My first solo trip to charming Porto

Hi peeps!!
How was your summer? Today, I want to share a very special summer memory with you.

In June 2019, when we all finished studying at the university in Geneva, I asked some of my friends to join me on a summer trip. However, they and their parents all want them to come back to their home country as soon as possible, so no one could join me. Thus, I decided to go on a solo trip for the first time as I always desire to explore more places in Europe. I then stayed in Europe for another 2 weeks to travel around before coming back to Vietnam.

There were many destinations for me to choose from. However, as I travel alone, I considered the safety of the place, and the price as always. After doing some research, I chose Porto as the first place to visit.

Normally, when I travel, I stay in an entire Airbnb with my friends. However, as I traveled alone, I chose to stay in an Airbnb with the hosts to save money as well as to find somebody to talk with during the trip. Luckily, all of the hosts in my solo trips were extremely nice and helpful, my host in Porto even gave me a souvenir to bring home.
I arrived in Porto at sunset time. After that, I got on a sky train to reach the airbnb. The experience of enjoying the whole view of the city on the train was amazing. All the city was soaked in the sunset, and became extremely charming. That was the moment that I fell in love with Porto. Besides, the city scenery is ancient and it is not so bustling like other cities I have been to.

This is the view from the Dom Luis I bridge. There is also a metro train that runs through this bridge. I took this metro on the first day in Porto to get to my airbnb.

This pic is quite low quality as I cut it from a video that I recorded from the train. However, I decided to show it since I want to share the beauty of the sunset in Porto.

Behind me is the Dom Luis I bridge
There is a fact that Porto was chosen as the best European destination in 2017 (retrieved from https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/best-of-europe/european-best-destinations-2017/). I think it is explainable as the city is pretty, people are friendly and its costs are affordable. I will be happy to spend all day walking through Porto's streets and enjoying its beauty. Here, you can find houses with signature orange roofs, and Portuguese tiles.

A picture of Bolsa Palace in Porto

Me and lovely, old houses in Porto

This is the Chapel of Souls that were tiled with gorgeous blue-and-white tiles. Besides, the blue-and-white tiles are very popular in Porto, they are also used in other attractions such as the Igreja de Santa Clara, inside the São Bento Station or even in residents' houses.

If you are a fan of Harry Potter, you probably want to visit the Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto. It is said that this book store is the inspiration of some Hogwarts scenery in the famous novel series (retrieved from https://www.saltinourhair.com/portugal/livraria-lello-porto/). However, you may have to wait for hours to visit this little book store as there is always a long queue waiting.

Inside the bookstore

When visiting Porto, make sure you wear comfortable shoes as it is a hilly place. Besides, the bus system is not very effective so sometimes, it's better walking than using the public
transport. Thus, choosing the right shoes is important.

Hilly Porto
Finally, don't forget to try francesinha, which is the traditional dish of the city. This is a sandwich with some type of meat inside such as ham, sausage, or roasted meat. It is then covered with
a lot of cheese. This dish usually goes with a special sauce and the amalgamation of all the is scrumptious!

This is the francesinha that I had

That's all for today's blog. I wish you a very happy summer <3