(Traveling has come to an end already, but for the sake of completeness, here are some final backdated entries to cover what happened in January and February.)
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When I arrived in Porto, it appeared that everyone else was there for the same reason as I was: RyanAir.
The presence of the airline in Portugal has made Porto one of the cheapest cities in the country to fly in and out of from Belgium, so I guess I have RyanAir to thank for bringing me to a city I probably would not have visited otherwise.
It was a Tuesday morning when my train pulled into the main station in the city - one of the more beautiful train stations I’ve seen in my life time - and the entire town seemed to be swarmed by seagulls, crying softly over the river.
I spent the next day and a half climbing up and down the narrow, hilly streets of the city, marvelling at the blue and white ceramic tiling that seems to cover the city on every corner you turn (one of the more curious connections between Portuguese and Chinese culture), and of course, drinking port on the banks of the river Douro.
It amazed me that we were only 3 hours by train from Lisbon, but the culture and vibe of the place felt so different, and yet marvellous and underrated in every way.
Told you the train station was beautiful.
Hills, hills and more hills…
Seagulls, masses and masses of them, singing, crying, flying in the evening sun. It was beautiful.
xx
