EUROPE BLOG April 20th, 2023 - ZURICH to PORTO

4/20/23- Officially half way through this portion of the trip with Sharece, and we’re switching gears to the Western side of Europe. Due to my work and the weather, we changed our plans further by booking a direct flight from Zurich.

Our AirBnb host has given us an extra hour before checking out at noon, so we’re able to get some sleep and not leave for the airport until then. Central Europe has been fun but it’s time for a change, and Porto’s famous Port wines are exactly what we’re looking for.

Taking the tram to the airport takes about 30 minutes. We fly by security, wait for our boarding and leave on time. However, our plane must hate clouds because the first 20 minutes are very shaky. It eventually smoothes out and by 5pm we land in Porto, Portiugal. For an international flight, we aren’t impressed with them charging for everything, even tiny snack bags. The airport in Zurich wasn’t much better as a bottle of water cost almost $6 US. Geez!

Baggage claim takes forever before our bags arrive, and once outside, I call an Uber to pick us up only to not be able to find where the pick-up spot actually is. It says I’m on the dot one moment then moves me over a street. I even make sure the pick-up was at ‘Arrivals’ but no dice. Eventually, Uber cancels the ride and we take a taxi to our AirBnb.

Self check-in was easy to get the key from the lockbox, but we don’t have much time as it’s already 6:30pm and the sun will be coming down soon. With the forecast showing rain over the next few days, we want to make sure to get some nice blue sky pictures to start our time here.

   

The weather is a nice 60 degrees, allowing me to finally be able to wear a t-shirt, and we walk about 12 minutes towards Luis Bridge. The atmosphere here is completely different than Central Europe, and the scenery is amazing to look at (although we continue to see more cranes and construction everywhere).

Our bodies slow down as we reach the bridge for some excellent views of the city and river. Luis Bridge is shared by both pedestrians and trams, which makes the navigation tricky and unique. We soon head to Porto Cathedral for some outside shots (as it was already closed for the day) and then find a souvenir shop nearby.

The sunset is approaching and we back track to the bridge for some more photos. What a beautiful day this has become and so glad we re-arranged our plans. We’ve been on an adventure already and have so much more left to go.

The sun finally comes down and we find an awesome burger place to eat at before checking out the train station (with its unique artistry), going to the grocery store and heading back to our AirBnb for the night. Our place is awesome except for one special little thing, the shower is visible from the bedroom and kitchen area. I don’t get this new age style of weird stuff and don’t think I ever will.


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