By meaggymurphy
Blurb:My first stop in Portugal has already taught me a lot about Portuguese culture. The positive experience I've had in Porto has surprised me in a lot of ways, especially concerning the people I've met in the country's second largest city. Travelling can be tiring, stressful, and confusing, but in Portugal it hasn't felt like any of these things thanks to the nice people I've had the privilege of meeting along the way. The people are amazing, the food is great, and the city is beautiful- What more could I ask for?
People are nice. That is what I have learned from Portugal so far. I'm writing this entry from a train between Porto and Lisbon. I made it on the train thanks to some strangers, who offered to call me a cab and then waited with me for it to come so they could be sure the driver got the right directions. It's been like this in every single encounter I've had with the Portuguese. You stop someone to ask for directions, and everyone within a 10 foot radius has to join in with their own opinions and recommendations. The waiters become your friends and joke around with you.
Another great thing about Portugal is that even if you don't speak Portuguese, the language is very similar to Spanish. It's really bizarre to have a conversation between two people, one speaking Spanish and the other speaking Portuguese, that can be productive and understandable.
I would like to take a moment in this post to reflect upon the deliciousness of Portuguese food. Half of the time I'm about 50% sure of what I've ordered, but 100% of the time it has been delicious. Porto is on the coast, and they have great fish dishes of salted cod and salmon, as well as shrimp and crab soups. I've noticed that the food is spicier than typical Spanish food as well. And the desserts! Again, I haven't ever really been sure what I'm getting myself into, but generally everything has tasted even better than it's looked.
Portugal is exceeding my expectations so far. It's so close to Spain that it seemed like a no-brainier to come, but I hadn't really considered how awesome of an experience it would be until I arrived. And despite being close to Spain, it's different in many noticeable and interesting ways. Right now on the train, I've seen beautiful ocean views and small, white-washed towns with palm trees and orange roofs. Before I left Spain, a friend of mine who is originally from Lisbon literally made me a PowerPoint (complete with photos) of all the things I should see and do when I'm in the city. I was amazed that she had taken the time to make me something so detailed and helpful, and now that I'm here, I see that she comes from a culture of people who don't mind taking the time to be nice.
