Cypriot Adventures Continue

 

Along with the Turkish and Greek influences I mentioned in the last post, Cyprus also has another big contributor to its culture:  the Brits.  Cypriots drive on the other side of the car on the other side of the road.  There are multiple pubs owned by Brits, English breakfast is served everywhere, and the outlets are in the U.K. style.  When I first arrived and did my standard outlet search, I stared at the plug a little too long trying to figure out the issue.  I’d been so accustomed to using the European adapters that I was surprised to have to whip out the ones I bought in Dublin.

Unsurprisingly, there are Brits everywhere.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  the Brits get around and they are serious about it.  Their whole attitude is they grab a bag and a passport and they bounce.  They are pretty easy to spot too, even before I hear an accent.  The Brits have perfected the art of sitting in a pub/café with a beer on the table just staring at nothing.

There is a strange phenomenon that I have to mention exists on the island.  It seems to be a rip in the space/time continuum.  Time just slips by in Cyprus.  I’d wake up, have breakfast, go for a walk and lunch, come back for dinner then before I know it, it was time for bed.  It’s like every day was Sunday right before the beginning of another work week.

Before I knew it, my time at Demetris’ place was up.  I had arranged for another Airbnb further up the coast to allow me to see more of the island.  Uber doesn’t exist in Cyprus.  Instead, there are taxi stands sprinkled around the high tourist areas.  I hauled my stuff over to one and found someone to take me the roughly 40 miles to the city of Paralimni.

My new home for the week, while in a great location, came with a few issues.  The place is quite large for Europe with a decent sized bathroom (with a tub) and two sitting areas.  But I quickly discovered why the doors had been left open.  It wasn’t only to allow in the warm Mediterranean breeze – it was to let out some of the stench.  Even though it was empty on my first day, I quickly realized that the trashcan in the cabinet beneath the sink (and surprisingly not the bathroom) was stinking up the joint. Even after moving it to the balcony AND buying some air freshener, some mustiness remained (some of that coming from one of the sofas).

And that’s not all.  The cook top (yet another unfamiliar induction model) was cracked, which rendered it inoperable.  Like those things aren’t already a pain in the butt.  The internet would cut out at regular intervals.  When I used the microwave for more than 5 minutes, it would cause a power surge and shut off for several minutes.  The faucet leaked as well as the toilet when flushed. 

There was no shower gel (you spoiled me, Demetris!), the garbage trucks picked up at 2 a.m. (ask me how I know!), and there was no sensor on the light in the hallway.  The apartment may be very bright from all the windows, but you can't tell when you’re out in the hallway, fumbling to get the key in the lock while immersed in total darkness (yes, there is a light switch, but I insist that it should be motion detecting considering all the other issues in the apartment.)

Things somewhat improved when I got a visit from the host two days after my arrival.  I had messaged him about the issues on my first full day in the place.  He'd told me about the power surges but had no answer when I asked about the cooktop.  When my doorbell first rang, I ignored it thinking it was a mistake.  He messaged me after he left, alerting me to the bottle of wine he left by the door.  Dude should know to contact me first.  Why would I open the door of a rental when I’m still eating breakfast and was not expecting anyone?  He did make up for it by showing me that the stovetop does work.  I simply hadn’t flipped on the right power switch.  Those are a big thing in Cyprus as the cost of electricity is apparently very high.  I had to pay a separate bill for the power I used – something I haven’t had to do since Phuket last year.

But enough about the apartment.  First impressions of Paralimni – it made me miss Larnaca.  Don’t get me wrong, Paralimni is pretty, but it has a resort feel to it that was a bit jarring after Larnaca.  Where Larnaca was a bunch of waterfront shops along a boardwalk bordering the long stretch of Finikoudes Beach, Paralimni is a series of hotels, restaurants, and massage kiosks clustered around several small coves. 

Again, pretty, but I think I prefer the livelier capital city.

