Our Last Trip to Porto, Portugal

This weekend, thirteen students of the Western New England SEA group went to Porto, Portugal. This trip was the last one I would be taking while over in London. Visiting Porto was a great time and I’m glad I went on this journey. We left on Thursday evening and arrived in Porto at night since it was only a two hour flight.

The first day in Porto the hostel offered us a free walking tour around the major sites of the city. The group took advantage of this opportunity and went on the tour. The tour guide was quite good and he taught me a lot about the city. Once again I was learning about a new culture other than my own. It was interesting to learn about Portugal’s history and why certain buildings, parks, statues, stores etc. were important to the people of Portugal and the city. It was very evident that we were in a new country because of the language barrier. I would say it was more difficult to navigate around Porto than it was in Italy because of languages. In Italy it seemed like a lot more people new English, but I learned that In Portugal not that many people know English well.

 

The tour guide recommended to the group of us to go to a specific restaurant, and try a Portuguese dish called Francesinha. So that day when we went out to the restaurant and most of us got that meal. Sometimes I can be quite picky with trying new foods, but I was proud that I tried this meal. I tried it since it was native to Portugal and I wanted to try something I couldn’t probably find many other places. It was a meat sandwich that is covered in cheese and an egg and it was pretty good. I realized why it was so famous and it also comes with fries, and you have to eat the sandwich with a fork and knife.

The next day was full of sightseeing more of Porto and visiting and getting a tour of a winery. I learned that traveling with a big group, like ours, can be quite difficult since everyone has different opinions on what to do and when to do it. Overall, I think it was a great trip and I’m glad to say that I visited Portugal. I absorbed a lot about yet another culture, other than mine, and had a great time experiencing it.