Porto and Sao Joao Festival

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When I took my mom to Porto in 2009 as a surprise holiday, she called it a ‘stupid village’. “Why didn’t you take me to Lisbon, or even better, Paris?” - she asked. If it is a village, then it is most certainly one of my favorites. It is a place full of history visible through its outstanding architecture. While shiny ceramic facades demonstrate the unique artistic talent of Portuguese people, its superb location on the hill overlooking the river Douro, just before it enters the sea, talks of its historical importance.

Having a good time in a city like Porto is not difficult. If you come here during an important holiday it might even turn out to be a fantastic experience. I was lucky enough to visit it for the first time during the Sao Joao festivities at the end of June, where the whole city transforms in an open air theater. Thousands of illuminated balloons decorate the sky all above the city, while the main event including performances and fireworks takes place around the Dom Luís bridge. But that´s not all. People armed with plastic hammers and onion flowers were battling each other near the banks of Douro. Naturally I wanted to participate, but it took me some time to convince my mom to join too.

You may view the whole text here: http://happyfrogtravels.com/story-porto-portugal-crossing-the-gate/

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

All about mom
Glad you took your mom to such a wonderful place. Sounds like the two of you had a great time. Never enough of these moments.

[happyfrogtravels]

All about mom indeed!
It's such a cool place so I was sure she would like it. She was grumpy at first (not her kind of place - she said), but at the end she enjoyed so much!