I didn’t blog too much about Porto, so I might as well start now. As you all know, I visited Lisbon for four days and then moved on to Porto for about 2.5 days. Though Lisbon is a much bigger city, Porto does have its own unique charm, and this charm starts and ends with its major bridge (pictured above).
Let’s face it, without the bridge, Porto would not be as popular a tourist destination and would not be as thriving as it is today. The waterfront is beautiful and the sight of Porto from the other side of the Douro River is honestly the most amazing thing to look at, you just can’t get enough of it!!
Take a look:
Of course, the city itself has its fair share of nice things to see, but since the city is rather small they can be seen in about one day. The unique architecture is certainly something to admire however.
The Porto metro is also rather interesting. It is underground until the bridge, and then it goes above ground. To get on you need to scan your card, but it’s based on the honor system so if you decide not to scan and no inspectors come then you don’t get a ticket.
Furthermore, the metro, when above-ground, runs along tracks that people just casually walk on otherwise. There are no signs warning people to keep off the tracks, yet somehow people just seem to know to stay off them and I bet you there are little incidents.
The Porto metro is also open 24/7 every Friday and Saturday night, something Montreal should really start doing.
Porto is also famous for its Port wine, and so you can’t visit Porto without doing a wine-tasting tour, which is exactly what we did. Porto is along the Douro River, a river that extends beyond Portugal into Spain, and so along the river the land is fertile and that is where all the Port wine is grown. We visited a place where they store the wine, and some of it has been stored for legit over 150 years, so cool!
^^ so much wine!! I much preferred the white to be honest but it’s all about personal taste.
Now, one more topic I haven’t really spoken about since I arrived in Portugal has been Portuguese FOOD!
I have eaten grilled fish for most of my meals, and I have absolutely no regrets! The fish is fresh and is just lightly grilled by the local restaurants, and it’s super cheap! Honestly the sardines are delicious and so is the bass. I’ve also eaten octopus on two occasions, both times they were cooked differently and it’s the best octopus I’ve ever eaten!
And, of course, the famous Portuguese pastry that my favorite Portuguese friend told me about, the Pastel de Nata, one of the best pastries I’ve ever eaten.
Now, I am writing from Madrid, because last night I took the tren-hotel from Porto over to Madrid, and slept badly on the train. The train was super uncomfortable and there wasn’t even wifi!! Regardless, I am here now, and have settled into my temporary apartment (because my apartment isn’t ready until Monday). I have met both my roommates, and I can already tell this semester will be a great one because they’re both incredibly nice people.
Looking forward to the year to come!
Studying Abroad in Madrid!! 