night in Madrid, we attended\na fabulous evening of Flamenco dancing at Corral de la Morer\u00eda.\nHere I am standing in front of the stage before the show wearing my gold and chocolate\ndress, a chocolate shrug, and my gold necklace on a brown cord. I completed the\nlook with a gold sandal and gold bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nnext morning we kissed Madrid goodbye and headed over to Porto, Portugal\u2019s\nsecond-largest city. The weather was warm, so after checking into our hotel, I\nchanged out of my travel uniform and slipped on my navy skort, a red-and-white\nstriped tee, and sneakers. I wore my black hat for a little added sun\nprotection on that particularly bright day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then,\nBarry and I set off on the popular six bridges boat tour, which traverses the\nDouro River and offers stunning views of the famous Dom Lu\u00eds I Bridge and the five other\nbridges that cross the river. From our vantage point on the water, we could\nrelax and take in the city\u2019s beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That evening Barry and I traveled to\nMatosinhos, a lovely fishing village 17 miles from the center of Porto. We dined\nat Marisqueira Antiga, a well-known seafood restaurant known for serving the\nfreshest fish caught that day. I wore my pink pants with a silver-and-white\nt-shirt and my gold flat sandals, which were great for strolling the city\nstreets. I paired this outfit with the long silver necklace, crystal cuff, and\nmy gold bag. I tied on my cardigan once again just in case the evening grew\nchilly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nfollowing morning, we met up with our wonderful tour guide for a full day of\nsightseeing in Porto. He drove us all around the city to our hearts\u2019 content. On\nthis day I wore a black t-shirt with my black-and-white skirt and topped it\nwith my black jacket and linen scarf. I wore my sneakers and carried my new\nmarigold backpack, which I am so glad I purchased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nhighlight of the day was our visit to W. & J. Graham\u2019s, a local port maker,\nfor a port tasting. The grounds of the winery were beautiful and the wine\ndelicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following\nthe port tasting, we headed over to the stunning Casa da M\u00fasica, designed by\nrenowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, and enjoyed an excellent lunch on the museum\u2019s\ntop floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nour last night in Porto, we enjoyed a great meal at Flow, a very cool\nrestaurant in the heart of the city. I wore my white dress with a crystal\nbracelet, gold sandals, and my gold bag. For an interesting pop of color, I\nwore my coral cashmere shawl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nnext day we traveled south to the city of Coimbra. I dressed in my navy skort\nwith a white t-shirt and cardigan with navy ballet slippers and carried my\nblack Tumi bag, which is great for travel days thanks to its minimalist,\nstreamlined design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Along\nthe drive, we stopped to visit the Vista Alegre Porcelain Factory, which is\nknown for its stunning glass and china creations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nspent just one night in Coimbra, and that evening we dined at the restaurant on\nthe premises of our historic hotel, Quinta das L\u00e1grimas. I wore my gold-and-chocolate\ndress with the matching shrug and the gold necklace on a brown cord. I paired\nthis with my gold sandals and my gold bag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nnext morning, we departed for Portugal\u2019s vibrant capital city, Lisbon. I wore\nmy navy skort paired with the red-and-white striped top, my sneakers, and a\nblack hat. We stopped at several lovely towns along the scenic drive, including\nSintra, Estoril, and Cascais. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After\nwe arrived and settled into our hotel, we headed out for yet another incredible\nseafood restaurant! I wore my pink pants with my white eyelet top. I\naccessorized this look with my pearl necklace, gold flat sandal, and my gold\nbag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nnext day, Barry and I had a great time rambling all around Lisbon. There were\nso many beautiful areas to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nthis day, I wore my black-and-white skirt with a black t-shirt, my pewter\nsneakers, and my new hat, which I found at a market across the street from our\nhotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nour second night in Lisbon, I wore my postcard dress with the gold sandals and\nbag and crystal bracelet. As you can see from our empty plates, Barry and I\nboth enjoyed our dinner immensely!<\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nour final night in Lisbon, we ate dinner at an interesting restaurant requiring\nus to walk up winding stone staircases, called\nZambeze. On this evening, I carried my gold bag and wore my long skirt with the\nwhite tank top, pearl necklace, and gold sandal. The restaurant had a beautiful\nview of the city, and we enjoyed sipping cocktails while watching the sun set. It\nwas the perfect way to end a fantastic trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So,\ndid I have a \u201csuccessful pack\u201d for my trip? Let\u2019s find out!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\ncan judge whether we have packed wisely only once we are living from our\nsuitcases. And by that point, we must adapt and learn lessons to remember for\nthe next trip. I can usually tell if I\u2019ve done a good job of packing a couple\nof days into my travels. The good news is, I would rate this Spain and Portugal\ntrip a success. Here are a few insights: <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nmade one packing error.<\/strong> As it turns out, I chose the wrong hat. Next time, I\nwould bring a smaller, more packable hat rather than the black one I packed\nthis time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oddly\nenough, I did not wear my white pants.<\/strong> This surprised me, because white jeans\nare such a good option for a Mediterranean tour. If you\u2019re heading to this\nclimate, don\u2019t hesitate to bring white, cream, or other light-colored pants.\nYou will likely have plenty of chances to wear them. In my case, my pale pink\npants served the same purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nskort is perfect for travel. <\/strong>If you feel comfortable showing your legs,\na skort, skirt, or casual dress is the coolest choice for sightseeing in hot\nclimates. Sometimes it is simply too hot for long pants, and these options are\nmore polished than shorts. As you can tell, I got so much use out of my navy\nskort. It came in handy when we experienced a heatwave in Coimbra and Lisbon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nfashion formula keeps things simple.