My flight to Portugal was at 10:20pm aboard a TAP Air Portugal flight – I love late night flights because you sleep on the way over and when you arrive, it’s morning and as long as you’re able to stay awake until a decent hour, your jet lag is a non-issue.
After a long but rather uneventful flight, we landed in Lisbon. Deboarding the flight was a bit surreal – the plane deboarded right on the tarmac – no driving up to the gate. I’ve encountered this before but usually on smaller flights that are more local. As I stepped off the plane, I inhaled my first breath of Portuguese air – it smelled of the sea, congestion and heat. The sun was bright and everything looked a little stark. I shrugged this off to being at the airport – never the most beautiful landmark in any city.
Honestly, I was not prepared for the Lisbon airport. It’s like nothing I’ve experienced. Flights are only assigned gate numbers once they’re ready to board so there are a lot of people mulling around, sitting in corridors, sleeping in chairs. There is a food court and a Duty-Free shop but they were at the other end of the airport so other than a quick walk down to stretch my legs, I hung out in a random corridor and waited for my flight to be called. Down each corridor of the airport were food stands selling fresh sandwiches, fruit and juices. The whole experience was very similar to being in a local farmers market – only indoors and at the airport. My layover was long – about 3 hours and the flight to Porto was only about 35 minutes. After arriving in Porto (much different experience – our plane deboarded at an actual gate, I made my way to the metro and into the center of Porto.
The metro system is operated by using an “Andante” card and you purchase how many trips you will need instead of paying by distance or stop. I loaded my card with just a few trips and ran to catch the metro heading into Porto. The whole process was very easy and only took about 5 minutes. I usually like taking public transportation in new cities as it helps me to get the lay of the land a little bit. The metro in Porto was a special treat because it runs above ground until entering the city center so you’re treated to beautiful views of the city and neighborhoods while reaching your destination. The ride into the center of Porto was quick – only about 20 minutes and despite the fact that the stop I needed was closed, I was able to quickly and easily navigate to my hotel and check in.
My introduction to the Ribera District was amazing. Sunshine, fresh air, amazing food/drinks and live music. I wandered around for a bit, just soaking in the vibe of the city before grabbing a café table and bite to eat along with a Port and Tonic (yes, G&T with port instead of G). My meal was a traditional hotdog dish – basically a few different processed meats, covered in cheese and slathered with red sauce. It was delicious and hit the spot after traveling. Now exhausted, I made my way back up to my hotel – no small feet in a vertical city, and crashed.
Day 2
Day Two I was scheduled to take a walking tour of the city at 10 am. Still very much in the US mode of hurry up and get things done, I left my hotel at 7am thinking I’d grab breakfast and take in a few sites on my way to the tour. Wrongo! Exactly nothing in the tourist areas of Porto open until 10am. Even the Starbucks didn’t open until 9. I had thrown a couple pieces of fruit in my bag so I wandered around Porto until it was time for my walking tour.
My tour was booked with Blue Dragon Tours and was really fantastic. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area and engaging. The tour was a solid three hours and we walked about 3 miles but Porto is a very hilly so one must take that into consideration. Walking tours are a great way to get the lay of the land. During most walking tours, you don’t enter any historic locations but you do get a great idea of where things are and what you want to go back and see later. The highlight of the walking tour were most definitely the medieval section of Porto and the Sao Bento train station – simply gorgeous.
The walking tour concluded by the Torre dos Clerigos so I took the opportunity to purchase a ticket that included a self-guided tour of the chapel, catacombs and religious regalia and granted access to climb to the top of the tower by way of 221 medieval era stairs leading to a breathtaking view of Porto and beyond. It was truly breathtaking!
After climbing the tower, I decided some sit-down time was in order, so I purchased a ticket on an old-fashioned tram and rode out to Foz de Douro where I grabbed a fresh coconut juice and strolled along the Douro River until it met the Atlantic Ocean. I was content to sit on an old stone pier watching the waves crash and the fishermen with their catches. It was a stunning afternoon.
After returning to the center of Porto I had a light dinner of local cheese, prosciutto and a glass of Rose. I could not think of a better way to end such a wonderful day – great food, music, wine and falling into bed exhausted and ready for more!
Part two coming soon.
My Next 40 Years 
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