What started out as a cheap flight find on Ryan Air ended up being one of the best trips while abroad. Oporto is very interesting city in the sense that it still remains decrepit in many areas but is thriving in modern and contemporary art / design in small pockets of the city. This juxtaposition is what makes the city what it is. One minute you can be in some high ceiling low lighting bar reminiscent of something in Soho New York and next door, the bar is falling apart and is filled with old local men chain smoking cigarettes without a lick of english in the place. That is completely the charm of the city though, it mixes the old with the new and the result leaves you with the best of what the city has to offer. It was truly unlike any other place I have been. It is also one of the most affordable places I have ever been. I never paid over 5 euro for a drink and for dinner, a five course meal put you at roughly 10 euro. Go to Porto, take a surf in the ocean, treat yourself to some fresh fish, enjoy some Port wine and come back a new person.
