You might wonder where weeks 7 and 8 went. After week 6, we had a few more days in Cartagena before flying back to the U.S., where we spent the next two weeks (ish) visiting family and friends. Although we did have a lot of fun (and played with lots of babies!), we won’t be recapping those weeks on the blog.
This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from June 2 to 8 (but really just June 4 to 8). We left California on the evening of Monday, June 3, and landed in Lisbon on the evening of Tuesday, June 4. We left for Porto on Wednesday morning; highlights below!
Favorite thing we ate: Of course we got a pastel de nata on our first day in Portugal … and our second … and our fourth … 😉 Jonathan’s favorite was the pastry from Vale Doce, a bakery recommended by one of our hosts [pictured above left]. Megan is ashamed to say her favorite thing was not Portuguese but rather something very basic … a bacon and egg sandwich from the popular brunch spot Zenith [above right]. Yum!
Favorite thing we drank: When in Porto…. 😉 Did you know there is a rosé port? The rosé variety is a fairly new development for port wine (invented “for the kids,” as one guide told us), but Megan approves. 😉 Jonathan enjoyed all the port we drank in the Douro Valley, Porto and Gaia.
Favorite thing we did: When we landed in Lisbon on Tuesday evening, Jonathan had a message from his dad telling him the Portuguese national team was playing in the UEFA Nations League finals the next day. Luckily, we didn’t have any plans (we booked our hostel for Tuesday evening on our trip over), so we called an audible and headed to Porto on Wednesday morning for the game. Watching Portugal win was definitely Jonathan’s highlight of the week [above left]! Megan loved our day trip to the Douro Valley [above right], where we learned all about port wine (and drank plenty of it, too!).
Biggest splurge: Would it be the soccer game tickets? Or maybe the day trip to Douro Valley? Or maybe the car rental (see below)? We had an expensive week, but it was all worth it to enjoy Porto!
Best deal: Despite the big expenses we had this week, we also enjoyed the relatively low cost of food in Porto (compared to other popular cities in Europe) and the very cheap coffee (it’s easy to find cups for 65-70 cents at local cafes).
Biggest oops: We rented a car to visit Porto. Don’t do that. The city is so walkable, and the one time we did drive in the city (to return the car early), it was a nightmare. Granted, we were making last-minute plans because we wanted to catch the soccer game, so under normal circumstances we probably wouldn’t have rented a car. But now you know!
What we’re reading: We had a layover in Barcelona on our way to Lisbon, so Megan was inspired to finally start reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. (So far, so good!) Jonathan is reading Miracle Creek.
Total walking distance: 32.97 miles (we hit 5 miles every day we were in Porto!)
Up next: The Algarve region of Portugal!
Porto has been on my travel list for a long time… so thank you! Wonderful pics. The Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books too 🙂
You should definitely go! We’re already thinking about going back haha. We’ll have a full travel guide up on the blog some day … hopefully soon. 😉 And I’m glad to hear you loved The Shadow of the Wind! I’ve been meaning to read it for WAY too long.
Porto is definitely on my short list of places I want to visit someday. Loving the pics and that you and Jonathan got to see the Portuguese National team play.
I hope you make it there! Great place to travel with a family, too. 😉 We’ll have a Porto guide up soon to help you plan your trip!