Discovering Porto

I now know where I'm going to retire. Or I may not even be able to wait that long. I may run away there as soon as I graduate from college and get a job giving river tours on the "barcos." :) Portugal's harbor town Porto has got to be one of the most beautiful spots in Europe, but before this summer I had never even heard of it! I am so thankful that I got to discover Porto's charms in a little trip that Erin and I made this past weekend. We decided to split off from the rest of our group who were all going on a school-organized daytrip to Toledo, which I've heard is a really cute city only a couple hours away. Erin and I had our hearts set on Porto, however, and the freedom of being able to toodle around at our own pace was appealing as well. We took a bus from Salamanca that left at 11:15 and arrived in Porto around 4:30. Highlight of the bus trip: meeting an older couple from Charlotte, NC! I would have to say they were the epitome of the American tourist stereotype...rather loud, huge neck pillows, and I'll leave the rest up to your imagination. It was fun talking to a pair of fellow English-speakers though, not to mention Southerners! Yes, we'll count NC as part of the south in this case. ;)

(Side Note: I am sitting at a cafe in the Plaza Mayor with Erin, Irina, and Frederique as I type this and Irina has just told me to be sure to put in my blog that she just paid 3 euros for an orange juice and to bring your own OJ if you ever come to a cafe in the Plaza Mayor!)

Once we arrived in Porto we had no trouble finding the right metro line and making our way to our hostel. When we got to the metro stop for our hostel this is the sight that welcomed us to Porto:



I never knew that Portugal was known for its blue and white tile! We saw buildings everywhere decorated with tiles of all different colors, but particularly blue and white. It reminds me of my mom's kitchen! So lovely.

Our hostel was a great first-ever hostel experience! It was owned by a group of friends and had a laid-back, kind of hippy atmosphere that delighted and amused us. On Friday night they had a special dinner and jazz concert in the back garden for only 5 euros, so Erin and I were definitely down. They said it started at 9, so we arrived at 8:50 HUNGRY and ready to eat, forgetting that this culture never rushes mealtimes, let alone a hippy hostel sub-culture! It was almost 10 before we actually had food in front of us. It was really pleasant though to sip wine in a makeshift porch/bar area in the garden while watching the musicians set up and chatting with a French guy and one of the women who helps run the hostel who had lived in Porto her entire life. And the meal was definitely worth the wait! Grilled pork, rice, bread, and salad served in another makeshift kitchen area in the back of the garden...so good.










Saturday morning began with a visit to a nearby market that was full of interesting wares, mainly fish and flowers haha. I was a little obsessed with the fish...they had so many interesting types! Look at the creepy eel-like creature in one of the pictures! For the rest of the morning until we took a break for lunch mid-afternoon we were very productive and made sure we visited every major historical site that was marked on a map that our program director Maria gave us. I can't quite remember how many cathedrals we popped into, but we definitely saw our share. We also climbed the Torre de Clerigos, the tallest tower in Portugal, from which we had a fantastic view of the city. Highlights for me from the rest of our touring Porto Saturday were the Porto Cathedral, built in the 12th century, and the historic Porto Train Station, which had an absolutely beautiful interior decorated with that same blue and white tile. The picture in which Erin and I are together is in front of the Porto Cathedral, and the other Cathedral photos are different cathedrals that we saw...one of which was gilded with gold on the inside!



















We stopped in a supermarket to buy things for sandwiches and found a park to have a picnic and rest our feet. Last stop before heading back to the hostel: a tour of Sandeman, one of the many wine cellars in Porto that makes the Port wine for which the city is famous. We lingered around the harbor for a little bit looking at all the pretty boats and wishing we were on one, before finally making our way back to the hostel to freshen up and try to find somewhere for dinner. While we were walking around the streets looking for a restaurant, however, we came to a conclusion: people in Porto do not eat dinner out. They subsist on coffee, beer, and pastries. We couldn't find a single restaurant serving actual dinner food, and this was at 7:30! We didn't find dinner but we did stumble upon a super cute outdoor market, where it looked like it was mostly children selling little crafts or treats with their parents buzzing around to help supervise/socialize with each other. Erin and I ended up stopping in another supermarket and buying fixins to make spaghetti since the hostel had an open kitchen for guests to use. It was so fun to cook for a change!













We saved Sunday to be a restful beach bum day. :) The beach was only about a 30-minute train ride, and so we packed sandwiches and got there around 11 and stayed the entire afternoon. It was so peaceful to have absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go for 5 straight hours. The beach seemed to be a popular spot for young families, but still wasn't at all crowded. After a blissful afternoon of napping, reading, and sticking our toes in the water (Zac Brown hollaaa!) which was frigid, and then waving to our friends and family across the Atlantic Ocean, we packed up and headed straight to the bus station. We arrived back in Salamanca around 2:30 a.m. two VERY tired chicas, but yet very rested from what was a perfect weekend.








In closing, here are a few more glimpses of Porto's character: