How a spontaneous and unplanned trip turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.
Last October I visited a country that never really was on my radar until recently, Portugal. Porto to be exact.
I had no expectations for Porto. I heard a few good things about it here and there, but nothing that made me go WOW, at least not yet.
My original itinerary I had planned would’ve taken me all across Portugal, starting in Porto and ending in the Algarve region.
That unfortunately couldn’t take place due to pandemic regulations that kept getting stricter by the day, and so the itinerary took a hit. Instead of touring the whole country in a week, I ended up being forced to cancel my plans in all of the cities, except for Porto, as at the time it wasn’t considered a risk area. Regardless, this whole hassle made me question if going to Porto for a week was even worth it.
So I went back and forth with my decision, questioning it daily, until about a few weeks before I was scheduled to fly out that I just said “Whatever!”. I decided to just go, and whatever happens, happens.
The day came and I flew out from Germany to Porto. I didn’t get any sleep the night before so upon landing I headed straight to the hotel and slept until noon.
When I woke up I went for my first walk around the city with some friends. They were locals and showed me around, and to say I was amazed is an understatement. The shining sun, the distinct architecture, and the interesting people passing by were just a few of the elements that caught my interest during our stroll.
We had a traditional Porto dish that evening at a local restaurant. The dish is called “Francesinha”, which I definitely recommend you try if you ever go to Porto. But beware, it is quite a heavy dish! Very tasty nevertheless.
As the days passed during my stay and I saw more of the city, it began to feel quite unique. It was unlike any other city I’ve visited. Its light, vibes, and people felt very unique and new to me, and I was enjoying it even more as each day went by.
I visited many sights during my time there. I went on a boat tour to see the seven bridges of Porto, of which a couple of them were designed by none other than Eiffel himself. I also walked along the beach coastline in Matosinhos, something I had not done in a very long time. If you know me, you know that the beach is my happy place, and I was as happy as can be. I even decided on one of the days to do an activity with a bit more adrenaline, which was to climb one of the seven bridges, the Ponte da Arrábida bridge, which I believe can only be done in Porto and somewhere in Australia. We even had Porto wine up at the top, which tasted way sweeter than other wines I’ve had! I don’t know if having wine while climbing a bridge is a good idea, but it sure was fun! I can recommend all of those activities.
My last day in this city had come, and I did not want to leave. There is a saying they have there that goes “Porto isn’t just a place, it’s a feeling.”, and I resonated with that a lot. Before I arrived to this city, I had zero expectations of it and honestly thought I would get bored within the first couple of days. However, after having experienced it slowly and thoroughly, it ended up becoming one of my favorite cities ever. Its vibe was simply amazing and a city I would recommend to everyone if you’re looking for a good place to vacation! A city I hope to return to as soon as possible.
Até já!