Anastasiall's Tuesday July 31st, 2012

Departed from Porto, Portugal on Jul 31, 2012 8:59am WEST. Arrived at Sebastian, FL on Aug 7, 2012 3:35pm EDT.

We caught the last train for the coast, or down the coast to a Spanish town called Vigo. Another beautiful ride into another beautiful city. A port city, where we saw the neatest outside parks and playgrounds, and decided that seafood was going to be lunch. We ate a nice restaurant near the water and shared the largest meal ever. We stuffed our faces with a clam, a veggie soup and calamari- all separate appetizers. Proceeding that was a ginormous pot of paella mariscos, steaming and smelling delicious. Somehow, and with the help of some card games, the stew was finished. Wait, there's more! We also got a complimentary bottle of Albariño wine, and some pear gelatins deserts.

We couldn't move. Foot by foot, we made it to the park across the street and killed some hours with our books and music. Then a few drinks- mango mojito for me- and headed down to Porto, Portugal.

Staying in the Magnolia Hostel, the city center was pretty close. While passing a multitude of bakeries and markets, we saw the Majestic Cafe, the main train station- Estação de São Bento- that has 20,000 gorgeous tiles in it, the tower- Torre de Clégicos, some churches- like Sé Catedral, the old bookstore with the magical winding staircase- Livraria Lello, and the Palácio da Bolsa. Plus a tram ride on those old wooden things along the city to the Atlantic- Porto is definitely one of my favorite cities.

Then we crossed Ponte D. Luis I into wine town. We passed some of the more recognized wineries such as Sandeman, and made our way up the hill toward Graham's, where we enjoyed a free tour and free tasting! Wine making is interesting and hard maintenance, although it looks like loads of fun. My favorite was the smooth and decadent ruby (which is kept for shorts amount of time in large barrels); we also tried tawnies (lighter wines kept for 10-40 years in smaller barrels, which gives them a more oak-flavored taste) and a couple whites- all good!

Across the street from the stairs under the bridge, we had a Porto specialty sandwich called Francesinha. It's like a grilled cheese with melted cheese on top and a few different kinds of meat in the middle, all sitting in a tomato based "secret" sauce- Mmm. Something else I'll be adding to my -must make at home- list.Tired and so full, we went home, or the hostel rather, and I read and conked out. I love Porto!!

I just woke up with the realization that I will only be in Europe for about 24 hours more. I'm very disappointed about that even though it's been a long and somewhat stressful trip. I feel like I live here and am completely used to moving around every day, learning histories and seeing amazing sights- it has been a spectacular trip. Nevertheless, I miss my parents and puppies and friends and FSU...so for now I guess if I have to. But I am definitely coming back!!

Departed from Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain on Jul 29, 2012 9:25am CEST. Arrived at Porto, Portugal on Jul 31, 2012 8:56am WEST.