City of Hills

UCSC is known as the "City on a Hill" so I guess that makes Porto a city of hills. 

On my first day exploring the city, I spent 30 minutes going in a circle. I thought it was Google Maps failing me but it truly was a circle. After taking a minute to regroup, I found a route towards El Se, the cathedral in the heart of the historic center of Porto. El Se is located on top of a hill (after another hill) and is located next to the bishop's palace where folks from all over spent time taking in the amazing views it offers. You can get a great look across the river and towards other surrounding areas (more hills) at the terra cotta-covered rooftops. 

I made my way down to the riverfront where many restaurants are ready to welcome tourists with overpriced food options. After going up and down many paths to the river, I couldn't help but fall prey to one of these food spots. It's a great location for people-watching, listening to the local cover band, and resting your legs after a long walk. A riverboat ride was next, where I spent an hour looking at all the bridges and saw where the Duoro meets the Atlantic. I decided that the 4 euro getting on a funicular was worth skipping climbing approximately 8 stories worth of stairs.

The next day, I went across the Luiz I bridge. Folks can go across this bridge two ways, the upper section or the lower section. I crossed both ways, I crossed using the upper section on my way over to the southern portion of the city trying very hard not to look down but rather across. On my way back, hours later, I walked on the lower section which was less scary and safer. I spent my time looking for the best location to try Port wine. There are so many wine storefronts to choose from in between restaurants and street vendors. The weather was perfect, so it was a great day to spend outdoors enjoying a glass of Port with chocolate. 

My hotel is located in a less touristy area near Casa da Musica, where the symphony plays. The hotel had an entrance to a food hall, Mercado Bon Sucesso, where the locals go. Navigating the city was a lot easier than I thought despite my first 30 minutes of exploring and the people are very generous. Like during my time in Italy, I couldn't help but get confused with my languages, My Spanish helped navigate my way via a map, and reading Portuguese was a lot simpler. Understanding it was also easier than Italian but when I tried to communicate, I kept saying "Grazie" or "Gracias" rather than "Obrigada". I definitely want to come back especially when I feel like my legs need a workout.