Oporto

One of the troubles with travel is the constant balancing of seeing all the things and also investing sufficient time to appreciate and understand the things we see. I think I erred on the side of 'all the things' in this case and am wishing I had arranged to have more depth. Which would, of course, mean less breadth - either here or in another place before or after.

I arrived by bus and strolled through part of the city being (re)built - cacophonous and dusty, my initial impression was not positive. When I saw a big yellow topless double-decker tour bus roll by, I was reminded of fun times in Guadalajara and decided to get a quick view of the city (breadth) along with an audiotour (depth, ish) without too kuc hiking around in the brilliant sunshine.

I was pleasantly surprised by the inexpensive Gallery Hostel and its inviting bar, but bopped off to see the sights. Walking through the Old Town on my way to the bus tour immediately reframed my perspective!

Oporto is a beautiful diverse city full of things and places to explore.

Castles, rivers, wine, books, monuments, alleys, hills, cathedrals, cobblestones, highways, murals, fountains.... The list is near endless.

The bus tour was delightful and if I had more time I'd go again (24 hr pass is 22€) to hop-on/hop-off and add depth to the more interesting sights. But I started late and there are only so many hours in the day. After the bus I stumbled upon a beautiful bookstore (see other post), gelato, and then took myself to watch a nice sunset before finding a delicious albeit slightly overpriced (Touristy) dinner of steamed clams, fresh bread, and a salmon/avocado salad. The red wine I had was excellent.

I can't quite figure out the timing here- places seem to open fairly late, like Spain, but close earlier than I expected.... Which was good as I could use the rest.

After an ample and tasty breakfast I spent 40 minutes running (almost literally) around town trying to time the hop-on bus. A brisk morning walk through awakening city streets, invigorating! Then I jumped on bus tour #2 - 'beaches and castles'... Which felt less historic but was scenic and the cool sea breeze reminds me of home. The tour wrapped up at the Cathedral and I did a speed-tour of same, marveling at the tiles and the views, recoiling from the ostentatious display of 'treasures'.

In 24 hours I didn't even scratch the surface.
I'm clear that I'd like to come back for more.Read more