Hello Porto!

Our home for the next month...

We arrived in Porto on Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by our host, Vanessa, at our new home for the next month: a cozy apartment on the 12th floor in the Massarelos neighborhood.

Massarelos is exactly the kind of place we love. It's a tree-lined residential neighborhood filled with local cafés, bakeries, and restaurants, all within walking distance of the riverfront, beautiful parks, and several indoor markets. In other words, it's the kind of neighborhood where you can accidentally spend three hours "just going out for coffee."

One of our favorite features of the apartment is the little sunroom just off the kitchen. It has a hanging basket chair, a windowsill overflowing with plants, and views stretching toward the Crystal Palace gardens and the Douro River. I have a feeling this little corner is going to witness a lot of morning coffee, afternoon reading, and sunset cocktails.

Vanessa could not have been more welcoming. She greeted us with an enormous spread of fresh fruit, pastries, charcuterie, and a bottle of wine, as if she knew the quickest way to travelers' hearts is through their stomachs.

She also wanted to make sure we were comfortable for such a long stay. She proudly presented us with four giant bed pillows because, as she explained, “Americans like a lot of pillows.”

She also assured us the sofa was “very comfortable.”

It was... not.

Especially for two people. And particularly when one of those people is Shawn.

We’ve come to suspect this is part of Europe’s opinion of Americans. Apparently we’re known for liking soft things. Soft mattresses. Soft couches. Soft pillows. (soft cheese if given the option.)

But we're not here to compare Europe to life back home. We may have reclining sofas, Costco-sized everything, and ranch dressing, but Portugal has universal healthcare, stronger social support systems, and people who tend to live longer and happier lives. So maybe they've figured out a few things after all.

Besides, we’ve learned that firm beds, firm chairs, and firm sofas are just part of European life.

Still... we’re here for a month. So today we made a strategic shopping trip.

We bought the thickest comforter we could find to use as a mattress topper, a sling chair for the living room, and one skinnier pillow to balance out Mount Pillow that Vanessa so thoughtfully assembled.

All things considered, it was a pretty small investment to help ensure we both remain happily married for the next 30 days.

Since we had to take an Uber to one of the larger stores, we decided to make the trip count by stocking up on things that are harder to find in the neighborhood markets.

Unfortunately, somewhere around aisle seventeen, our ambition gave out before our shopping list did.

Thankfully, Portuguese grocery stores understand exhausted shoppers and thoughtfully place little cafés right in the middle of the store.

We happily accepted their wisdom and stopped for sandwiches, fresh squeezed OJ, and caffeine before attempting Round Two.

To be fair, we had already put in a respectable amount of exercise before the shopping adventure even began.

We started the morning walking down to Porto’s riverfront, which sounds wonderfully relaxing until you realize “walking down” involves a very steep downhill trek. From there, we followed the Douro River into the historic district, eventually arriving at the famous Dom Luís I Bridge.

Fun fact: the bridge was designed by a partner of the engineer behind the Eiffel Tower, and once you see its graceful iron arches, the family resemblance becomes pretty obvious.

We're looking forward to exploring so much more of Porto and the surrounding area over the next month. Three weeks in Portimão taught us that the longer you stay somewhere, the more it starts to feel less like a vacation and more like real life - which, as it turns out, is exactly what we were hoping for.

We've already found one favorite just down the street: Mercado Bom Sucesso. It's a huge indoor market filled with food stalls, bars, local vendors, and a grocery market attached. I have a sneaking suspicion we'll become regulars before the month is over.

And finally, I couldn’t end today’s post without sending a very happy 22nd birthday to our daughter. Happy Birthday, Sophia! We wish you were here to help us taste all the sardines! ❤️

Saúde!