Oh, Portugal, We Meet Again [feat. Ray]

Portugal. 

This country is a big contender for my favourite country in the world!

Therefore, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that I am back here again and fortunately it is just as incredible as I can remember it being when I was here last year. 

First stop was the lovely city of Porto, which I haven't actually visited before. I got on my (delayed) Ryanair flight and we finally arrived at our hostel at about 2pm. The hostel was right in the centre of the city and a lovely and clean hostel with friendly staff and visitors. We immediately headed off to explore/get lost and find some food!

We quite easily found our way to the central river that runs through Porto, otherwise known as the Douro river. Here we were finally able to relieve our food cravings. It's not exactly clear but among other things Ray ordered a Portuguese chorizo which was brought out and a fire lit underneath so that it cooked at the table - because we all love the theatrical element of a meal! The sandwich looking food in the bottom left photo is called a Francescinha, this is a extremely traditional meal in Portugal and especially in Porto, as our tour guide told us the following day "Francescinha is Porto on a plate." A Francescinha is a sandwich with three kinds of meats inside (I want to say it was steak, chorizo and some kind of ham), coated in melted cheese and a special sauce - nobody has the same sauce and all Portuguese people make it differently, ironically the only common ingredient is beer haha! 

After a delicious lunch Ray and I wandered along the Douro river and came across the most famous bridge in Porto, which is also rated the 4th most beautiful bridge in Europe - so far Porto was ticking some serious boxes. 

The name of this bridge is Ponte Luis I - it was named after the grandson of a famous Portuguese ruler whom the people of Porto recognise as a leader who fought for Democratic state. 

Not only is the bridge itself very beautiful and a prominent feature of the city of Porto but it also features an absolutely amazing view! Below is Ray admiring the view!

That day seemed to be a particularly crowded and busy day and as it turned out the Formula 1 speed boat racing was being held in Porto that day - in the photo above you can see some boats racing in the distance. They were absolutely flying, it was pretty cool to take a bit of time to watch the event as there were plenty of other people there watching. 

Additionally, as part of the entertainment, and I suppose the spectacle, of the Formula 1 boat races there was also a plane cruising overhead and performing tricks, I am sure there is a special name for shows where pilots perform crazy tricks but I don't know what it is! He was spinning around all over the place like crazy and it was really fun to watch - hopefully the video above is at least somewhat effectively in showing this. 

Lastly, a picture of myself enjoying the incredible view and my first afternoon in Porto!

After heading back to the hostel to compose ourselves somewhat we headed back out for a late - dinner, although, after that Francescinha I was hardly even hungry. We had to pass Pone Luis I on our way to dinner so we stopped to admire the night time view before heading to dinner.

A few snaps above of the lovely night time view of the bridge from the Douro River.

The following day was our only full day in Porto - we chose to forgo a sleep in in order to make an early (ish) free walking tour of Porto. The woman who ran the walking tour was named Eugenia and she was absolutely lovely.

We started off near the University of Porto (which is now a museum) and our first major sites were this cool shopping centre with a park on top of it - you can see towards the left hand side of the photo and in front of Ray, the olive trees and grass on top of the shops! Further ahead is the Torre de Clerigos which is a major landmark in Porto. Eugenia told us that this church and tower was originally a hospital but was used only for religious men - most of whom who died. This makes me feel better about the fact that women were not allowed in the building at the time, of course, now anyone is allowed to look inside the church. 

The above statue is in a major square in Porto (unfortunately I do not know the name), it is of a man called Peter (Portuguese spelling?), who was known as the "good guy," who led his country through civil war and fought for democracy against his brother, who believed he should have held the throne.

From here Eugenia took us to the main train station in Porto - sounds like a strange place to visit but it was pretty cool. 

The walls of the train station were covered in blue and white tiles, which created paintings or murals on the walls. I cannot remember the name of the guy who designed this but I do remember that he was Jewish as he designed the tiles as a kind of story that was read from right to left, rather than left to right. Most of the paintings/tiles were of everyday life in Porto or of particularly special events that he could recall in their history - unfortunately I began to lose focus at this point in the walking tour and I don't remember everything that we were told (you know how teachers make the worst students, right?).

This picture was taken outside the main Cathedral in Portugal and provides a pretty good view of the "city centre" of Porto - I love all the brown/red roofs on all the houses! You are see the Torre de Clerigos in the background - this can be seen from most places in Porto.

Just another few snaps taken on the walking tour as we headed, once more, for the Douro river. Eugenia explained to us that the city Porto is currently going through some major upgrades and many buildings are being renovated or redeveloped - the buildings in the top left are an example of this. Buildings that are falling apart or run down are getting renovated, the owners are required to make these renovations and if they are able to afford to do so this is heavily subsidised by the government. However, if they are unable to afford to make renovations their houses are seized by the government and they make the renovations and then sell or rent out the apartments.  

Some more typical-tourist shots of Ray and I in front of the Douro River and Ponte Luis I.

We also stopped for drinks and to re-fuel a little after our 3.5hr walking tour - yep, was pretty long! Ray has discovered his new drink of choice while in Portugal, a Caipirinha, meanwhile I am happily becoming reacquainted with the deliciousness that is sangria!

From here we decided to hire bikes and ride down the Douro river.

The views while riding along the river were amazing and it was great to get out and about on a bike - this is definitely one of my favourite things, having said that these bikes had no suspension, let along padding, so we are feeling it today.

We rode a fairly long way along the river, all the way until the next down, only stopping a few times to take a few photos and to grab a drink of water. 

Sneaky reflection selfie - which turned out surprisingly ok (I wont' say good or great) giving my apparent lack of selfie prowless. 

The above picture shows pretty accurately the kind of amazing scenery was passed as we rode along - perfect!

Lots of photos of us riding along the coast and at some points along the streets as we rode through Portugal. As it turned out Ray was a bit sore and had to have a stretch mid-journey!

Above: the strangely nice view and vibe from our seats on the balcony of a Pizza Hut that we stopped at to grab some water and hydrate before trekking back home. 

I will finish with this amazing photo of Ray who was so pleased with his double order of Caipirinha that he turned part model for a moment. This was taken on the roof terrace of the hostel, which was a really cool feature!

Once again, I am loving Portugal and Porto definitely did not disappoint!

Now we just have to endure the painfully long bus ride to what is arguably my favourite destination in Europe: Lagos!

Until next time...

xxx