Things I Think and Do: Porto

As you know, I left Santiago last Wednesday and took the bus to Porto, taking about 4 hrs and costing about €30. As I got on the bus, I started chatting with another pilgrim and when we left the bus we searched together for a hostel. We wound up in a wonderful place called the Rivoli Cinema Hostel for €13 per night and that included breakfast. It's clean, well-located, and cinema themed. The Aussie pilgrim, named Kerryn, and I had matching energy, enthusiasm, and interests. Our first day here we walked along the river to the ocean and back for a day of walking in the sun. The 24km wander felt great after camino withdrawal and having someone to "debrief" with was a huge asset. Kerryn had to leave on Saturday but spending a few days with her was a great transition. Porto is thought by many people to rival Prague as the most beautiful city in Europe. Why had I never heard of it? Porto, sometimes called Oporto, is in northern Portugal on the Douro River where it flows into the Atlantic. Its population is 270,000 and one of its districts is a World Heritage zone. It is famous for the port wines it invented, makes and exports. The Douro valley is terraced with vineyards. I've had a great time wandering, taking photos, and on rainy Saturday, I went shopping for inexpensive and light (backpack, remember?) fashion accessories and then went to the theatre which is right across the street. It couldn't have worked out better because the show was a musical review of shows produced by a famous Portugese producer. Heaps of sequins, Las Vegas ostrich fans, lusty singing and jazz dancing and familiar musicals in Portugese!!! Jesus Cristo Supair Staar and a string of portugese!! Man, I loved it! "How do you solve a problem like maria" in another language. Great stuff. So tomorrow I'll take a train to Lisbon. The temperature here has been 18 - 22 but some rainy days. I love the people of Porto; humans don't get any nicer. But I'm on the hunt for the sun.....