Each week (hopefully), I’ll share a rough overview of what I did! I’ll probably elaborate on each activity in future blog posts, so what’s coming up next is a quick summary.
Getting to know everything and everyone
In the first week, most of my energy was spent getting accommodated and familiar with everything. I explored the city, met a lot of people, and tried out the nightlife. When I first arrived, I was a bit worried about my accommodation. It was very humid and moldy in some places, but I’m happy to inform you that our landlord fixed it! Next, I had a breakdown because my room has no door… It’s not as bad as it sounds, but yes, no door. My room is upstairs, and that’s the only thing upstairs. Although everything downstairs is separated by doors, it’s weird not being able to close one when you go to bed. Spoiler alert—you do get used to it. Now that I’ve gotten to know my roommates, I can say they’re pretty nice, and we get along well. Comparing my accommodation with other students’, I have a pretty great one, so I’m not going to complain anymore. Plus, it’s less than 20 minutes on foot to the city center.
Jardim do Morro
An hour after I arrived in Porto, my roommates took me to a popular sunset-watching spot called Jardim do Morro! I met a lot of people there. You bring your own drinks and blankets, sit wherever you find space, and enjoy the company and the sunset. It really is a beautiful view. Street buskers are no strangers there, and we listened to a great RHCP tribute band. And if you forget your drink, don’t worry—there are plenty of people selling drinks from portable mini-fridges, and they even accept card payments.
Praia de Matosinhos
I’d dare to say this is one of the more popular beaches in Porto. It takes about half an hour to get there from the city center, but the metro line you take is great. The beach itself is beautiful—all sand, with volleyball courts, coffee shops, restaurants, and lots of people. If it’s sunny, people sunbathe, have picnics, draw, read, eat, and more. And if it’s windy with wavy seas, you’ll find plenty of surfers.
Shopping – only necessities
For the first time, I had to do grocery shopping fully by myself for myself. I loved it! And for all the Lidl lovers out there, yes, there’s one in Portugal too. Along with Lidl, popular supermarkets include Pingo Doce, Continente, and Mercadona. Comparing prices with Croatia, on average, it’s about the same. They do offer a lot of fish everywhere! In Porto, there aren’t any shops like Müller or DM—the closest equivalents are Normal and Wells.
ESMAD
In the middle of the week, I visited the city of Vila do Conde for a welcome class at my university. The orientation day was nice—I met my classmates and made some connections. I like my university, and Vila do Conde is a cute small city with great sunsets. The only downside is that it takes a little over an hour to get there by metro. But since I only go once a week, it’s manageable.
Pastel de Nata
This is a must! It’s a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon. . I love it! I’ve already tried it in a few places, and I’ll report back later on where to find the best ones.
Dinner at friends’
My roommates became friends with a great group of people who like to get together. This group isn’t made up of Erasmus students (finally!) but rather young people from around the world (Brazil, Finland, Belgium…) who are working here. We were invited to an Indian-themed dinner, and it was delicious. Thank you, Helena!
Nightlife
Of course, I went out… I’m on Erasmus. Although I’m not one to go out every day, I like to go occasionally. I went to Adega Leonor, better known as just Adega. It’s a place—actually, the whole street—that gets packed with students (especially Erasmus ones) almost every night. It’s the most popular predrink spot. You can get 0.5L of their most popular beer, Super Bock, or even Somersby on tap for 2.5€. Afterward, we went to More Club. It’s also a popular spot for Erasmus students, so the music was very mainstream. I’d like to explore something better. Fun fact: In Portugal you can’t smoke inside (I think there are rare exeptions), so it was refreshing to come home and not smell like cigarette smoke!
Spoiler Alert — my days are getting better and better. I’ve accepted that I have to do uni work and enjoy the small things. I bought a plant today. I still miss my friends and family, so I hope they come to visit soon!
Love, dera.He