<\/strong> On this trip I wore many of the same\nlooks, particularly during the daytime\u2014usually a t-shirt and either my skort or\nthe black-and-white print skirt. I alternated between my navy cotton cardigan\nand my black knit jacket as layering pieces, and they looked good with every\ncombination. I like to dress in a simple formula like this during travel\nbecause it gives me more time to relax and sightsee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My\nshoe selections earned an A+. <\/strong>I made good footwear choices for this\ntrip. I typically wore the navy ballet flat with my navy skort and paired the\npewter sneaker with my black-and-white skirt. The gold flat sandals offered me\nvariety any time I wanted to change things up for daytime or evening, and they\nworked well on the night I wore my pink pants and lace detail top. I wore my\ngold heeled sandal with most of my dinner options, which gave those outfits an\nextra layer of polish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swimsuits\nbelong in your bag (even if you don\u2019t end up using them).<\/strong> If you think you\nmight swim, it\u2019s prudent to bring a swimsuit\u2014especially since they typically\ndon\u2019t take up much space. As it turns out, I would have been able to swim only in\nCoimbra, but we were busy sightseeing instead. Still, I don\u2019t regret having it \u201cjust\nin case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nused nearly everything else I packed. <\/strong>Aside from my white jeans and swimsuit, my\nflip flops were the only other thing I did not wear, and that was because all\nthe hotels we stayed in provided slippers. The only accessory I did not use was\nthe small black bag for evenings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope you have enjoyed another installment of\nmy What I Packed and How I Wore It <\/em>series. I love recapping our\nadventures, sharing what worked and what didn\u2019t, and inspiring chic and\nfashion-forward looks for wherever your wanderlust leads you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Each year, Barry and I pack our bags and take a trip to celebrate our anniversary. In recent years, we have traveled to some of our favorite European cities, including Paris, Amsterdam, London, Marrakesh, and Rome. This spring, we decided to explore some of the beautiful cities of Spain and Portugal. Our trip included a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,63,18,1],"tags":[117,121,86],"class_list":["post-604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anniversary","category-packing","category-travel","category-uncategorized","tag-anniversary","tag-packing","tag-travel","wpbf-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=604"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667,"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604\/revisions\/667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
5 t-shirts
1 white tank top
1 white eyelet top
1 cotton shrug
1 cotton cardigan
3 summer dresses suitable for daytime or evening
1 long skirt
1 black-and-white print skirt for daytime
1 navy skort for daytime
1 white pair of pants
1 blush pink pair of pants
1 dark denim pair of jeans (I wore these on the plane instead of packing them)
1 swimsuit
1 summer hat
1 black ballcap
1 coral cashmere scarf
1 white cashmere shawl
1 white linen scarf (I wore this on the plane)
1 black ponte knit jacket (I wore this on the plane) <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Packing-Cube.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Shoes-3.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
1 gold heeled sandal
1 gold flat sandal
1 navy ballet flat
1 flip flop (for wearing in the hotel room and to the pool)
1 pewter sneaker (I wore these on the plane) <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Jewelry-3-1-e1563814849640.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Purses-6-e1563815238641.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
1 brown backpack
1 Tumi bag for daytime use
1 small gold leather bag for evening
1 small black leather bag for evening
1 small nylon black bag <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Travel-Outfit-e1563815443169.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Madrid-Night-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Royal-Palace-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Royal-Palace-4-e1563815726148.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Royal-Palace-2-e1563815740596.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Royal-Palace-3.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Out-for-Dinner-Night-2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Prado-Museum-1-e1563822891204.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Street-Sweep-e1563822877675.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Waterproof-Bag.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Ten-Con-Ten-Dinner-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Sofia-Museum-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Sofia-Museum-2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Flamenco-Show-3.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Porto-Boat-Tour.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Porto-Night-1-Dinner-1-e1563817615715.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bar-and-mar-jpg.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Port-Tasting-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Sofa-2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rem-Koolhas-2-e1563817062465.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Last-Dinner-Porto.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Coimbra-4.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Coimbra-1-e1563820594231.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Coimbra-2-e1563820097100.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dinner-Hotel-Quinta.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Way-to-Libson-3-e1563820951150.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/way-to-Libson-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dinner-in-Lisbon-Night-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Libson-Sightsee-3.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Libson-Sightsee-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Libson-Sightsee-2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dinner-in-Lisbon-Night-2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marlatomazin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Last-Night-in-Porto.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n