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to this place was its proximity to the island’s Hard Rock Café.  Yes, the quest is still on to buy more overpriced souvenirs.  My first attempt at getting a cab was fruitless (I still have no idea what the guy was saying, only that he turned me down). I tried to understand the extensive bus system on the island but was left very confused.  Too many buses with similar routes.  Finally, I messaged the host who was able to give me directions.

After a 20-minute bus ride for the low cost of 1.50 euros, I arrived in Ayia Napa.  This was another busy tourist hub focusing more on the shops and restaurants as the shoreline was a little too rocky for bathers.  I made a beeline for the café, bought my shirt and had some lunch.

Just a note:  if you ever see someone wearing a Hard Rock t-shirt from Cyprus, know that it’s a knockoff.  The shirts sold by the store say Ayia Napa not Cyprus.  Call me a purist, but I prefer to have the real thing, even if I have to travel out of my way for it.

Sigh.  Parasite alert:  Cyprus edition.

While in Ayia Napa, I was sitting on a bench, looking at the water and just enjoying the breeze when a man walking by on the trail said hello.  He introduced himself as Andreas and we started to chat.  Then he asked me if I wanted to walk with him while he hunted.  I had no idea what he meant as his accent was pretty thick.  Then he started to gesture towards the beach.  Still didn’t get it.  He said he wanted me to come with him so as to seem less suspicious.

It slowly started to dawn on me that ONCE AGAIN I had been minding my own business and became the target of a parasite.  He basically ruined my peace with the intent to use me to ruin the peace of younger hotter women.  I wished him luck and quickly left the area.  I still can’t believe his audacity.

Men really are gross.  I don’t know why I keep forgetting that.

I’m seriously thinking about getting a dummy wedding ring.  I suck at lying, so maybe seeing a ring will keep the vampires at bay.

A New Land to Explore

 

Sigh.

I mean really.  Sigh.

It’s time again.  Time to leave the country I love as I have yet to secure a paycheck to allow me to stay.  This just gets worse every time I do it.  My outlook is starting to dim.

Searching for a job continues to be a nightmare and I’m not the only one to notice.  YouTube is rife with videos of new graduates who can’t find jobs, multiple layoffs in the U.S. flooding the market with job-seekers, the presence of ghost jobs, and A.I. rejections of resumes in the dozens.  Videos on how the job search engines are broken, careers are dead, and employees refuse to hire even when they have the perfect candidates for positions that remain open.

I naively thought that the wave of layoffs that swept me out of a job in 2022 would eventually ebb.  I’d go on my sabbatical, take myself out of the job market for a year, and then everything would be better, right?  Right!?!

Then there’s the other side of this.  The clear and simple fact that I don’t want another soul-sucking corporate job.  I never wanted a boss to begin with and I certainly don’t want to fight to find one now.  I like having my time all to myself.  But, again, I have to have physical proof of employment for the Portuguese government to grant my visa, so the drudgery continues.

I’m trying to learn the programming language ‘R’ as part of my data analyst certificate and now brain leak out ears … hElp Me!!!

I’m sure there is a better way of getting this life thing done, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out what it is.  In the meantime … gotta flee the country again.  But where to?

Türkiye has become my automatic default, but I wanted to try something different.  After a little research, I realized I had an option that I thought was closed off to me. 

Cyprus is a weird little duck.  It’s an island that’s part Turkish and part Greek (mostly Greek) yet it belongs to neither country.  It’s not part of Schengen either though it has applied for entry.  I thought for sure the island would be accepted this year as had Romania and Bulgaria (Ireland is still waiting to get in), but that hasn’t happened yet for whatever reason.  So, it remains its own little free-standing country.  That means no visa requirements for U.S. citizens and a stamp in the passport allowing me to stay for 90 days as a tourist.  Sounds like a plan.

I had a 12:30 a.m. flight out of Lisbon that didn’t leave the airport until after 1 a.m.  They had a meal service about an hour later that I just slept through (seriously, I know a 4-hour flight usually includes a meal, but come on!  It’s 2 in the morning!  I just want to sleep!).

