The land of Port Wine~

Had port wine tasting in 2 of the famous wine cellars in Porto today before hopping over to Lisbon! And I must say the Port wine in Porto (or Oporto) is damn good! Lynn and I woke up early today to try to catch the sunrise, but it was unsuccessful as there were dark clouds, and soon it drizzled.

Still, that did not deter us from taking an early morning walk to the old city and have a look at how Porto comes alive in the morning! Had a mini-breakfast in the local bars before heading up to a nearby Iglesia (cathedral) and then back to the hostel for some good 'ol fashioned cereal and bread for breakfast!

Then after checking out, we headed off to the other side of the river to have a look at the famous wine cellars which dot the entire landscape of Porto. Both of us went into the House of Calem, and the tour was short and informative. However, the best part of the tour was the wine tasting session (definitely!) and I got to try 4 different types of port wine! Got to taste the 10 Yr Tawny, and the 3 different versions of the white wines. Personally, I felt that the middle class of white wine was particular satisfying - not too sweet nor dry! Decided to get that bottle of wine from one of the shops around the city later on after noticing the price.

On top of that, we managed to find ourselves a decent place to have lunch for about 5~7 Euros! Good food, and it was super satisfying. Also met Matt and 2 more people from the hostel in which we are staying!

After the lunch, I went for the Sandeman tour, whilst Lynn went off to find Porto souvenirs and gifts. The Sandeman tour was great but the wine-tasting session was ok, in my opinion. Only had a taste of 2 different Port wines - the white wine and the reserve. However, the Reserve left a great impression on me, and I purchased the Reserve, with a discount since I had attended the tour. Hopefully I can bring it back to SG! A pity I will have to leave the box elsewhere! haiz.

The trip from Porto to Lisbon was ok...slept almost all the way on the train, and the best part of the trip was that I got to know this Dutch guy who was working in Portugal as a teacher doing translation work for Dutch literature for a Portugese university! And he offered to bring us to a street near our hostel, and even paid for the taxi fare! A pity we did not get his name or contact, as he left hurriedly for his appointment. Gosh...free ride!

And the hostel in Lisbon was amazing! There was a supper party and full of Portuguese food on the table, topped off with wine for 2 Euros only! Gosh. Had a great time eating, drinking and interacting with the different people who were at the lounge area. Definitely a great place to relax and to interact.

Gotta go slp...shall post pics tomorrow *hopefully*!