Porto! Vintage, LBV, Tawny, white, chip dry!!!

Porto, the city of Port! It was great to finally see the place that makes such a fantastic drink possible! The first day, as always was spent getting used to the city. This started off unusual for us, as we got a little lost, the first time on our trip. Well, we were not lost, but rather simply could not find the hostel. We walked in circles for at least an hour and a half. Finally we were able to find the unmarked door that lead us upstairs. It turns out that this hostel is not yet registered with the city and they are not allowed yet to put up any signage! The Cinema hostel is quite nice though and in a great location in the heart of the city and a great rooftop patio. The owners are a group of middle 20's couples.

2 liters of 'wine' or port wine a day....

Ewa and Chad looking down on Porto from Taylor Fladgates

The second day of our visit to Porto was spent wandering the city, and crossing the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where Port actually comes from to see all of the houses that make Port. Instead of trying to see as many Port houses as we could, we settled on spending some quality time at Taylor Fladgate. We did a Port tasting, and went on a tour of the Port house. We learned a lot more about Port, almost enough to be a connoisseur I would say! The Fladgate house is a really great stop, although not where you would expect it, it's high up on the hill. A great quote we heard was that 'In Porto, if you are going downhill you are going the wrong way!' I would like to give you all a summary of Port, but really, I think that there are only a few who would appreciate this, so I will spare the majority the pain.

The kitchen in the hostel was quite nice so we were finally able to stay put and make our own meals each day. It was so nice to have some veggies, fruit and of course German hot dogs from a jar! Porto is a city known for a relatively quiet night life. SO, as we were staying in the cinema hostel, we stayed in with some other guests debated, drank Port, and ended the night with popcorn and a movie. The last day in Porto we wandered the city a little more in search of a nice Port shop, and for those who visit the city, head to the river, as the other shops are not nearly as nice!

The river front in Porto

Porto! Vintage, LBV, Tawny, white, chip dry!!!

Porto, Portugal