A LIFE BETWEEN PLACES

What inspired me to begin sharing my stories was simply the life I had already been living. For more than two decades, life has taken us from Manila to Copenhagen, New York, back to Manila, Bangkok, and now Istanbul. Each move meant beginning again—making a home in unfamiliar places, holding on to the traditions that matter, and learning to appreciate the beauty in someone else’s.

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I am Filipina, married to a Dane, and a proud mother of two grown-up daughters. My husband and I continue our expat journey with Bruno, our much-loved dog and faithful companion. Real estate became an important part of my professional life, and perhaps because I  have moved so often myself, I have always understood that a home is never just a property. It is about belonging, finding your footing, and creating a life in a place that may once have felt completely foreign.

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Then there is bread.

My love for sourdough began quietly at home and eventually grew into The Breadfest Club. What started with flour, water and wild yeast became a way of teaching, gathering people, and sharing something I loved.

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Portugal later became part of our family story when my husband and I bought Quinta da Marfenja, our small vineyard and olive estate in the Douro Valley. The land had been cared for by the same family for five generations before us, and while it is now ours, I have always felt that ownership also comes with the responsibility of caring for something that was here long before we arrived. Through the Quinta, I began to understand the rhythms of the land—the harvests, the vines, the olive trees, and the people whose lives are deeply connected to this place.

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From there, Marfenja Experiences naturally began to take shape. It brought together many things I already loved: food, beautiful places, learning, sharing, and bringing people together. I have always loved introducing people to one another—to a baker, a farmer, a winemaker, an artist, a teacher, or simply a place they may never have discovered on their own.

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Looking back, these were never really separate chapters. Moving countries. Motherhood. Real estate. Bread. Portugal. The Quinta. Gathering people around a table. And perhaps that is what Real Connections has come to mean to me:

 

The people we meet.
 

The places that stay with us.
 

The things we learn and pass on.
 

And the unexpected ways we find home.