Sunday, October 2nd
Apartment: https://www.vrbo.com/1501528ha
I finally made it to my apartment in Porto, Portugal after 3 flights and 36 hours of travel.
The taxi trip from the airport was about 15 minutes but slowed to a crawl once we reached the single lane touristy area along the street where I would be staying. I was pleased to see so much activity though as the place was alive with tourists, cyclist, boats, cruise shops and there were numerous market stalls dotted along the promenade across from my building.
I had left home at 12 noon on Saturday October 1st and arrived in Porto 36 hours later on Sunday October 2nd at around 1 pm. Marcelo Jnr, the owners’ son, was there to meet me and did a grand job of lugging my heavy case up the three flights of stairs and settling me in to my new surroundings. He is 20 years old and studying Law and a credit to his parents, Marcelo and Ana.
The apartment was exactly as advertised and what I had been expecting but that is always a most pleasant outcome once realised. It faces north and looks across to the Old Town and most promotional pictures of Porto are taken from this side of the Douro River to capture this beautiful view of the Old Town, a view that I have from right outside one of my numerous windows!
It was a beautiful sunny day for my arrival and so I decided to head straight out for a walk and to unpack later. I headed up the bridge closest to my lodging which takes you straight into the heart of Porto Old Town. Both sides of the river were a buzz of activity given it was a Sunday and a beautiful day at that. My side of the Douro is know for its Port houses and there were plenty of them doing a great Sunday trade; as well as the many restaurants and cafes. I realised then that I had chosen a great location for my four week stay.
I strolled home with just one stop to try and buy some milk and the old lady in the shop and I had fun using the Google translate function on my phone. I decided to head home and rest my feet a bit so that I could post this blog before heading out to dinner.
