THE MIDDLE EAST & EUROPEAN SERIES PT12
LISBON – PORTO, PORTUGAL
I’ve always been a big fan of Portugal and wold be doing well not to like it after it being part of my family holiday for the past 25 years.
WHY DON’T YOU WRITE A BLOG?
Between the food, people and beaches, Portugal has a lot to offer but it was time to visit north this time and head to Lisbon & Porto.
WHERE IS LISBON?
Lisbon & Porto, where the blog was conceived
LISBON
I always found Lisbon to be an understated city. Varied architecture, cafés, stunning food and convenient to some of the best city beaches on the continent. Yet you never seem to hear much about it. The layout is a little chaotic but it all adds to it’s charm.
THE BIRTH OF THE BLOG
I checked into Lookout Lisbon Hostel and immediately got talking to a few of my room mates about travelling. Now believe it or not I am keen never to brag about trying to visit every country in the world but that much comes clear after a long chat about travelling.
“Do you have a blog, you should do a blog.” Hayley asked.
Now it was something I have considered before but I felt it was always too late to start. All that travelling I’ve done and I’m only going to start it now? But something resonated with me then and sometimes all you need is a bit of encouragement.
“No I’m rubbish at writing”
“I’ll write it for you,” she said jokingly.
MY STORY
It’s true, I don’t have great writing skills and it was always something that put me off but then I thought about it a little more. Why not do it for myself at least and if someone else wants to read up on it then they can. Then I realised writing my diary as a story is actually possible and a lot easier than what writing is known as, such as a fictional novel. Everywhere I go I write something, whether it be bullet points or a full entry but I became disheartened with looking through these and felt an online blog would be so much more accessible not to mention I could make up for the lack of my writing skills with some photos!
Lisbon & Porto, where the blog was conceived
Anyway, nothing more was said other than the quotes above and she doesn’t even know I have a blog yet (it’s not officially published). I honestly didn’t even know a seed was planted until a few months after I got home when I gave it some much needed thought. From that moment in Lisbon it took me exactly 3 years to create it and populate it with everything I wanted!
Lisbon & Porto, where the blog was conceived
RELATED READ: GLACIER, ICE SHEETS & THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
PORTO
Myself a Robbie who I also met in Lisbon decided to get the train up to Portugal’s Riviera, Porto for a few days. Robbie’s an Aussie and has the same sense of humour as me so as you’d expect we get on just fine. We checked into Nice Way hostel which was only 10 minutes walk from the river, walking distance from the Port lodges – I don’t need to tell you what Porto is famous for.
Lisbon & Porto, where the blog was conceived
PORT CRAWL
We typically spent our first day having a Port crawl which is a lot harder than I thought! Port is generally a dessert wine, usually taken at the end of a meal and as its fortified it tends to be very sweet. Taking 1 is nice but 2 is a bit much but when you’re ordering 2 or 3 from each winery you soon start to lose your mind.
LELLO BOOKSHOP
I think we got as far as Sandeman’s at the river and had to call it a day on the Port drinking, seemed like a good idea at the time. They are worth visiting however, and are all in walking distance of the river but I would suggest a taxi up the hill and to walk back.
If you find yourself in Porto then don’t forget to visit Lello Bookshop. It was here J.K. Rowling took her inspiration for the stairs at Hogwarts. There is a small entrance fee.
RATINGS….
- PEOPLE – 8.5/10
- BACKPACKING – 8/10
- SAFETY – 8.5/10
- WEATHER – 8.5/10
- THINGS TO DO – 8/10
- FOOD – 8.5/10
- VALUE – 8/10
SUMMED UP….
- HIGHLIGHT – Walking around the streets on Lisbon & the Port crawl
- LOWLIGHT – N/A
- VISIT AGAIN – Absolutely
- RATING – 9/10
FINAL THOUGHTS
So as if Portugal wasn’t already a special place for me it is now the place where the blog was conceived, can’t wait to go back!
NEXT UP
Andorra, Barcelona and Malta. Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
108/229
This post is part of The Middle East & European Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
