Riverside walk in Porto, Portugal













 Today is my last day in Portugal and I am flying into Nice, France tomorrow morning with EasyJet. Wait & see if I can squeeze everything into one carry-on of 45 cm * 36 cm * 20 cm. Hahaha 


I also realized today that I was “robbed” by Portugal ATM of 12% fee embedded in worst ever exchange rates. Remember NEVER accept but DECLINE ATM exchange rate (so the rate later decided by your own bank can be applied). 


I took it easy just had a riverside walk for 6 miles to beaches and two forts: Fort of Saint Francis Xavier and Forte de São João Baptista, then took a double-deck bus back in town, had a picnic with food I got from supermarket, and went back to hostel to double check French travel restrictions and transport into Porto airport in the early morning.  Another note of Portugal, my hostel in Lisbon offers free sangria every evening, and for the other hostels, either me or other hostelmates bought cheap wines so there were always easy sleep except one super loud snorer. 


I then took the last afternoon city walk to enjoy the Porto views, and ordered Portuguese Braga Style Cod 布拉斯式炒鳕鱼（Bacalhau à Brás) with onion, peppers, and potato chips (6€) for dinner. 


Although I am not into churches and palaces, but I love walking around red-roofed houses, ancient castles, and forts in sunny weather. Bye bye Portugal!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Street art, Markets, and Parks

Image
 It was street art, food, and market day. I took the Free Street Art & Graffiti Tour in Whitechapel that became particularly notorious in 19th century for the gruesome murders of Jack the Ripper (once known as 'The Whitechapel Murderer'), but later attracts aspiring artists moved for the cheap rents but still central location, including graffiti on the Brick Lane in Shoreditch. Graffiti originated from gang marking territories, and mostly illegal. This was the first time I saw its making live (and by a group of artists). I also visited three markets in the neighborhood: Petticoat Lane, Spitalfields, and Brick Lane, as well as Amazon UK promotion event (to be filmed and got a free tasting whiskey drink). I then took tube to the Camden town market that has over 1000 shops and stalls selling fashion, music, art and food next to Camden Lock of the Regent Canal. I got a free coffee and a brief orientation of the market in front of Tube from a church group.  I walked along the C...
Read more

Escaped flooded Lake District back to London

Image
 I got a lift from my hostelmate, and successfully escaped from the rainy Lake District back to London around 1:30 pm this afternoon. I left the flat Harry Potter free walking tour after 30 minutes, to visit the artsy Covent garden and other spots in Soho, and then ran to the borough market before it close at 5 pm. Soho Is a fashionable district for the aristocracy, the main entertainment district, and London's gay community is centred on Old Compton Street in Soho. Covent Garden centres on the elegant, car-free Piazza, home to fashion stores, craft stalls at the Apple Market, and the Royal Opera House.  “Borough Market is a wholesale and retail market hall in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. “ I picked the store with the longest wait line and got a hearty tasty big pull pork burger for dinner. In addition, I discovered and toured via the War Museum in 20 ...
Read more

A sunny day in Cambridge

Image
 I took train to Cambridge a university city and enjoyed a sunny pleasant day with a panorama view from the tower of St. Mary Church, toured the St. Christian College, had a Germany hot dog in the Market Square, took a walking tour, and walked up the Castle Hill.  It has a lot of green open spaces and cattle grazing only 500 yards from the market square. According to the tour guide, The University of Cambridge was founded in the 13th century by scholars leaving Oxford after a dispute with townsfolk. I photoed I front of the colleges associated with Sir Isaac Newton and Steven Hawking.  Cambridge academics have won more Nobel Prizes than those of any other university in the world. The Corpus Clock sits on what used to be the entrance to a Natwest Bank, and It was invented, designed and given to Corpus Christi College by Dr John C Taylor OBE FREng  (m1959), who worked with local engineering company. “Sitting atop the clock is an extraordinary monster: the ‘Chronophage’...
Read more