Drinking Port in Porto

Porto is wonderful!!! It's completely different to any other city I have been in, because it's beautiful in a real way. Even dilapidated old buildings have something special. And every single street has so much character, it's just fantastic. The red tiled roofs.

I've been really lucky. Quite honestly, I have no idea what I did to deserve such luck. I had a wonderful host who made me feel completely welcome and who showed me a bit of the city the night I arrived (which was actually the night Porto defeated Barcelona in football, so EVERYONE was out, hanging out of passing cars, hooting, shouting, waving their team's flag). And the river, by night and by day, is beautiful.

The following day, I was left to my own devices and was fortunate enough to hear from Fernando, the couchsurfing king. The consequential events were beyond anything I could have expected. I met up with him for lunch, where we were joined by two other couchsurfers who he was hosting. After the delicious lunch, Fernando's tour began.

We saw everything. EVERYTHING. And we learned the history and the facts behind it all, punctuated by Fernando's many jokes. It was fantastic. We saw the tourist attractions and we saw the local attractions. We tried numerous treats (I think we all expanded during the few days we spent with Fernando) and drank Port and vintage. We crossed the bridge and walked along the river. And by the time our tour was over, it was time for another delicious meal.

I love Porto!

written by

Brigid Jelsma on May 20, 2011 from Porto, Portugal

from the travel blog: Walk a little further to another plan

tagged Portugal

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