No Buses, Wagons, Persons or Cows Through "Tunnel"

Let me first start off by expressing how grateful and thankful I am to be able to travel all around the world. Speaking on behalf of us both, we are very blessed with this amazing opportunity and want to make the absolute best out of it. Traveling is something I think everyone should be able to do during their life. Getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing a culture way different than your own is a great way to appreciate other parts of the world outside of your own. In my opinion, every U.S. citizen should have a passport and use it for all it is worth. I know, some people just aren't able to do that, but in a perfect world, that is what I would love to see. It is just so incredible and eye-opening to experience different cultures and briefly get a sense of how they go about their lives in their respective countries. I am beyond thankful to be able to travel the world and better yet, have Kenzie right by my side the entire time.

With all of that said, we have just arrived back from Porto, Portugal and it was a fantastic little day trip. The flight over there was a quick 50 minutes, so, no long flights or layovers this time! Since Portugal is apart of the EU Zone, we didn't need to pass through border control or a passport check station. So, we have no stamps from Portugal in our passports and the same for Spain since both times we arrived in the country it was from a fellow EU Zone country. Porto's airport was really small and it was super easy to navigate around and find our way to the Metro station.

After paying around 3 Euros for a one-way ticket to the center of Porto, we were on our way. It was really interesting to see some of the neighborhoods the train passed through en-route to  SpaTrindade (the main station of the metro system), because some were very modern while others were just old tin shacks overgrown with weeds and grass. It only took about 25 minutes to get into the city and we quickly set off exploring the city. The rain was pretty steady all day, but nothing more than a drizzle, so, it was bearable.

Since we came with zero plans, we just decided to follow a map and explore the city at our own pace. We ate lunch a roadside cafe and then decided we would buy a "hop on-hop off" city tour bus ticket so we could get a better sense of what we were looking at and to get off our feet and out of the rain. However, there was no tour guide on the bus, so, instead of walking aimlessly taking pictures of buildings we had no clue about, we did it on a bus!

The bus did drop us off on the other side of the Dom Luís I bridge, which is the largest one in the city and a popular tourist spot. There are 2 sections to the bridge, the bottom, where vehicles drive and the top, where the Metro train runs. Each section has a walking path on both sides for people to come and go from one side to the other. After seeing all of the people walking across this massive bridge on the top section, I knew right where we were headed next. From the bottom, we got some absolutely breathtaking photos and from the top of the bridge, they would be even better. After consulting with a friendly policeman on the side of the street, we set off to get to the top section of the bridge. Now, let me tell you, this was no easy feat at all for me to accomplish. Right from the start, Kenzie shot the idea down and was completely against it because she is afraid of heights and gets nauseous. However, my charm did it's trick and after a short walk through some side streets and up some hills, we arrived at the entrance to the bridge. I was told to not stop and take pictures, but instead, walk from one side to the other at a fast pace. That partially happened, but not before I got some amazing photos which are placed within this blog. 

After grabbing a bite to eat (yeah, we ate a lot today, but the portions were small haha), we hoped back on the bus and rode it around the loop. Let me make something very clear, the bus driver that we had was insane. We sat on the top of the bus (it was an open-air double-decker bus), so, we were perched right above the driver and with a full-on view of everything ahead. The streets are tiny in Portugal, but this guy had no fear and was making hairpin turns and whipping it around tight corners. More than once, I thought we were going to witness a pedestrian get creamed by the bus or a small car crushed like a tin can. Good news, no one died and there were no accidents to be had today. 

All in all, it was a really great day and I'm so glad we made the decision to take a day-trip over to Porto. As the pictures will show, the city is breathtaking, but you really have to visit yourself to really embrace it all. It is definitely a place we would come back to visit because of the sheer beauty of the landscape and the genuinely nice people we met along the way. Traveling is one of the greatest things we as humans have the ability to do. This trip so far has opened my eyes to new cultures, people, food, drinks, landscapes and so much more. Each day I learn something new and embrace the wonderful culture I am in for that day. 

Editor's Note: The title of this blog refers to a sign we saw while on the bus. It was only symbols on a circular sign right before the entrance to a tunnel. Unfortunately, we were too busy laughing at how funny it was to snap a picture of it. Keep the cows in the pasture, the wagons on the farm, the persons in the cafes and the buses downtown. 

~Andrew & Kenzie