A few Porto Observations...

I really, really like the place as a visitor.

A few general observations from a personal perspective.

I am still really enjoying Porto. Let's get the negative stuff out of the way firstly - it is very minor. Almost insignificant, but needs to be mentioned for the entire story. My painting box was stolen last night. I'm not really bothered, because I was going to pass it on to a fellow artist before starting to hike anyway. My own fault for sleeping out in a vulnerable place on a half bottle of ruby port. I took the risk simply because I felt there was no risk. It is incredibly safe here. No obvious risk of muggings, or bag snatching - nothing like that whatsoever. I should consider myself fortunate that they didn't get anything of real value. Paints and brushes can be replaced easily for about €100. I saved €35 on a bed anyway. Nothing has spoiled my experience yet.

The biggest risk here comes from short changing/over charging. Be careful. If you hand over a €20 note for a small purchase, say 'Twenty' and make eye contact when doing so. It is sadly very prevalent here in the heart of the tourist town.

I spend free time out in the suburbs. Touristville is my work - I come from a very different perspective to the average visitor. The average visitor will never see the real Porto. Very easy to forget about the 'other' city when it is screened from view by the hills on the river bank. I haven't managed to find an 'alternative' barrio. There doesn't seem to be a centre for artists, musicians, writers and the like - everything and everyone is all over the city mingling together.

Generally the atmosphere is much more gentle than Spain. Less noise (except for the way parents seem to shout at their children as is they're dogs). There is no macho bravado. Everything is a little more sophisticated and refined. Cafes and bars to suit all tastes in decor and food. Plenty of 100% vegan places. Almost all half decent places offer vegetarian menus. Get away from the high business rates and rents of the old town, and you will find stupidly cheap fruit and veg shops stocked with seasonal, local produce. I just bought Three juicy peaches for 30 Cents!

Beer is more expensive than Spain. Super Bock (stupid name and shit beer) seem to have a bit of a monopoly here. Alternatives are not easy to find. Tax plays a bigger part in most things. Want to receive a parcel of goodies from ebay here? You pay 25% tax on the value of goods plus an administration fee. Go look at the shipping options for Portugal on any website - many don't even offer delivery to Portugal.

Port is as cheap as you would expect. €5 will buy a bottle of reasonable quality, famous name Tawny, Ruby, or White. If you want to die young from liver rot and lose your teeth prematurely you can do it very affordably here.

Cannabis is decriminalised as mentioned earlier. Police tell me personal possession allowance is 25 Grammes for weed, 5 Grammes for hash. Personally, I would stick to the 10 and 2 Gramme allowance I mentioned earlier. I could see an easy argument for 'intent to supply' if you're on the street with 25 Grammes in pocket.

Bar and cafe culture is fabulous. Possibly better than any other city I have visited. The choice is so varied. My personal favourite for treating myself is a bar not too far from the Ribeira named Cris. Not good for outdoor terraces, but the interior and the service makes you want to enjoy a good meal indoors.

I don't really have anything to complain about as a visitor. However, I wouldn't choose to live here. As a tourist you probably wouldn't notice. My own perspective is finding the Catholic conservatism, and the 'in your face' preaching from total strangers very oppressive. That's just me - I do my best to respect every belief, but if you start throwing bollocks in my ears I will start to spit.

A few general observations from a personal perspective.

I am still really enjoying Porto. Let's get the negative stuff out of the way firstly - it is very minor. Almost insignificant, but needs to be mentioned for the entire story. My painting box was stolen last night. I'm not really bothered, because I was going to pass it on to a fellow artist before starting to hike anyway. My own fault for sleeping out in a vulnerable place on a half bottle of ruby port. I took the risk simply because I felt there was no risk. It is incredibly safe here. No obvious risk of muggings, or bag snatching - nothing like that whatsoever. I should consider myself fortunate that they didn't get anything of real value. Paints and brushes can be replaced easily for about €100. I saved €35 on a bed anyway. Nothing has spoiled my experience yet.

The biggest risk here comes from short changing/over charging. Be careful. If you hand over a €20 note for a small purchase, say 'Twenty' and make eye contact when doing so. It is sadly very prevalent here in the heart of the tourist town.

