City Love Companions

“Why not Porto?” I heard that line at least a dozen times when I planned another trip to Lisbon. I eventually caved in and booked a trip. I had to see what all the fuss was about. And I must admit -even as a big Lisbon fan - that Porto is a very relaxed and fun city. Lisbon can be hectic, if not even chaotic. Crowds everywhere, people constantly in a rush. It can be charming but at some stage it also becomes annoying. Porto, on the other hand, is almost serene. I think that’s because it used to be a city of simple people. Aristocracy was not allowed to live there for more than 3 days at time. Imagine an actual law that prohibited rich people from owning a house in Porto. That bliss lasted from early Middle Ages to the 17th century. What if the lack of rich people is the secret to hap...

I have two friends living in Lisbon; both of them went there to study, thanks to the Erasmus initiative and stayed for good. They kept inviting me over so I bit the bullet and bought a cheap plane ticket. I arrived, had a quick smoke and surprise, surprise: the friend that promised I could stay at her place- overslept and couldn’t pick me up. I booked a room in hotel near Praça da Figueira and was within a walking distance from everything worth seeing, plus a metro station just around the corner. The other friend still kept me company so I wasn’t completely abandoned. I had my breakfasts around Praça do Comércio, overlooking the river and went exploring. Lisbon’s hilly topography is a pain in the ass if you’re out of shape. Even if you’re not planning to walk all that much com...