Since my return to Europe, everything has happened so slowly. I felt so stuck in this transit time that, before getting totally drowned, I had to buy a flight ticket. Two cities were in my mind: Porto and Tel Aviv. Porto has been on my list for a long time, so I decided based on the first-come-first logic.

TAKE OFF

Travelling has a side effect: meeting others. I’m basically an introvert solo traveller and happy with it. When I see people who don’t understand the very clear sentence Please stay in your seat until the aircraft has come to a complete standstill, and the fasten seatbelt sign has been switched off., I secretly wish the pilot hit the brakes, and they hit the floor. No matter how much these people were in the rush, I had my pineapple magic: we arrived at sunset, and the sequin pineapple on the girl’s t-shirt beside me shined all around the cabin. It was a real disco inside the cabin.

LANDING

Porto’s airport is close to the city and has a good subway network. No taxi or shuttle is needed, and it’s nice to have an architectural view right after arriving.

My destination was São Bento (the center of the center), and the arrival was a bit weird. First, looking around the square, I didn’t understand where I was or where all the Chinese were. I get used to Asians more easily than Westerners, and it was confusing for a few seconds. Second, the Queima das Fitas – the largest university celebration – happened right there. It was fun but without context, confusing again to see Harry Potters everywhere.

I stayed at the Being Porto Hostel and can heartily recommend it; perfect location, stylish building, comfy rooms, friendly staff, delish breakfast, and a lovely balcony.

THE WONDER OF TWO

I only had two days in Porto, enough for an instant impression only.

Two things were immediately clear: Portuguese are car addicts, and constructions are everywhere. The constant traffic was a bit tiring, but fortunately, Porto still has empty, silent, and hidden streets and alleys that balance out the vibes.

I also observed two things about Portuguese attitude. They act like life is hurting them.. a lot. I don’t understand why, and they are not rude, but their mimic and gestures look like that. They also enter personal space all the time. Asians don’t know this expression and don’t have peripheral vision, but Portugueses do. Experiencing this in Europe was surprising.

Anyway, I enjoyed my time with music in my ears, wandering around, and discovered two favourite locations in the city: Rua do Rosário and Praça da República (nothing special, they just have a nice vibe).

ART IS EVERYWHERE

I didn’t come to Porto because of its history, architecture, wine, and food. My only interest was street art, and I wanted to hunt as many murals as possible. Challenge’s completed, and I’m pleased with all the awesomeness I found. Of course, the azulejo is beautiful as well (don’t miss the São Bento Railway Station), and so Porto confirmed my point of view that streets are way better than museums.

EAT & DRINK

Porto is the new mecca of foodies. Not bad, but my taste had changed already, and sometimes the midday siesta (between 2 and 6 pm) and the off days killed my vibe – I had to skip almost all pinned restaurants because of the opening hours.

Luckily, the top place on my map was open. I wanted to try an authentic local place, and Adega Vila Meã was perfect. I recommend starting with Broa de Avintes and Queijo Saloio. OMG, I know it’s just bread and cheese, but the texture, the smell, and the taste.. heaven! And the Rojões à Portuguesa reminded me of our Hungarian classic pork dishes – the tender meat and the gently roasted potatoes are really savoury.

The Cais da Ribeira (the main riverfront promenade) is always busy, but after the Dom Luís I bridge, it’s more quiet and chill, with the same amazing sunset view. Here is À Bolina, a wine and tapas bar. On my first visit, I asked for a girly wine and got one for a strong, independent woman (and this is not a complaint). The second time, I tried their meats & cheese plate and had the best homemade chocolate cake ever. Oh, and I changed the wine for caipirinha – I was excited about the women’s handball final and needed something stronger.

Armazém is a mixture of a gallery, flea market, and tapas bar, with a really cool atmosphere.

THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY

Surprising topics dominated my mini-holiday: love, relationships, and personal history. Everyone has a story, and the need to share is our nature. Everyone gets lost in life at least once, goes blind from feelings, and loses the balance between imagination and reality. Me too. The conclusion we found with the random chat partners is that love is caring, and people chose caring instead of chasing the oneandonly. I don’t know if it’s completely accurate, but it stuck with me.. like this song:

It takes courage to open unknown doors, and we may be surprised by what we find behind them. I have a (bad) habit of entering forbidden places (or just those where I’m not supposed to be). It’s not just exciting, but usually, this is how I find real hidden gems. It can be anything – a lovely everyday scenery, a tiny garden, or a staircase. My advice (both to travel and to people) is to be curious, go and explore, but take your pleasant attitude and politeness with you, and never forget that you are only a guest.

THE OCEAN IS CALLING

I miss Vitamin Sea so much that I desperately wanted to see and feel it again. The vast empty beach (I chose Praia da Sereia, aka Mermaid Beach), the warm sand, the salty air, the light breeze, the huge waves, the endless power of the water, and the familiar realization of how small and unimportant we are brought me back to life. I could finally breathe again, all my anxiety was gone (at least for this afternoon), and I’m genuinely grateful for this.

Two days in Porto are little but enough. I got a lot of visual, emotional, and philosophical stimulation here. These days confirmed that I’m not interested in Europe anymore, that I do care, that I stay in an imaginary world as long as there’s za za zu (well, according to Picasso, Everything you can imagine is real.), and that ups and downs are real: This Porto is small just f*ckin hilly.