Cinnamon buns and sweet treats

Here’s what happened our last two days in Porto!

Yesterday we did something very fun… we took a surfing lesson! We got to go surf in the Atlantic Ocean. We booked a group lesson through our hostel and ended up with a private lesson, just the two of us. Our instructor was lots of fun, he really knew what he was doing… although his driving was questionable to say the least.

Getting ready to surf

Happy in the Atlantic Ocean!

We went to a beach in the smaller city of Matosinhos to surf. This town is still in the district of Porto and has many fancy restaurants and great beaches. Surfing was a blast, we both had a lot of fun catching waves and falling over. It was definitely much warmer than surfing in the Pacific off Tofino!

The beach where we surfed

We had a relaxing afternoon, and then went out for a walk in the evening to Gaia city. As I mentioned before, Gaia is just across the river from Porto, so it has beautiful views of the city. We also accidentally came across about four markets during our walk, so I was having a blast!

Walking across the bridge to Gaia

View of Porto from Gaia

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This morning we had another few hours in a cafe to work on real-life responsibilities.

Working goodies

Afterwards, we wandered through Porto some more. We visited the Crystal Palace Gardens, which were designed in the 19th century and offer wonderful views of the city.

Views from the Crystal Palace Gardens

Beautiful views over the Douro River

These gardens were full of peacocks and ducks. Apparently, peacocks were brought to Portugal from India during the 15th-17th centuries and were kept as exotic pets… although no longer pets these birds certainly seem happy here!

Strutting his stuff

Getting a sip of water

Little duck couple

I also came across the best plates ever! These fruit and veggie themed plates have been all over Portugal and one day I will own some.

Watermelon plates!

In the evening we went to watch the sunset at the Jardim do Morro, a small green space in Gaia just across the bridge from Porto. This little park was absolutely packed full of people there for the evening views. There were stalls selling food and drink, many street performers playing music, and tons of folks laughing and chatting… such a vibrant area!

Enjoy these stages of the Portuguese sunset…

The sunset did not disappoint, it was absolutely breathtaking to watch the sun disappear into Porto. This was the perfect way to end our last evening in Portugal. This little country has exceeded all my expectations...especially in terms of pastries! Obrigada Portugal!

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Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit

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