We spent the morning in Porto before heading back to Lisbon on the train. The morning was spent wandering; we crossed the harbour on a pedestrian bridge so we could get a view of Porto from a different vantage point. We later discovered that we crossed into a whole other city called Villa Nova de Gaia. We also peaked into a few churches with very elaborate gold embellishments. On the train back to Lisbon, Marko tried to plan the next few days of our trip. It might be challenging to get anywhere (by train or bus) over the holidays.
We’ll be sleeping in Lisbon for the next few days so that we can be more central. We found a great hotel, right downtown for only around 45 dollars a night (that’s right, dollars not euros). It has a bedroom and a kitchenette / seating area. Of course, we went to the grocery store to stock up. The hotel decor is really wacky; the halls are mirrored floor to ceiling or painted with bright colours. There are giant portraits painted on the room doors and inside the rooms.
Portugal has been great but I do have a few complaints. Dog poop seems to litter most sidewalks and streets. We’ve managed to dodge stepping in it but the trip isn’t over yet! If you are outside, someone is always smoking directly upwind from you. If you are on a train, you can smell smoke off of the clothes of other passengers (even those sitting far away).
