After not traveling outside of Ireland for a month , I was itching to travel again. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I even missed the always hectic Dublin Airport and the long treks that always accompanied boarding my Ryanair flights. This trip was even more special, because it included warm weather! Don’t get me wrong, I love Ireland deeply, but we have had a BAD stretch of weather recently. I was ecstatic to train the torrential downpours of Galway for the sunshine of Porto, Portugal!
I went to Portugal with two of my roommates from Holy Cross and it was the perfect girls trip. We did not have too much planned, leaving plenty of time for our own exploration. Porto is a coastal city, so when we stumbled upon oceanside restaurants and shops, we knew we were in the right place. Our first day, we visited the outdoor markets and took a gondola lift to get an even better view of the city. It was so beautiful and perfectly resembled all of the pictures I Googled prior!
Something that surprised me about Portugal, was how YUMMY the food was. I was not expecting it to be bad per se, but I also was not expecting it to be (probably) my favorite food in Europe thus far. The brunch was easily the best part. We had big breakfasts each day, which consisted of fresh fruit with yogurt, savory pancakes and some of the best breakfast sandwiches I have ever eaten. Our favorite restaurant was called “Zenith”, and it was so good that we went back on Sunday morning! The food was not the only good part of the experience; the waiters and other restaurant staff were so kind to us and it made our time that much better.
As good as the food was, the highlight of my trip was the boat cruise we took. Our cruise was on Saturday, which was projected to be the rainiest day of our trip. This did not occur and instead the sun came out, to the point where we even got sunburnt! I love the water, so being able to see all Porto had to offer by boat was so amazing. I know I have given raving reviews of each trip I have taken, but this one has seriously been a highlight of my study abroad experience. I hope I am so lucky to one day return to Portugal, again!!