I spend free time out in the suburbs. Touristville is my work - I come from a very different perspective to the average visitor. The average visitor will never see the real Porto. Very easy to forget about the 'other' city when it is screened from view by the hills on the river bank. I haven't managed to find an 'alternative' barrio. There doesn't seem to be a centre for artists, musicians, writers and the like - everything and everyone is all over the city mingling together.

Generally the atmosphere is much more gentle than Spain. Less noise (except for the way parents seem to shout at their children as is they're dogs). There is no macho bravado. Everything is a little more sophisticated and refined. Cafes and bars to suit all tastes in decor and food. Plenty of 100% vegan places. Almost all half decent places offer vegetarian menus. Get away from the high business rates and rents of the old town, and you will find stupidly cheap fruit and veg shops stocked with seasonal, local produce. I just bought Three juicy peaches for 30 Cents!

Beer is more expensive than Spain. Super Bock (stupid name and shit beer) seem to have a bit of a monopoly here. Alternatives are not easy to find. Tax plays a bigger part in most things. Want to receive a parcel of goodies from ebay here? You pay 25% tax on the value of goods plus an administration fee. Go look at the shipping options for Portugal on any website - many don't even offer delivery to Portugal.

Port is as cheap as you would expect. €5 will buy a bottle of reasonable quality, famous name Tawny, Ruby, or White. If you want to die young from liver rot and lose your teeth prematurely you can do it very affordably here.

Cannabis is decriminalised as mentioned earlier. Police tell me personal possession allowance is 25 Grammes for weed, 5 Grammes for hash. Personally, I would stick to the 10 and 2 Gramme allowance I mentioned earlier. I could see an easy argument for 'intent to supply' if you're on the street with 25 Grammes in pocket.

Bar and cafe culture is fabulous. Possibly better than any other city I have visited. The choice is so varied. My personal favourite for treating myself is a bar not too far from the Ribeira named Cris. Not good for outdoor terraces, but the interior and the service makes you want to enjoy a good meal indoors.

I don't really have anything to complain about as a visitor. However, I wouldn't choose to live here. As a tourist you probably wouldn't notice. My own perspective is finding the Catholic conservatism, and the 'in your face' preaching from total strangers very oppressive. That's just me - I do my best to respect every belief, but if you start throwing bollocks in my ears I will start to spit.

A few general observations from a personal perspective.

I am still really enjoying Porto. Let's get the negative stuff out of the way firstly - it is very minor. Almost insignificant, but needs to be mentioned for the entire story. My painting box was stolen last night. I'm not really bothered, because I was going to pass it on to a fellow artist before starting to hike anyway. My own fault for sleeping out in a vulnerable place on a half bottle of ruby port. I took the risk simply because I felt there was no risk. It is incredibly safe here. No obvious risk of muggings, or bag snatching - nothing like that whatsoever. I should consider myself fortunate that they didn't get anything of real value. Paints and brushes can be replaced easily for about €100. I saved €35 on a bed anyway. Nothing has spoiled my experience yet.

The biggest risk here comes from short changing/over charging. Be careful. If you hand over a €20 note for a small purchase, say 'Twenty' and make eye contact when doing so. It is sadly very prevalent here in the heart of the tourist town.

I spend free time out in the suburbs. Touristville is my work - I come from a very different perspective to the average visitor. The average visitor will never see the real Porto. Very easy to forget about the 'other' city when it is screened from view by the hills on the river bank. I haven't managed to find an 'alternative' barrio. There doesn't seem to be a centre for artists, musicians, writers and the like - everything and everyone is all over the city mingling together.

Generally the atmosphere is much more gentle than Spain. Less noise (except for the way parents seem to shout at their children as is they're dogs). There is no macho bravado. Everything is a little more sophisticated and refined. Cafes and bars to suit all tastes in decor and food. Plenty of 100% vegan places. Almost all half decent places offer vegetarian menus. Get away from the high business rates and rents of the old town, and you will find stupidly cheap fruit and veg shops stocked with seasonal, local produce. I just bought Three juicy peaches for 30 Cents!

Beer is more expensive than Spain. Super Bock (stupid name and shit beer) seem to have a bit of a monopoly here. Alternatives are not easy to find. Tax plays a bigger part in most things. Want to receive a parcel of goodies from ebay here? You pay 25% tax on the value of goods plus an administration fee. Go look at the shipping options for Portugal on any website - many don't even offer delivery to Portugal.

