Porto, Portugal

Fri 19th April - Wed 23rd April 2008

Our very first t-shirt and shorts day today! I have been praying for this weather since the very moment I peaked out the window and saw snow on April 6th. It's perfect - we're surrounded by other campervans all tucking into either their dinner or dessert cookies, sitting outside next to their aluminum dinner tables, burning citronella candles. I'm even still in a t-shirt and shorts and it's 8:36pm. You'd think it was mid-summer and we're oh so very appreciative of finally experiencing some proper "summer weather".

I'm giving up on trying to blog every single day of this trip. An ideal for later in my life if I want to read back on what I was doing but I doubt any of you are even the slightest bit interested in some of our more boring days... such as today. It was strictly a house cleaning / regain sanity day which I'm finding surprisingly soothing instead of feeling like a chore.

The best news since my last blog was Porto, Portugal - a really wonderful city that we almost skipped due to the bad weather in northern Portugal. My good friend Davina did almost the exact same road trip 2 years ago and said one of her favourite cities was Porto. As you may have read in my earlier entries, we were plagued by bad weather in northern Portugal and discovered the many, many leaks in the van. Everything was soaked by the time we pulled into Porto, including our spirits. That bulky hair dryer that Bevan scoffed at when he saw me packing it was a god send, as we spent nearly 3 hours on Fri, 19th April trying to blow-dry all of the seat cushions, towels, walls and plywood in the van to avoid getting mold. Instead of a constant down-pour, we were blessed with slight showers that only turned up when we were inside port tasting or sitting at an internet cafe. We even had a furry friend who stopped in for regular visits at the campsite, but unfortunately still no English speaking friends.

For those of you in London, I definitely recommend a weekend visit to Porto. I looooove Lisbon, and Porto is right up there as a very beautiful town with plenty to do on a quick city break. The city is situated along the River Duoro with the historical centre along one side, and an enormous bridge connecting it to the port cellars on the other bank. We spent day 1 in Porto just walking around the very steep narrow streets, climbing the tower to get an anxiety-attack view of the city and a slow meander down the river banks.

Any tourist guide will tell you the typical places to visit, but I think I'll always remember the tower. I've always had an issue with vertigo, but I've only ever had 2 anxiety attacks over it. If you're anxious about heights, you might want to skip this one as I completely embarassed myself at the very top by freaking out yelling "I have to get down! I have to get down!" clutching the sides of the staircase and finally landing in a small huddled heap of panicked breathing until I was able to regain my composure. And yes, unfortunately there were other tourists up there who witnessed it. OH WELL. I can handle most things, including the terrifying Monument in London but this pushed me over the edge.

Our 2nd day in Porto, we focused on the port cellars - which is why I think Davina loved this city so much. I looooove port and they are very generous with their free samples which ultimately ends in drunken chatter with any other English speakers and the purchasing of several bottles according to how closely they correspond with your birth year -- not an overly cheap day out afterall if over-sampling inspires you to purchase. But since it's only the cellars that are located here, there's none of that hassle of travelling long distances from vineyard to vineyard. There are literally 5 within the same block so it's just a quick trot to the next location and you're tucking in all over again.

Despite the fun of our indulgences, we did pay a very heavy price. Here is a photo of what happens when you sweeten your blood with port, then sleep outside in a van without any mosquito repellant.




Let me show you that again...
BEFORE













AFTER

Let's just say that the teenagers at our latest camp here in Sevilla, Spain keep mistaking me for either being in their age group (yay...I think) or feeling great pity for me that the acne never cleared up before adulthood.