Porto, Portugal

One aspect I love about life in France is the accessibility to its numerous surrounding countries. Fancy a weekend in Italy, Spain or Germany? Easy – hop on a plane for 2 hours and you’re there. If they were to create a low-cost airline with flights around the USA, it would motivate more people to get out and explore; after all, there is much to explore within the states alone. This would create a happier environment, and make for more knowledgeable people. With each new country I add to my list, I feel like I learn a little more about this world we live in. Each country has its own way of life, different from the last, and I find it intriguing to be a part of it… even if only for a weekend.
Grâce à Ryanair, I was able to purchase a flight to Porto, Portugal for merely 25 euros roundtrip. Morgan, who is the current Canadian fille au pair of the Jaspards, joined me in my little weekend voyage. Despite getting off to a bit of a rocky start due to a stolen wallet, we passed an unforgettable weekend. It was upon our arrival in Portugal that I came to the realization that my wallet was gone. We were at the metro ticket dispenser, and as I tried to take my wallet out to pay I was unpleasantly surprised to discover it had disappeared somewhere between Marseille and Porto. Fortunately I had Morgan, who was able to advance me until all was sorted out.
The hostel was fantastic – great staff, lavish interior, large kitchen, and a short walk away from the Douro river that courses through its city center. In fact, we did not once take the metro but to go to and from the airport. Our first night in Porto, we went out to a little Portuguese restaurant and ordered hamburgers (I know… very American). The hamburgers, however, were not really hamburgers. Instead, they were breakfast sausage patties with eggs topping them sunny side up, white rice, lettuce, fries, tomato, and a slice of cheese. It was not at all what we were expecting, but tasty nonetheless. Portugal, in comparison to other places in Europe, is fairly inexpensive. You can get full meals for 5 euros. After dinner, we returned to the hostel. We planned to go out, but we were both too tired, so we just slept.
Saturday was our exploration day. After eating a big breakfast with some of the other hostel guests, we started off walking. We walked all over its historic center, and to the other bank of the river, where all the Porto wine cellars are located. We visited a few churches with interiors vastly different from those in France, strolled down some small streets and found graffiti, and walked atop a bridge built by Gustav Eiffel, before he had built La Tour Eiffel (or so I believe). That night we cooked in the hostel’s kitchen. I made bowtie pasta with rosemary cream sauce, and we shared some local red wine. The wine here is different from French wine. To me, it has a bit of the taste of Champagne… it was alright, but I think I’ll stick to my French wine. We met a Portuguese man who worked at the hostel named Phillip that night who took Morgan and I out that night to visit the nightlife of Porto. There were a lot of cool bars, but not really any places for dancing. We stayed out all night and didn’t sleep as we had a plane to catch early the following morning. We had a lot of fun that night.
Sunday, it was back to France. Strangely, every time I return to France, I feel like I’m going home. Overall, the trip was an adventure. I would love to return sometime in summer to visit some beaches and whatnot. It’s a beautiful country.