I spent a day wandering the streets of Porto on a quiet Sunday in October. I didn’t have any particular plans but decided to just follow the signs and wing it. Besides, I was so exhausted and longed for a more relaxing day. I first stopped at São Bento train station to scour the area. The…
Category: Portugal
Portugal’s Pastries
As soon as I got to Portugal, I noticed the great displays of pastries in every store and bakery. From the train station in Lisbon, to cafés in Coimbra, to restaurants in Porto, I could tell the Portuguese must have a sweet tooth. Lucky for me, so do I. I had so much fun trying…
Guimarães: Portugal’s Birthplace
I went to Guimarães because it was suggested by a couple of friendly people I met when I was in Aveiro. One of them was Joanna, an engineer from Lisbon and a University of Coimbra graduate, who was in Aveiro for work. I was staring at the big world map plastered on the wall behind her, covered…
Aveiro: The Venice of Portugal
Travel ads do work. This happened to me while waiting at Coimbra’s train station. I was waiting for the next train to my hotel when I saw an ad on tv: Visit Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal. Then came a montage of happy gondola-riding tourists on the canal. I knew then where to go next. After all, my…
Coimbra: Portugal’s Gem
Coimbra is my favorite city in Portugal. It was my love for old towns that led me there, combined with my fascination of extraordinary libraries. Yes, I’m a big nerd! I knew little about this city other than the renowned Joanina Library and its historical old town but when I started to do research and look up photos, I…
Hotel Review: Hotel Oslo – Coimbra
This post is sponsored by Hotel Oslo but all opinions are my own. My stay in Coimbra would not have been as pleasant if I didn’t stay at Hotel Oslo. As part of my month long Spain/Portugal trip, I have stayed in many hotels and flats as you can imagine. Hotel Oslo is definitely one…