Visiting Porto

I traveled to Porto, to go and speak with Eli S., adviser of the EURES network in Norway. I went to Porto by bus, departing at 9:00 a.m. (from Lisbon) and arrived three and a half hours later. I have heard of the hospitality of the people from Porto and today I got the chance to experience it myself. As soon as i left the bus station, I started asking directions to the place where i would find Eli, and not only I got the help I wanted from a nice man working at a traditional grocery shop, as he also offered me a lift to the place if I had the patience of waiting an extra hour and a half. As I was in a hurry, I thanked him and got on my way to meet Eli. I spoke to her about the Norwegian job market, and she explained to me how to write my CV and what Norwegian companies I should contact during my job search. After I left the place, I had three hours left until the trip back to Lisbon, so I decided to take a walk and explore Porto.

The city is really nice (very different from Lisbon). There are some degraded areas, but that also gives a certain ancient look to the city. There are a lot of churches and landmarks to visit. You can actually cross the Douro river on foot, and take a nice walk on the neighbor city, Gaia. It is also possible to watch, in the river, the traditional boats that carry the kegs with the true and original Port Wine. Also, if you ever get the chance of visiting the city, don’t forget to eat one of the traditional dishes called “Francesinha”.