Portugal

Anna and I took advantage of a 4 day weekend by traveling to Vigo, and then to Porto, Portugal! It was our first longer trip so it was a nice little adventure with which to start.

We traveled first by train 2 hours west of Ourense to the city of Vigo. There we found

...very little.

I can't really be one to talk because Ourense isn't exactly a booming metropolis, but at least Ourense is pretty! Vigo is technically larger in size, it seems to have a good number of shopping options, and it's right on the water. It's from this city that you can visit the Cies Islands, which have been called the most beautiful beaches in the world. (We didn't get to visit them this time around because they were closed for the season). Maybe it's unfair to pass judgement on Vigo when it was clearly a holiday also, and maybe I am already quite loyal to Ourense...or maybe Vigo is really just not my kind of place!

We only spent one day there, and then we continued on to PORTUGAL! Specifically Porto, Portugal, a city known for its Port wine.

The first day there rained on and off, as expected. That didn't stop us from exploring the old part of the city, though! Porto is incredibly hilly. Yes, even more so than Ourense. I don't think you can walk more than 50 meters anywhere in the city center without encountering an uphill climb so steep that you want to give up before you get to the top, or a downhill slope that personally made me feel the need to silently cheer to my left knee's ACL (YOU CAN DO IT, LITTLE GUY! YOU'RE STRONG! DON'T GIVE UP, KEEP ON TRUCKIN').

Livraria Lello

We also visited this very pretty library. According to my thorough and completely reputable Wikipedia research, this library has been named by BBC as the 3rd best library in the world. Pretty neat! Some of the teachers I work with have also heard that apparently this library inspired some library in the Harry Potter movies. I guess that's cool for some people.

We had a lot of time to kill before we went out with our CouchSurfing Host, so we took a nice long stroll by the river. It was quite beautiful! Especially the Ponte Luis I Bridge, WHICH, may I add, was designed by the same guy  who designed the Eiffel Tower? COOL :D

Ponte Luis I Bridge

Check that. After further Wikipedia research, it looks like the guy who officially claims the design of the bridge only worked alongside the guy who made the Eiffel Tower. It's all the same. It still strongly indicates to me that the Eiffel Tower/Paris/France is calling my name and wants me to be a permanent inhabitant.

Okay. Back to Porto! Day 2 was vastly distinct from Day 1. We went to the other side of the river where all the wine cellars are located, and proceeded to get some wine tasting in. I'd never had Port wine before, it was strangely delicious! It's a special wine in the sense that it also includes brandy in it, making it more potent than other wines. What I will say about our wine-tasting experience is that I have never felt so sophisticated while consuming alcohol. With our first tour I learned more about wine that I'd ever known, all the while I got to sip on 3 different types of Port. Good deal.


We had a relaxing last night in Portugal. We had done a ton of walking...and probably more traversing of inclines in 48 hours than we'd had since we arrived in Europe. We did some minor shopping and hit the sack.

But. The next day, look who found me...

I TOLD YOU PARIS IS CALLING ME!

Ne t'inquiete pas, mon amour. Je te verrai au printemps :)