Like many other people that study abroad in Europe, I plan to visit all the surrounding countries to the one I'm staying in. But before I travel internationally, I want to experience Portugal itself for all that it is. This includes visiting as many places and monuments to help me grasp the essence of what Portugal is.
Once I officially settled my class and internship schedule (since I guess I'm technically here to study as well), I started developing a plan of how to tackle all that is Portugal. Having already visited much of Lisbon, it was only logically to visit the next largest city: Porto.
What was even better than the cathedral, was the fact that a Spanish walking tour happened to pass by at the same moment that I was there. Knowing that I'm a broke college student, but also desperate for a systematic way to discover the city, I may or may not have conveniently followed this walking tour from a distance throughout all of Porto. Hey, I know this seems cheap, but I have no regrets practicing my Spanish while exploring a new city for free. Overall, Porto had an older, more quaint feel, but it was still very rich in Portuguese culture.
Once I officially settled my class and internship schedule (since I guess I'm technically here to study as well), I started developing a plan of how to tackle all that is Portugal. Having already visited much of Lisbon, it was only logically to visit the next largest city: Porto.
Day #1: Porto
Before I knew it, (and after a few clicks on the computer) I was stepping off the bus into a brand new city. Although a nice shower and fresh bed sheets would have definitely been appealing after the long, uncomfortable and stuffy bus ride, 2 days and 1 night to see an entire city did not allot time for it, so I started off the adventure with 2 galões and a tosta mista to get the blood pumping and energy flowing. With no real plan, I began to wander aimlessly and taking pictures of whatever seemed interesting. It was during this that I stumbled across the Sé de Porto, an enormous cathedral.  |
| Sé de Porto |
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| Quaint square in the center of Porto |
Day #2: Coimbra
After a good night's rest, I hopped on a bus to start on my way back to Lisbon, but I made sure to stop at Coimbra on the way down. Since I already had plans to attend a Fado show (for those of you who don't know, fado is a type of music that originated in Portugal) later that night, I figured I would spend the day relaxing and just casually stroll throughout the city. I came across the University of Coimbra and learned from the brochures that it is the oldest university in Portugal, having been established in Lisbon in 1290. 
I even got to walk into the dungeons where students would be kept if they didn't follow the university rules (boy, how times have changed). When the time came for the fado show, I really didn't know what to expect. I waited outside the theatre for a few minutes with group of other people until they let us in. The room was dark, yet cozy and comforting with a small stage at the front. The performance consisted of three people, one of which being the fado singer, the second playing a Spanish guitar, and the third playing the guitarra (fado guitar). It was interesting to see Coimbra's approach to fado with only having male singers. At first it seemed a bit strange to me, since growing up I only ever heard female singers, but nevertheless, the performance was well executed.
I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to experience these two cities and I look forward to seeing the rest of Portugal.
Até já!
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