A lot of folks have been asking how things have been going overall these past few weeks. It’s a complicated question to answer. But one thing is certain: This place is gorgeous. In the above video, I take a brief walk through a couple major landmarks in Porto and show you the things that I’m able to see every day. I hope you enjoy it.
We’ve made friends with several expats. One couple, Mark and Erika, are from Seattle (check out their travel videos here). I had a chance to grab dinner with Mark last week and I filmed a few parts of it so you can get a sense of what that’s like.
I also made an Instagram Reel running down some things I’ve learned in Portugal so far. Here’s what I wrote (Caveats: I’ve been here for very little time, I’m just one guy, your mileage may vary, etc):
😍🌇 Beauty - Portugal is a place that is staggeringly beautiful. Whether you are watching sunset on the Ponte de Luis or just taking in the sights at Porto Cathedral, there is beauty beyond what I’ve been able to experience in most of my time in the US.
💶🚫 Work/career - People here work hard but work and money are NOT the organizing principles for life like they are in America. Relationships and connections are what’s valued and while doing a good job is also important, I don’t sense that there is a hustle culture like there is in the US.
🥰🔥Warmth towards Strangers - In the US, it’s very normal to say hi to strangers you see in public or pass on a bike/hiking path. So far I’ve not seen that happen very often, even between Portuguese people. I believe Portuguese folks are in fact very warm to each other, but they don’t put on a facade of cheerfulness like we expect in US situations. That said: in service settings, Portuguese people have been very kind and patient with us, even as we struggle to figure out how to say things like “Can we take this to go?” (“Para levar?”)
🍴🌭Dinner - It’s typical for restaurants not to open until 7pm and to stay open until 11pm or midnight. It’s also common and expected for groups of people to come and stay and chat for 2-3 hours per meal. Dinner is not something you have to get over with here; it’s something to be savored and enjoyed.
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Thanks for following this journey. As always, you can email me at davechentravels(at)gmail(dot)com with any questions.