Sometimes, when traveling for as long as we are, finding somewhere to call home for awhile is desirable or even necessary. After spending a couple rainy days getting lost in the crazy winding streets of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain we decided to take a bus to Porto, Portugal. Portugal was never on our original list of countries we wanted to travel to simply because the location forces us to visit Spain twice. However, it was a quick bus ride and it looked like the weather would improve after a couple days and we could finally camp. For those of you who don´t know, Jess and I are using Couch Surfing to meet people who allow us to stay in their homes. We requested to stay with a couple people in Porto and then got on the bus. (SIDENOTE: To use Couch Surfing effectively, you should really give the host a one week notice. We know this, but sometimes we still find ourselves requesting the day of our arrival.) When we got to Porto, it was pouring rain and we had no idea where to go from the bus stop. We never have maps or guide books so we spent an hour looking for a hostel with two German girls that had no idea where they were either. Eventually, we found one and we were forced to pay 40 Euro for the night. Let this be a lesson to us.
The next day we got a reply from a host on Couch Surfing so we moved to his house. Pedro has a beautiful house in the prettiest part of the city with an amazing view of the river. We spent all weekend with Pedro. The three of us criticized modern art, lounged in the garden of a rich guy´s house, went to an amazing jazz show, walked the biggest dog I´ve ever seen, shoe shopped (for Pedro, not for us), cooked, drank wine, and went on a tour of Casa de Musica where Jess got to play the piano in the main concert hall. We also went to a Couch Surfing dinner where we met other people to hang out with and potentially host us. Pedro was like a best friend of ours while also being an excellent guide. We moved to another host´s house after the weekend so Pedro could get back to work.
In the next couple days, we kept busy in Porto with our new friends. We went on a city walking tour with Ricky and the Canadianettes, went Port tasting with Marie-Jose, had Indian food with everyone, and went dancing. After eight days in Porto we took a bus to Lisbon. Ricky had a friend who was able to host us (also named Ricardo) and he was a great guide. We went out like the locals do on Saturday night and hung out with Fernando, the bassist of the second most popular heavy metal band in Portugal, Ramp. We spent the entire night asking Fernando questions that started with, "Since you´re in a metal band, do you...?". Apparently he does not have a TV show where women are trying to date him, he doesn´t have a drug problem, he doesn´t eat puppies, and he can´t drink more than two beers without feeling tipsy. Lisbon was beautiful and the weather was nice enough to go to the beach one day and climb a mountain the next.
All together, Portugal was a fabulous experience and an example of the rewards of spontanaity and flexibility. Also, it was a perfect example of how the Couch Surfing community works best. Today we leave Portugal for Valencia, Spain and we do already have a place to stay.
Beijo, Alys
