Blogs from Porto, Northern, Portugal, Europe - page 3

Typing time to while away the minutes. We are currently somewhere but about half way between Lisbon and Porto based on the duration of the trip and certainly not my understanding of any of the train announcements which I assume have been in Portuguese only. Not an unfair assumption based on the fact we are in Portugal. Many and indeed most of the signs at the station were in Portuguese and English which was reassuring and helpful but most locals speak enough ‘specific’ English to help us. Waits speak menu English, drivers read ‘Google map English’ and ticket sellers know destination and numbers well enough for us to get the message through. Managed to find grilled sardines last night much to my pleasure and the pleasure of an American couple who were close enough to hear ... read more

Ah Porto, so glad that our apartment doesn't suffer from airbnb construction syndrome. It was a great night's sleep compared to Aveiro and there's a coffee machine in the place. What else could you want? We made ourselves a quick breakfast and went to talk to the ladies at the office of the company running the airbnb. They are super friendly and gave us some ideas of where to go and what to see, and better yet, how to get there. They gave us a route that was downhill and walkable that went along the river to see the sights. They also suggested a really nice spot to see the sun set where the locals gather to sit and drink beer or wine. We pretty much took all their suggestions and it helped a lot. We ... read more

After a great breakfast in the hotel, today we say adios to Spain and head out to Portugal. Fortunately, Spain and Portugal have a passport agreement between them that allows for easy transfer between then, so when we crossed the border, we didn’t even slow down to interact with the Border Police. According to Dominic, they have the authority to stop us and check our passports, but they don’t usually, and they didn’t this time. As you enter Portugal, there’s about a couple of kilometer stretch of various run down shops. Evidently, before the EU was formed, this was a “no man’s land” which offered tax-free goods as it was neither Spain or Portugal. Since the EU was formed, there are no tax-free zones, so the shops are just a remnant of a bygone era. Once ... read more

Over a year since we have been overseas and it was going to be our last opportunity before the little one arrives. We also had to be careful as to not catch Covid and prevent us from getting to Porto, in the end we made it. We booked an airbnb close to the river front and most importantly opposite our daily Pasties de Nata shop! We arrived the Friday to warm sunny weather which stayed with us until we left on Monday. It definitely made the trip more enjoyable especially given it was mid winter! Our first day we enjoyed exploring along the riverfront on both sides. Starting along the Cais de Ribeira where you can sit in the sun, as it's south facing, and order a drink or some food whilst enjoying the river front ... read more

Hier in Porto konnte ich heute sogar bis 11:00 frühstücken und das war auch sehr angenehm. Danach startete ich meinen Spaziergang durch diese traditionsreiche Stadt. Ich ging vorbei an zwei Kirchen und dann etwas ins Tal hinunter, als ich endlich vom Ufer des Douro die berühmte Brücke sah (Ponte Dom Luis I). Sie ist schon sehr beindruckend und ist als Metallbrücke vielleicht mit der Harbour Bridge in Sydney vergleichbar, über die ich 2002 gelaufen bin. Von dort stieg ich wieder bergauf an einigen anderen Sehenswürdigkeiten vorbei. Eine davon ist eine sehr bekannte Buchhandlung, aber da war eine ganze Schlange an Besuchern davor, so dass ich nicht hinein ging. Statt dessen setzte ich mich in ein Starbucks und trank einen Frappuccino und füllte meine Getränkevorräte auf. Anschließend kehrte ich ins Hotel zurück. Hier sah ich auf Sky ... read more