Arriving in Porto
After leaving Coimbra, I took the train north along the coastline and eventually made it to Porto, where I stayed for just over a week. I’d always heard good things about the city, and everyone raves about it, so I was excited to see it for myself. My first impressions were great, and they stayed that way.
The food was delicious, and I was able to try a few of the local foods. I even had a taco. One of my recent goals is to test out tacos in various cities around the world, and this was actually very good.
I also stumbled into an amazing photography museum based in the old jail, several floors high. They had an unbelievable collection of vintage cameras, so that was cool. Also, a very good photo exhibit by a legendary street photographer was in town.
Porto is a beautiful, sprawling city made up of little districts, with red-tiled roofs and historic architecture woven through the hills on either side of the Douro River. It’s vibrant, and it’s also very busy. It’s definitely a tourist destination, with people arriving on cruises or using it as a jumping-off point for wine tasting up the valley.
Port Wine in Gaia
Porto is known, of course, for its port wine, and the historic port houses sit across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia. There are plenty to choose from, and we toured Sandeman. It was really cool to see their old cellars, and I even spotted bottles from 1904. I brought a couple of Sandeman bottles home with me.
We also took a boat cruise, which was a nice way to mix things up and see the city from a new perspective. The views from the river were beautiful.
A Day at the Coast
One day we headed out to the coast to work for a bit, and it was stunning. Cafes and restaurants sit right along the sand where you can order drinks and food, and it made me wish the coastlines at home were more like that. The surf culture was fun to see too, and the surf was actually pumping. I was a little jealous, since I wanted to paddle out but had to work. They were setting up for a WSL contest starting in a couple of days, and some San Clemente surfers were in it. Small world.
Wrapping Up
Overall, I had a great time in Porto: good food, beautiful views, and more sunset lookouts. It’s somewhere I’d happily go back to. I wrapped up the trip and headed home, and the timing was right. After a busy summer, I was about done with traveling and ready to be home, but it was an excellent Portugal trip. Next time I’d like to explore more of the coastline and some of the smaller surf towns like Ericeira, instead of just the cities.
Till next time… obrigado, Portugal.
Leave a Reply