Portugal

October 01, 2019

Portugal

Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe, located on the Atlantic Ocean, bordering Spain.

There are many interesting facts about Portugal. They have the most extensive artificial underwater park in the world. We didn't go there, but we've seen the beautiful waterways surrounded by gothic architecture. Portugal is also ranked as one of the most innovative countries in the world, and its ATM system is one of the most advanced in the world. It's a surprising fact for me, knowing that this country is known for being an inexpensive country to live, and famous as a retirement place. Portuguese is one of the most spoken languages in the world. I want to say "Obrigado" to you for reading my blog.

I visited Porto with my kids in September 2017 to celebrate Mary's birthday on our way to Barcelona, Spain, and Rome, Italy. It was Joshua's first trip to Europe, and he told me, so far, Portugal is his favorite.

Before visiting Porto, I've heard many great things about the place. I wasn't disappointed. I was stunned. It's absolutely a gorgeous place. We did a lot of walking and sightseeing. Here are few places that are my favorites.

Ribeira District, the oldest district of the city, is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets. You can see the ancient houses with clothes hanged outside the window. These clothes hanged outside look familiar, just like in the Philippines. It's a unique view that is part of their culture.

Douro River is the scenic backdrop to Porto, crossed by magnificent bridges and best explored by a boat. Rio Douro means "river of gold" in Portuguese. When the sun sets, and it gleams with the river, it creates an image of gold.

We didn't ride a boat, but seeing these boats crossing the river was already a wonderful experience.

Porto is famous for "Port," which is a rich fortified wine. Grapes are grown widely in the region. There are many wine tours for tourists and a chance to sample some of the wine. Unfortunately, we didn't do a wine tour because my son was still a minor. I would go back and make sure not to miss this part anymore.

Well, we didn't get a chance to taste the wine, but we indeed enjoyed a fantastic dinner with fresh seafood. I must say, this was one of the best seafood meals me and my kids have enjoyed. Salt cod and grilled sardines are the country's national dishes. No wonder we had the best seafood eaten.

We visited the Lello & Irmao bookstore, considered the third most beautiful bookstore in the world. It's a small bookstore, but the interior was stunning. The stairway was marvelous, where people lined up to take their photos. You have to be patient to wait for your turn.

I regretted not buying a book here. But it's OK. I would make sure to buy one when I visit the oldest bookshop in Lisbon called Livraria Bertrand, founded in 1732.