I spent nearly a week in Porto. These are my thoughts.
- Fewer people speak English (and with less proficiency) thanI expected.
- Being in a place where your language generally isn’t spoken can be scary.
- People have been extraordinarily kind
- Going to the tourist area made me understand why people say everyone here speaks English. Everyone in those areas does speak English.
- Staying in an area where tourists don’t stay was great to help me understand what Portugal is really like
- Everything is a little bit dirty here. Lots of graffiti. Buses need to be cleaned. Portugal is a little rougher around the edges than I’ve come to expect from an American city.
- Even in popular areas, there are sometimes disused or even burned out buildings. It seems strange.
- There are lots of cars here. The roads are generally narrow, but they are still filled with cars.
- Sidewalks are generally very narrow and they are not flat which would make them difficult to negotiate with a walker or wheelchair.
- The city is fairly hilly, but it doesn’t seem quite as hilly as Seattle. This leads to lots of stairs to get places.
- I don’t see evidence of a lot of focus on accessibility. I’m not sure about buses, but trains did not have ramps and required a sort of “leap of faith” step to board.
- The cuisine seems fairly fatty. Lots of pork. Lots of cheese. Lots of fried. Lots of egg. I have had some food that is very good, but it has not been traditional Portuguese cuisine.
- Pastries are excellent, and there are bakeries everywhere you look.
- Clothes dryers are not a thing.
- I like the way kitchen appliances are masked with cabinetry.
- The weather is very nice. It reminds me of Seattle but less rainy.
- Herbal remedies seem popular. If I went to a pharmacy and described the problem I was having, I usually got something I might consider an herbal remedy. I went for headache medicine and got caffeine pills. I went for nasal decongestant spray and got eucalyptus essential oil.
- It feels very safe here.
- The feeling of seeing very old buildings for the first time is overwhelming. It’s incredible to witness in person parts of human history that are so old.
- The city is extremely walkable, and it’s generally pretty fun to walk, although it would be much better with fewer cars.
- I can use my card for most purchases, but there are still many restaurants and shops which require cash.
- Food is very cheap in the areas where Portuguese live and very expensive in the tourist areas. I was getting my food via Uber Eats to start, and meals were 20 euros or more. When I started buying from local shops, a sandwich and a sweet costs 5 euros. A salmon sandwich is 7.50.
- Not many people wear masks. More people here than in Knoxville and fewer than in Seattle. I don’t feel like I have ever been mocked for wearing a mask like I was in Knoxville.
- The building I’m in shakes when large trucks go by.
- Lots of people here smoke, and they seem to be allowed to do it in places that are generally not allowed in the United States.
- People seem to be very religious. There are lots of churches and even shops that sell religious trinkets.