There was a brief panic after booking our tickets for the train, a rail strike was planned the 30th of November, the day we were leaving Lisbon. As our luck would have it, our train was one of the few (25% of trains that day) that was still running. A wave of relief washed over us, we had been looking into alternatives to get to Porto and our best bet was a ride share in a gypsy caravan. The ride is only three hours, but we were glad to have the comfort of the train. The day was rainy but beautiful, passing through the small towns and countryside on the way. Awe overcame us as we took in the views of our new city. Greeted by the Ponte Dona Maria Pia, a work of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1877), a railway bridge that is no longer used but still a work of art.

Porto is known as the city of bridges, stretching over the Douro river. There are so many parallels to Portland that it immediately felt familiar. The town is far less sprawling than Lisbon, in the first few days it was easy to find where you are, given all of the exquisite landmarks to guide your way. We stayed in a small studio off Rua do Pinheiro, a perfectly centralized street close to all the hip bars and cafes and just a ten minute walk to the river. Albeit small, there were some perks to the place, like a queen sized bed and waterfall shower. On arrival however, the place smelled a bit moldy. We had to get some cleaner and after spending a few good days airing it out and giving it a deep clean it was remarkably better. We did have a pharmacy a stones throw away so we were able to load up on ibuprofen and antihistamines. Despite the rough start, Porto is an amazing place, however next time we will be sure to have a mosquito net too. The weather was perfect when we were there, it was still in the 60s during the day so we kept the window open at night, only to be awoken by the sound of buzzing in your ear. The mosquitos are huge and extremely loud, I would say they are the only downfall of Portugal. Mosquito activity is high because of the wonderfully mild climate. I thought the ones in South Carolina were bad, but these were a different beast all together. We would wake up each night, exterminate a few and finally get back to sleep. The bites are unlike anything I have experienced before, they become horribly red and inflamed, regardless of you scratching or not. Still the smallest price to pay for visiting this incredible city.

We stayed two blocks from Camara Municipal do Porto (City Hall), built in 1955 in the style of the old palaces of northern Europe. The clock tower looms 70 meters over the Praca do Municipio, a gathering space for locals and prime photo spot for tourists. We were fortunate enough to be there for Christmas, an enormous tree with dazzling rotating lights illuminated the square each night. Christmas music blared and street vendors hocked flashing toys and balloons to unwilling parents. The Portuguese love to have fun, at the wee hours of the morning you would hear groups of inebriated merry makers singing songs, laughing and having a great time. Everything is open late here, which is a refreshing change from Portland where the whole town shuts down by midnight.

The city is filled with churches spanning back over 1200 years. Church of Sao Martinho de Cedofetia was built in 1087, although looking at it you would never have guessed it was so old. Almost all of the old churches are still in use today, which is why they have been so lovingly well kept. You can visit most for a few Euros and easily spend an afternoon enjoying the varying art and altarpieces.