After a challenging quarter of school, a week in Portugal was a fantastic way to unwind and recharge. The sun and blue skies were a welcome change from the rainy and windy weather of Delft. A classmate and I spent 3 nights in Porto and 4 nights in Lisbon, where we met up with one of my Canadian friend for a couple of days.
Picturesque Porto
Situated next to a wide river with steep slopes, Porto offers magnificent views and atmosphere. The town center has many monuments, historical buildings and churches, most of which have elaborate and beautiful designs. We toured Porto by foot. It turned out to be quite a lot of work to make it up and down the endless hills. The hard work was worth it.
For those who prefer chilling out on the beach, you should head west along the river. During our trip the weather wasn't quite hot enough for sun bathing, but I'm sure in the summer its a fantastic place to lay out a beach towel and soak up some vitamin D. Even without sunbathing we were able to enjoy the sun on the patio of one of the many cafes.
One of my favorite parts of our time in Porto was when we crossed the river into Gaia where the Port Cellars are found. After randomly walking great distances trying to find our own way, getting lost and then asking for help, we found what we were looking for. We toured a few of the cellars, after which we got to sample some great Port for free. I came home with a few bottles ;).
One of the biggest challenges in Porto was that I don't know Portugese and most of the people there don't know English. For my first meal, I made an educated guess on what to order. My guess was half right: I got Bacalhau (cod). What went wrong was that it was steamed, which was definitely not what I was expecting. I was envious of my friend who got the fried variety. We had more success communicating with waiters along the river, which is a popular place for tourists to eat.
Lovely Lisbon
The capital of Portugal is much bigger and busier than Porto. City center is filled with cafes, restaurants, hotels and historical beauty. While still hilly, Lisbon is flatter than Porto. The distance between many monuments is far enough that we opted to both use public transport and hitch a ride on the tourist buses.
Situated on top a hill overlooking the city, Saint George's Castle is the perfect place to view Lisbon from above. Visitors can walk through almost all parts of this ancient structure. It has a small museum with some old artifacts, a lovely courtyard, small cafe and an archeological site. Reserve at least a couple of hours (plus the time it takes to get up and down the hill), because it is worth it to wander around all of the walkways and see the city and water from many different angles.
On our second day we opted to take the tourist buses to see the city. The company we chose had two routes. Between the two of them, we got a nice overview of city. After a few days of walking and climbing hills it was very nice to give our aching feet a rest. Also, the bus was double decker and open on the top, so we got a chance to enjoy the sun some more. The tours start at south side of Parque Eduardo VII, which stretches up a green hill with manicured shrubbery. At the top you can see all of the way down through the park, down Av. da Liberdad to the city and the water.
The next day we headed to the west of the city. Here you can see two very impressive monuments. My favorite was the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, which is a tribute to the great explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. I highly recommend going to the top for some great views.
The second great monument on the west side of town is the famous Torre de Belem. King John II built it as both a defensive structure and a gateway to Lisbon. You can also climb to the top and visit a few floors in between. On our trip up and down the stairs we encountered many traffic jams, because of the popularity of this site. I can't even imagine how busy it would be in high season! Of course, its worth it.
While on the west side, you should stop into a cafe and try a pastel of Belem. This egg tart pastry was invented by the nuns of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos before the 18th century.
On the east side of the city you can find many newer structures. The Expo 98 was held here, and many of the structures there today were built specifically for the expo. We visited the Oceanarium. If you like aquariums, I recommend you see it.
On our last day we took a fairy across the water into Almada to see Christo Rei, a giant monument of Jesus Christ. Its huge! Like at Padrao dos Descobrimentos and Belem, the view from the top of the structure is wonderful.
All in all, my trip to Portugal was great! There were many new things to see and experience. We definitely go our exercise and some sunshine. And now that I have returned to Delft, its time to get back to work!
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