Port is as cheap as you would expect. €5 will buy a bottle of reasonable quality, famous name Tawny, Ruby, or White. If you want to die young from liver rot and lose your teeth prematurely you can do it very affordably here.

Cannabis is decriminalised as mentioned earlier. Police tell me personal possession allowance is 25 Grammes for weed, 5 Grammes for hash. Personally, I would stick to the 10 and 2 Gramme allowance I mentioned earlier. I could see an easy argument for 'intent to supply' if you're on the street with 25 Grammes in pocket.

Bar and cafe culture is fabulous. Possibly better than any other city I have visited. The choice is so varied. My personal favourite for treating myself is a bar not too far from the Ribeira named Cris. Not good for outdoor terraces, but the interior and the service makes you want to enjoy a good meal indoors.

I don't really have anything to complain about as a visitor. However, I wouldn't choose to live here. As a tourist you probably wouldn't notice. My own perspective is finding the Catholic conservatism, and the 'in your face' preaching from total strangers very oppressive. That's just me - I do my best to respect every belief, but if you start throwing bollocks in my ears I will start to spit.

A few general observations from a personal perspective.

I am still really enjoying Porto. Let's get the negative stuff out of the way firstly - it is very minor. Almost insignificant, but needs to be mentioned for the entire story. My painting box was stolen last night. I'm not really bothered, because I was going to pass it on to a fellow artist before starting to hike anyway. My own fault for sleeping out in a vulnerable place on a half bottle of ruby port. I took the risk simply because I felt there was no risk. It is incredibly safe here. No obvious risk of muggings, or bag snatching - nothing like that whatsoever. I should consider myself fortunate that they didn't get anything of real value. Paints and brushes can be replaced easily for about €100. I saved €35 on a bed anyway. Nothing has spoiled my experience yet.

The biggest risk here comes from short changing/over charging. Be careful. If you hand over a €20 note for a small purchase, say 'Twenty' and make eye contact when doing so. It is sadly very prevalent here in the heart of the tourist town.

I spend free time out in the suburbs. Touristville is my work - I come from a very different perspective to the average visitor. The average visitor will never see the real Porto. Very easy to forget about the 'other' city when it is screened from view by the hills on the river bank. I haven't managed to find an 'alternative' barrio. There doesn't seem to be a centre for artists, musicians, writers and the like - everything and everyone is all over the city mingling together.

Generally the atmosphere is much more gentle than Spain. Less noise (except for the way parents seem to shout at their children as is they're dogs). There is no macho bravado. Everything is a little more sophisticated and refined. Cafes and bars to suit all tastes in decor and food. Plenty of 100% vegan places. Almost all half decent places offer vegetarian menus. Get away from the high business rates and rents of the old town, and you will find stupidly cheap fruit and veg shops stocked with seasonal, local produce. I just bought Three juicy peaches for 30 Cents!

Beer is more expensive than Spain. Super Bock (stupid name and shit beer) seem to have a bit of a monopoly here. Alternatives are not easy to find. Tax plays a bigger part in most things. Want to receive a parcel of goodies from ebay here? You pay 25% tax on the value of goods plus an administration fee. Go look at the shipping options for Portugal on any website - many don't even offer delivery to Portugal.

Port is as cheap as you would expect. €5 will buy a bottle of reasonable quality, famous name Tawny, Ruby, or White. If you want to die young from liver rot and lose your teeth prematurely you can do it very affordably here.

Cannabis is decriminalised as mentioned earlier. Police tell me personal possession allowance is 25 Grammes for weed, 5 Grammes for hash. Personally, I would stick to the 10 and 2 Gramme allowance I mentioned earlier. I could see an easy argument for 'intent to supply' if you're on the street with 25 Grammes in pocket.

Bar and cafe culture is fabulous. Possibly better than any other city I have visited. The choice is so varied. My personal favourite for treating myself is a bar not too far from the Ribeira named Cris. Not good for outdoor terraces, but the interior and the service makes you want to enjoy a good meal indoors.

I don't really have anything to complain about as a visitor. However, I wouldn't choose to live here. As a tourist you probably wouldn't notice. My own perspective is finding the Catholic conservatism, and the 'in your face' preaching from total strangers very oppressive. That's just me - I do my best to respect every belief, but if you start throwing bollocks in my ears I will start to spit.