I made it to Porto!

 Hi all,

After an uneventful flight, I am here!  We landed in a dense fog and rain around 9:30AM.   I had arranged a transfer from the airport to my hotel and the gentleman was prompt and friendly.  He filled me in on how to be safe on the Camino (join others while walking if suspicious people arrive, know the "911" number to call (112?  I already forgot it. Nope, I remembered correctly!).  I arrived at Porto Bolsa Hotel with 5 hours to spare before check in so I wandered around the city, walked across a bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia, enjoyed the open air markets, and had my first meal at a brunch spot (it was fine!).  I hit a wall around 1pm and asked for early checkin which I was lucky enough to receive.  My room is spartan but has everything I need.  After a 2 hour nap and a shower, I am back in action and the sun has come out.  Now people are everywhere, enjoying a beautiful early fall evening while sipping beverages in outdoor cafes and restaurants.  It's hopping in Porto.  I went searching for food at 5pm only to discover that all the restaurants close from 5-7pm between lunch and dinner.  So I had a "superbock" beer on the River Market veranda and will head out for dinner shortly.

I'm excited to walk tomorrow though in all honesty I had a few moments earlier today where I wondered what the heck I'm doing all by myself in Portugal!  I keep reaching out to people (mostly Leighton) wanting to share every moment.  I'm hoping to discover that it can also be enough to share moments with yourself.

Porto Bolsa Hotel

The River Market


The plaza
funny buildings



Porto in the fog this morning
Gelato!

A musical procession I witnessed while having...


Comments

  1. LindaSeptember 20, 2025 at 12:02 PM

    Love the photos and feel like I am with you. Thank you for letting us tag along. Off to a great start! 🤗❤️

    ReplyDelete

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