Hey again!
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| Two churches side by side, but in very differed styles. |
Here in Porto it is not quite as hot as the South (should've guessed that no?) but the weather is still awesome, and the city is so beautiful it more than compensates! Last night's pub crawl was a resounding fail, only getting off the ground around 1:30, after which all of us from the Spot Hostel ended up getting a refund and heading home. We tried a few bars, but nothing really suited, and I was so tired by that point that home and a bed sounded wonderful. I had the most restful night in a while, probably due to the fact that I can once more connect with home quite easily, and woke up refreshed, ready for another walking tour.
Pancho tours seems to be all over Portugal, as this is also the company that I used in Lisbon. Here we were scooped up from our hostel, and taken to the meeting place, a huge statue of Don Pedro IV, the king largely responsible for the independence of Brazil. We went all over the city with our tour guide Alex (not officially a tour guide, but he worked for tips, and earned them well), and I learned much more about Porto. Their rivalry with Lisbon is pretty funny, and even goes as far as to which beer each city favours more! Super Bock is the beverage of choice in Porto, with Sagres being preferred in Lisbon. Porto has so many interesting neighbourhoods, and of course, a huge section devoted to the making, storing and transporting of Porto.
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| Isa, Me, and Taylor on a bridge. |
After walking around and seeing lots, we stopped for lunch. The traditional dish here is absolutely off limits for me, being a sort of all meat sandwhich which is covered in cheese and then a sauce, called the Francesinha, or "little French girl." Let me tell you, there were many jokes made about both pedophilia, and cannibalism throughout the course of the meal! Afterwards, Taylor and I, along with our new Austrian friend Isa, crossed the bridge into Gaia, where the port cellars are all located. Keeping our eyes peeled, we found not one, not two, but FOUR free Port tasting places! With all the walking, tiredness left over from my lack of sleep in Lagos, and the smaller meal that I had consumed, I did feel it a little... 20% is quite a bit stronger than your average vintage!
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| The port houses across the river. |
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| Francesinha... eeep! |
We found a great little store that not only advertised free tasters, but also sold us a bottle of Croft Tawny Port for 6 Euro, which we snapped up to have for later. Port is not actually my favorite, being a little too sweet for me who prefers dry wines, but I figured I'd commit the ultimate faux-pas and just mix it with soda... not bad actually! This was readily consumed while watching the closing ceremonies, which were just as trippy as the opening ones.
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| Isa sad because the Port is all gone! |
I made another healthy meal, this time an arugula, beet, radish and tuna salad with spices and olive oil, and then had the rest of that yummy chocolate bar... mmmm! I finished my second book and am actively hunting for a new traveller to exchange it with! The Litigators was not as good as Savages, but I'll take what I can get! Tonight is really easy going, as I have another non-hostel, stay out til the early morning flight type night ahead... eep! I fly out at 6:30 on Ryanair to Madrid on the 14th, where I will catch my plane to Kenya and the great beyond! Here we go people!
Tomorrow the girls and I have decided to snoop around for a good pedicure place, as all of us are astonished with the condition of our poor toes from all this walking. Afterwards we are going to try and hit the amazing parks in the area, before a final stop at the beach. I had a slight laundry mishap today in which my blue top poisoned my yellow one in the wash, creating a sort of green around the gills look... ironic as there are actually frills on it. I am headed to be rather early tonight, trying to take advantage of a full night's sleep, as I am pretty skeptical of the conditions I will be facing on the other end.
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| Trying to get the last drops! |
I am off to execute my lame (but probably wise) plans for the night then! Talk to you all soon!
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| Cheers! |
After walking around and seeing lots, we stopped for lunch. The traditional dish here is absolutely off limits for me, being a sort of all meat sandwhich which is covered in cheese and then a sauce, called the Francesinha, or "little French girl." Let me tell you, there were many jokes made about both pedophilia, and cannibalism throughout the course of the meal! Afterwards, Taylor and I, along with our new Austrian friend Isa, crossed the bridge into Gaia, where the port cellars are all located. Keeping our eyes peeled, we found not one, not two, but FOUR free Port tasting places! With all the walking, tiredness left over from my lack of sleep in Lagos, and the smaller meal that I had consumed, I did feel it a little... 20% is quite a bit stronger than your average vintage!
I made another healthy meal, this time an arugula, beet, radish and tuna salad with spices and olive oil, and then had the rest of that yummy chocolate bar... mmmm! I finished my second book and am actively hunting for a new traveller to exchange it with! The Litigators was not as good as Savages, but I'll take what I can get! Tonight is really easy going, as I have another non-hostel, stay out til the early morning flight type night ahead... eep! I fly out at 6:30 on Ryanair to Madrid on the 14th, where I will catch my plane to Kenya and the great beyond! Here we go people!
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