My visit to Porto mirrored the city itself: compact, yet no less full of life and beauty. It sits on the bank of the Douro River with stunning views of (and from) the Eiffel-designed bridges out to the Atlantic. Narrow cobblestone alleys take you past colorful tiled houses and beautiful spired churches. I spent a night checking out live jazz and local DJ’s while meeting the locals and fellow travelers, and a morning running through sprawling parks and along the waterfront. Across the bridge sits Gaia, with dozens of Port Wine houses and a killer view back to the city. One evening I first took in another Fado performance, then went to the other end of the musical spectrum for a free indie rock show outside of the massive Casa de Musica performance venue. Then I hopped a train up the coast, said Tchau and Obrigada (goodbye and thank you) to Portugal and Hola to Spain 🙂
