Neighborhoods in Porto

Today was spent looking at different neighborhoods in Porto: there is a wide variety of choices here, which include: the central district characterized by heavy tourist traffic; Cetofeita an "up and coming" neighborhood which we found a bit shabby as was Bonfim-- --both neighborhoods are popular with 20-something backpackers and digital nomads; Ribiera area is much nicer with great views of the river; and Foz is quite nice and on the ocean, somewhat reminiscent of Carmel or certain southern California beach communities, but it's a pricey area in general.

James and Carlos are friends of our friend Jim in SF and we connected for lunch one day; they shared their experiences living as expats in Porto for the last 8 years which was helpful. They also organize an expat group of more than 100 locals and they invited us to meet up with the group that night at a local tavern which was fun. Again, we met lots of expats and learned a great deal more about life in Portugal and Porto in particular.

Coming back from dinner Friday night we saw a large gathering of folks engaged in caporeia exercises, a phenomenon with West African and Brazilian roots. I see it described as a dance, an athletic event, a spiritual encounter. It's hard to describe but it's certainly exciting to watch!

We leave Porto on Saturday but will be back in August for another look and to catch a peak at the near total solar eclipse on August 12.

In the meantime, safe travels!Read more