This past weekend I visited Porto (o Oporto en Español), Portugal and absolutely loved it! Although the trip was extremely last minute and rather spontaneous (we booked our transportation and confirmed our hostel just two days in advanced), it was so worth it and I’m really glad I went. Like every other study abroad tale, I look back and laugh, not only at the funny memories and quotable gems, but at the slight panic attacks (more details to come later on in the entry).
On Friday morning, Ali, Steve and I hopped on a Porto-bound bus to meet Claire, Eva, Maggie and Katherine (we missed you Briana and Kendra!). Immediately upon arrival, I fell in love with the city. As I was toying around with the idea to visit Porto, I heard mixed reviews; most people told me that they adored the city, while others commented that they thought it was ugly and decayed. After my visit, I can see both sides, but I’m definitely on team-Porto. Located in northern Portugal, Porto is an old-school European city that is very well known for its exquisite Wine, beautiful river, and happy people; other important aspects to note include a Harry-Potter-esq bookstore, various breath-taking churches filled with golden statues and the awesome hostel we stayed at: Hostel Dixo (strongly recommend it).
Even though I think I laughed more than half of the trip, I experienced a serious panic attack, a story certainly worth sharing. Before my visit, my host parents informed me that the Portuguese speak English very well and that we wouldn’t have to resort to Spanish; this in fact was very true, since most Portuguese learn English at a young age and even watch television/movies in English with Portuguese sub-titles since they are not dubbed. As Ali, Steve and I were walking back to catch the Coruña-bound bus, we decided to speak Spanish to one another in order to get back into a Spanish-mindset. At the time, we were very impressed with our ability to maintain a fairly smooth conversation, so much so that we took a wrong turn in the city, one that led us to complete a giant circle. With only 15 minutes to spare, and 5 euros to our name, we frantically stopped three people in the street to ask for directions; assuming that they spoke English well, it turned out that none of them spoke English nor Spanish (go figure, the people we really need to speak one of the two languages we know!). Luckily we found a parade of taxi’s and hopped in a blistering hot cab. Although the bus stop was legitimately two minutes away from where we ended up, I’m glad we took it since we arrived with three minutes to spare. Talk about a struggle bus.
As per usual, whenever I travel I always keep Coruña in the back of my mind. Even though I’ve loved every excursion, I cannot express how much I love Coruña and how fortunate/thankful I am to have the opportunity to spend a year here. Speaking of time, I’ve been in Coruña for a total of 34 days, Spain for a total of 58 (WHAT!?) and home for Christmas in 62!!! Where has the time gone!!!
View from the Hostel's balcony.
Porto's infamous Douro River and Luís I Bridge.
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