Próxima Estação: Portugal

After Switzerland, I went to Paris. But I'm going to post about France only after my séjour here in Bordeaux. So, my next (3rd) stop was Portugal. Luckily, I knew (and came to know) Filipinos studying in Portugal as Erasmus Mundus scholars which is why, again, I did not care to research on what to do or see in Portugal. I met with Tantan and Dee in Paris and we flew to Porto. Thanks to Ryanair, I only had to pay EUR 19 for that flight.

So, what do I know about Portugal? Perhaps only the fact that the Portuguese crown refused Ferdinand Magellan's proposal to sail to the Spice islands during the early 1500s and also that they were one of the countries who got hit by European Union's banking crisis. Anyway, I was just expecting Portugal to be my sweet escape from Paris' horrible weather. True enough, it was warm and sunny when we were there. But more than that, I discovered that Portugal is underrated. No, it is not just the country next to Spain in the Iberian peninsula. It is an incredibly beautiful country.

May 23 - Porto and Guimarães
May 24 - Lisboa

  Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal next to Lisbon. Bom dia, Senhor! 

 We decided to walk along Via Catarina, which is sort of Porto's shopping district.

It was the perfect day to get lost and the perfect opportunity for Tantan to practice his Portuguese by asking for directions.

And here's another opportunity to learn more Portuguese! After one ride at the metro, we became self-proclaimed expert commuters in Porto.

We found JP (leftmost) after getting a bit lost. He's also an Erasmus Mundus scholar doing his MA in Chemistry (or some other more advanced subfield of chemistry, I forgot) in Porto. By the way, Tantan (center) is studying Physical Exercise and Health, while Dee (rightmost) is doing his PhD in Mathematics. Needless to say, I was in the company of nerds. Just kidding, guys! You are all awesome.

Porto's Duoro River. Look at all those orange roof tiles.

I want to learn how to sail a boat. Or if that's too much, I hope I'll have a friend who will take me sailing.

Seeing any body of water always lifts up my mood. I think this has something to do with the fact that I grew up on an island.

Then, JP took us wine tasting. We had three glasses each of Vinho do Porto. This was just wine tasting so nobody got drunk. Right?? Haha.

Part of the wine tasting experience was a quick tour of their wine cellars. That's our guide.

By the way, that bridge behind me is the Luís I Bridge (Ponte Luís I), a metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. We crossed this bridge to go wine tasting at the Nas Caves.

After the wine tasting, we walked by the wharf for another half an hour.

I could not get enough of this place. I imagined these sailboats to be the tiny versions of the ships that Magellan used in his voyages.

After our Porto tour, JP had to leave because he had to "study" (haha just kidding). It was too early to go back to the hostel. We discovered that Guimarães was just an  hour away from Porto, so I forced the boys to go with me even if we were all dead tired.

Translation: This is where Portugal was born. As it turns out, this city is a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the popular tourist areas in Portugal. I could not believe our luck.

Apparently, Guimarães was elected by the New York Times as one of the top places to go in 2011 and called it one of the Iberian peninsula's emerging cultural spots. Again, how lucky were we?

This is the Gothic Church of São Francisco, built in the 1400s and reconstructed in the 18th century.  

 Whenever I see clothes being hung outside to dry, I always think of home.

This is a 14th–century Gothic shrine of Padrão do Salado at the Oliveira Square.

 If we had enough time, I would have wanted to hike and see what's up there. But unfortunately, the last train back to Porto was at 9 p.m. so we had to hurry back to the station. We got lost again and I think it was my fault. I'll spare you the details.

So, we went back to Porto. I think it was already past 10 when we arrived. We decided to go back to the pier. Tantan and Dee were explaining to me that these men are college students and that they're wearing their alma mater's uniform. Did I get it right? Or were you talking about something else?

The Luís I Bridge at night. So, as explained to me, the architectural firm that designed and constructed this bridge also built Eiffel Tower. That's why there are some similarities in material and design.

 The following day, I decided to go to Lisbon by myself. When I arrived in Lisbon after a 3-hour train ride, I was annoyed that I had to buy a map because other cities just gave them away for free to promote tourism. I didn't buy one. Once again, I was determined to get lost.

I walked out of the station and randomly decided which direction to go. Dee was giving me instructions the other night on where to go but I totally forgot about them. I should've taken down notes but I was too exhausted. Anyway, I was lucky with the choce I made which led me to this place. So now I could figure out what to do.

I had arrived at the Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations) which is a huge public open space that has all sorts of things - the largest oceanarium in Europe, modern buildings, stadiums, and gardens. And there was just so much to see. These sculptures were being exhibited at the Jardim Garcia d'Orta.

I did not have superior lens so I was only able to capture this part of the Ponte Vasco da Gama - the Lisbon end. This bridge is actually the longest in Europe.

 Who doesn't love cable cars? There were so many of them.

I had my own cable car! And I waved at tourists from other cable cars. They probably thought, 'Poor girl. Riding a cable car by herself probably drove her crazy'. On the contrary, I was having the time of my life. I was screaming and no one could hear me. There are only a few places on earth where I could do that.

View of Lisbon from my cable car. 

 The cable car ride brought me at the far end of the park where there was a beautiful garden. I sat there for an hour. I did not even take a single photo. I was just so relaxed, I was afraid I might fall asleep.

For me, Lisbon's Gare do Oriente had the best train platforms I had ever seen. Anyway, it was time to go back to Porto.

When I arrived at around half past 9, the guys had just finished cooking dinner and were waiting for me. You guys are the best. Thank you very much, or as the Portuguese would say, muito obrigada. Technically, I was just piggy-backing off your trips in Paris and Porto. In any case, I would like to believe that it was more fun when I was around. HAHAHA. Just kidding. Study hard! Make the Philippines proud!