Phew! Feels good to be back. After a month of hiatus, well, not really because my instagram is still quite active. In short, I was slacking off. Well, not from work per se, because I was literally so busy but you know, instagram is the easy way to post. A few pics in, sometimes a […]
A recent trip brought me back to the lovely city of Porto, the second largest city of Portugal. It’s one of my favorite cities because it’s super fun, has beautiful ancient architecture, not overwhelmingly huge, culturally unique, and has a big population of international students. People are also extremely friendly and hospitable. Normally, I would post […]
The sunny Portuguese capital is a splash of color. The mid-sized buildings glowing in either chalk white or vibrant pastels occupy the undulating cobbled streets. Sprawling across hills and slopes in steep narrow alleys and stone stairs, Lisbon is one big village. Although it could be an arduous walk, being on the slopes however, gives […]
Every year, the city hall of Porto organizes a promotional tour of the Douro River Valley aboard the historical train and we were lucky to get a slot. Of course, there are regular trips for this touristic train from June to October but for a fee (35 euros – which isn’t too expensive compared to […]
You know how it feels like to be at the edge of the world? Being in the westernmost tip of Europe does give that feeling with weathered steep cliffs and boulders against a pitfall of violent raucous waves. Don’t worry, I am not under B.O.B.’s school of thought. As a sane scientist, I pretty much […]
Portugal is usually known for its old towns and warm golden coasts but it also has astounding beauty way above sea level. Its highest mainland summit, Torre, on the Serra da Estrela mountain range hosts ski resorts. But the unique thing about this summit is that it is accessible through a normal national road. You […]
The Sete Maravilhas de Portugal (7 Wonders of Portugal) is a list of cultural monuments and places voted for by the Portuguese people in an open poll in 2006. Since then it has been on tourism pamphlets. Again, I am utterly surprised by Portuguese humility. I haven’t traveled all of Portugal yet but I can […]
After a month’s hiatus due to school work, I can now finally attend to my blog. And what better way to make up for it than a post on my favorites! With over 50 cities in 15 European countries on my list so far, I find it extremely hard to pick a favorite. For the […]
Smack right in the heart of Portugal is one of its oldest cities that now is ironically driven by its outstanding young student population. Coimbra, which has a long history traced back to the Roman times, has the ancient architecture to boast but more importantly, it is the collection of persisting student and cultural traditions […]
