On the first day we got a few hours to explore around after we arrived. The area we were docked at was just a little town outside of Porto but we got to explore around the little surf town we were at, but we took a tram or a bus into Porto a few times. So the first night I went out with some friends and we went to restaurant on the beach. I got a really good burger, but I had no idea what it was at the time I ordered it. It was a burger with egg, real bacon, and beef and cheese and tomato. So good! We headed back to the ship after that because we didn’t have much time for shore leave that night. The next day we had our first Port Program which was going to Graham’s Port Wine Company. We got a tour of the place and they keep all their wine in big wooden barrels in this dim storage area. It smelled very odd, like wood and grapes! We learned that the older the wine/tawny is the lighter the color gets and the sweeter flavours it will have. The guide says that the older it is the more it develops flavours like vanilla and berries. It was very interesting. And afterwards we got to sample some 10-year-old port wine. Let’s just say that I did not like it. It was very sweet and it burned my mouth a lot! The same day we also went to the British Factory House, It was so interesting inside everything in there was from the 1800’s and they had a library with 20,000 old books. It smelled like history! :P We even went to the ballroom in there and Clio played the piano and everyone else danced around just having fun. The kitchen even had the old ovens and pots and it had one of the first electric refrigerators ever made. It was really cool, and the weather was so nice! And oh my goodness the buildings were all so beautiful, they use a lot of rustic colors like pale yellow, dark reddish browns and oranges. After the port programs we went back to the ship and were able to leave and once again go visit the little surf town we were in.
The next day we had an option to go see the Casa Da Musica in Porto, I went and it was such a cool building. It had all these different colored and oddly shaped holding rooms and the concert halls they showed us had amazing sound. Like it was so crisp and pure and the acoustics were really good. And they had all these computers with garage band and a bunch of music programs set up in the lobby and we played around with those for a while. It was an awesome experience. I stayed in Porto for the day after. We went into a little central park area with local stores and a market and 3 friends and I went to get some food from the market and a bakery and had a picnic in the park and afterwards we just laid there and relaxed once we were done eating. Then we started to wander around Porto and we ended up in a really sketchy area which I think would be like the Forest Lawn of Calgary. So we were basically completely lost. We ended up from the center of Porto down to the waterfront. Hmmm…. But we got on a bus and somehow navigated our way back to the area where our ship was. Even though we were completely lost it was still fun and it was a great way to see the city!
On our last day in Porto we had a hike in a small village/countryside area just outside of Porto. The hike took us to the countryside and it was really hot outside! WE got a lunch provided for us from an authentic Portuguese restaurant, I had like no idea what we ate, but there was bread with tuna pâté, some squash or carrot soup, and chicken with pineapple and potatoes. The food here was so good. We also got to navigate around the little village and I bought a leather bracelet! I’m getting one from every country! When we got back to the ship after the hike A few friends and I went out to the beach and swam during sunset! It was one of the highlights from this port. Just splashing around in the waves… on a beach… In Portugal! Afterwards we got back to the ship to get dressed and the whole crew got together and had a dance party! It lasted for about an hour and then everyone got tired and headed off to bed and to go study for midterms! Sometimes it gets hard having to balance travelling and schoolwork, but it’s manageable!
Porto was a cool port, it was so warm, the buildings were awesome and the food was great! And it was just fun!
Talk to you soon, off to Cadiz!
- Megan
Megan..sounds like you are having a wonderful trip of a lifetime! Your blogs are so descriptive and full of information. Have a wonderful birthday with your Mom as I know she is so excited to see you again! We missed you at Thanksgiving, but I know you would rather be there. So glad you haven't puked..haha.. keep up the good news.
ReplyDeleteLove, Auntie Linda and Uncle Bert.