Day 63-66: Porto: Part 2

Since I had slept so gloriously the night before, Sunday morning was an early one. Managed to get up and get showered and get breakfast, all before 10. For the first time in I don't know how long, I let my hair dry by itself and I actually didn't hate how it turned out. A good start to the day.

We all headed out by 12 to go to our tour of the port cellars. Short but it was cute, informative to see how it's still held in the cellars and to understand the different forms of port. After the tour, we tried another glass of port and then went out to the markets that were along the other side of the river. Lots of cute things, jewelry especially. I picked up some souvenirs and gifts for people, and lost track of how much I spent. From there, it was off to the beach again. We took the bus this time since it was so much faster, then realized how close we were to the pretty side. It was kind of a pointless journey, since it was late in the afternoon and it was too chilly to sit in the sun. I ended up getting actually cold at one point. We headed back around 4 for supper at the hostel, which took over an hour because of the traffic. Did a bit more shopping before heading back, yet again. Supper was barbeque, which involved steak/chicken/salad/rice/fries/beans/etc. Family style meals were interesting and though it's not something I'd prefer without being with actual family, the food was amazing. I even managed to look cute that evening, though all we did was sit around, drink cheap wine and watch Bridget Jones. It was actually a hilarious night really.

view from my bed

 L: walking down between the barrels / R: the Sandeman logo

 L: the logo being explained / R: plaques for the flood levesl

beauty day!

the other 4

actually gorgeous

Sars & I

Bridget

Monday was another beach day for the girls, but I decided to head out and explore the city a little. Unfortunately most of the museums close on Mondays, but I had a nice little day to myself. Did some shopping, found a few more souvenirs, had lunch and hung out at the hostel before going back to the river to wait for the group. We went on a river cruise late afternoon to see more of the Duoro. It was interesting to see another perspective of the valley, even if it did get a little chilly. We all headed back out from there to the hostel to get our bags and head to the airport.

view from the hostel deck

lunch view

lunch...nom nom!

view from the boat

last view of porto

airport snacks

Though the post would usually end here, it was too funny not to include. Because a couple of the girls did a bit more shopping than they should have, shoes especially, 2 of them ended up wearing 6 layers of shirts on the plane ride home. It was hilarious to watch as they took out the bags of clothes to put on before going on the flight. Budget airlines are notorious for making you check your baggage size, and Ryanair is the worst of them all. Luckily my backpack turns into a nugget, so it was all clear and we each ended up getting through alright.

And so that was Portugal! I would have enjoyed exploring the city more looking back, but I did have a good time anyways. Going to sunny areas with sun-worshippers when I'm clearly not one isn't such a great idea. More updating to be done soon!

Til next time!