PORTUGAL

Porto

Coimbra

Lisbon

Moorish Castle, Sintra

Pena Palace, Sintra

Throughout planning my trip to Europe, Portugal was never really on my list of places to see. But someone mentioned it, seeing as I was already going to Spain, and I couldn't have been more right about my decision to go. Portugal was probably my favourite country and it exceeded all expectations.

I caught a bus from Salamanca, Spain to Porto, Portugal. I arrived at night so it wasn't until the next day I got to see in daylight where my hostel actually was: just one street back from the Douro river. The bus into the city made its trip all the way along the river which made it a very scenic and enjoyable ride each time. Over the few days in Porto I crossed the Dom Luis Bridge, tasted Port, did a river cruise, climbed the Clerigos tower and just got lost in the city. So many fantastic buildings and all so beautiful to look at with their azulejo tilework façade. I stumbled across the Livraria Lello, one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal and voted one of the most beautiful in the world. Definitely one of my best finds! I also took part in a really fascinating tour of the city by The Worst Tours group. It's run by three activists who, in their spare time, like to take people around the city and show them something a little bit different. We went off the beaten track, walking around areas those tourist maps don't show you, revealing more about the city and its economy than any tourist might realise. I still think everyone should visit those popular tourist spots, they're popular for a good reason, but to see a different side to Porto I would highly recommend one of those tours. 

After Porto, I made my way to Coimbra, famous for it's University. It is one of the oldest Universities in continuous operation, and the oldest in Portugal. It is well known for its library which I didn't manage to visit. I did however, party like a student for a night, getting drunk off 1 Euro beers with two girls I met at my hostel. I learnt after that night the true meaning of the saying 'wine before beer, you'll feel queer'. Whilst in Coimbra I made a trip out to Conimbriga, a huge Roman excavation site. Actually, it is one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Portugal.It was really fascinating being able to walk around seeing ruins of old walls, Roman baths and houses; trying to imagine what life would've been like back then. It took me back to my school days when we did Classical Studies on the Romans, my classics teacher would've been proud.

Onwards from Coimbra, I made my last stop, in Lisbon, before heading back to the UK. Lisbon was probably my favourite city in Portugal. I allowed myself a week to explore it and I like to think I made use of my time wisely. Lisbon is a fantastic city full of alley ways, steep hills, trams and graffiti. The Alfama district is full of lots of little alleys and courtyards and is one of the oldest districts, as it was the only area to survive the major earthquake in 1755. One of my days in Lisbon I participated in a walking tour. It absolutely poured down and with a thin rain jacket and no umbrella I had never been more soaked. It definitely made the tour more exciting because the only thing I really learnt is where to go for some drinks. Which I did. I also met some really cool people on the tour (a couple kiwis!) who I went drinking with. We went to the Bairro Alto district and got lost in the cobble-stoned streets lined with bar, after bar, after bar. 

I also caught a tram to the Belém district where I visited the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries), Torre of Belém (Belém Tower) and ate Pastéis de Belém (egg tart pastries). Possibly the best day I had was my day out in Sintra. There was a local hop on hop off bus that only cost a few Euro's. I only had one day there so I chose to focus on the Moorish Castle, Pena Palace and Cabo da Roca. The Moorish Castle is situated high in the mountains so there is plenty to climb and has the most breathtaking views of the Sintra district. Pena Palace is the most colourful, extravagant thing I've seen. Probably not to my taste, but again, it had the most amazing views and made for some striking and unusual photographs. Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point in Portugal and continental Europe and was the perfect spot to end the day and conclude my trip of Portugal.