Came back from Porto last night. It’s nice to finally depart and arrive at the same destination as Rui Rui after a holiday somewhere.

The Place

Porto is a beautiful place, although it seems that they have a graffiti problem. However, I don’t remember seeing anything with hate or obscene symbols or messages; most of the graffiti are in fact, properly done. In a way, they do add a certain charm to the rustic buildings.

The streets are long and charming; there’s almost always something of beauty to admire at every corner, especially when the lighting hits them just right. The entire place is built on slopes, walking around in Porto, while lovely, can be physically challenging at times.

The Food

I’ve enjoyed a variety of local food. The seafood is delicious; grilled octopus tentacles are to die for! From the way Rui Rui informed me before our trip, I assumed that we will be having seafood (tasty octopus tentacles) for every single meal, but alas, things weren’t like what I’ve imagined. I think we have had octopus only twice during our 5 days trip.

I feel that the Portuguese really know how to prepare rice; I was impressed by every single rice dishes I’ve had. They were all fragrant and there was nothing soggy or sticky about them.

Their popular local food is very hearty. From what I’ve experienced, it’s a lot of meat, sausages, melted cheese and potato, and probably, covered in gravy.

We had Portuguese custard tarts sparingly as they are extremely sweet, but tasty. Goes great with bitter coffee. The traditional dessert and confectionery are just as sugar loaded.

We went on a vineyard guided tour. While I’m not a drinking man, I must say the sweetness (to a limit) of their Port wine makes drinking a lot more enjoyable.