Because that flight was so late taking off, I had to race through Athens (ugh) Airport to make my next flight.  That included going through passport control as I was leaving the Schengen area.  After a long, sweaty sprint, I just managed to make my flight.

The plane landed early on a Sunday morning.  Already tired and a bit loopy from the flight, I can’t tell you how jarring it was to hear American music wafting through the airport.  Getting off the plane to hear The Village People blaring Y.M.C.A. from the duty-free shop was just …

My host, Demetris, offered to pick me up.  This is a rare offer from Airbnb hosts so it already made the new place stand out.  But as he drove me past the salt lake (the flamingos are there in the winter) through the streets of Larnaca, I started to have Athens flashbacks.  Not just because of the city, but it dawned on me that I hadn’t stayed in an Airbnb in Greece since that one night in that smelly dump.  I started thinking “oh crap.  This place is gonna be just like Athens.  And I don’t care how nice this guy is, I’m gonna have to bail.” 

The entrance to the place didn’t help with that perception.  Now, I’ve been on the road for over a year and I’ve learned that you can’t judge a book by the cover.  Shabby-looking or non-descript buildings usually have almost no bearing on the condition of the apartments. 

I was so relieved that this was one of those occasions.

To my utter shock, this is one of the most well-equipped apartments I have ever been in.  There are cough drops and Q-tips, water and juice in the fridge and fruit on the counter.  There’s a little lever on the kitchen faucet that filters drinkable water through a separate opening.  I’ve gotten used to buying a big jug of water whenever I hit a new place.  With the amount of water that I drink, better safe than sorry regarding the potability for Americans.  I can’t tell you how nice it is to just be able to drink from the tap again.

There’s still more!  This is the rare place that has a tissue box and paper towels.  There is enough shower gel and soap to have you smelling like anyone you like.  Demetris even provided me with toothpaste and a new toothbrush!  How did he know I needed one? 

I know it sounds like such an insignificant thing, but it’s providing little stuff like this that makes a host truly stand out.

Of course, everything couldn’t be perfect.  That first night (Sunday) there was a huge party or club or something nearby blaring music from 5 p.m. to well after midnight.  I still managed to sleep only because I was exhausted.  Toilet paper can’t be flushed (it’s Greece so I expected that).  The apartment comes equipped with yet another induction cooktop that I had to learn (seriously, I HATE those things!).  

And then when I tried to stay another week, I found the apartment was already booked so … there’s that.

As for the city of Larnaca – it’s got some good energy.  Yeah, it’s crawling with tourists and way too commercial.  There’s a TGI Friday’s right on the strip.  I don’t even think there are many of those left in the U.S., so it was very jarring seeing it on the other side of the world.  Of course, McDonalds, Burger King and Starbucks also have a hold on the island.

But despite all that, the place is lovely. It’s about 80 degrees F, sunny and dry on the island every day.  The apartment is just blocks away from the beach and a very stacked boardwalk with restaurants, pubs, and souvenir shops.

And then there’s the breeze.  I didn’t realize until now just how much I missed being near the Mediterranean. The cool air coming off that water is just so relaxing.  The whole vibe of the place says “chill out”.  I dig it.

It surprised me the number of people who speak fluent English.  The island is a big tourist spot because of course it is, it’s gorgeous.  But I’m still the foreigner on their soil.  Then I got to thinking.  Unless you were raised in Greece or are of Greek descent (or possibly a scholar), there is no way you just casually learn to speak Greek. Or read it.  You can find Americans who speak fluent Spanish, French, German – but not Greek.  The language may have been around forever, but few would even attempt to learn it.  I saw a t-shirt in an Athens flea market last year that read “I speak Greek.  What’s your superpower?”  So, yeah.  They know. 

                                                                (This is an Entry sign, btw)

I didn’t help my own situation by transferring directly from Portugal to Cyprus.  I kept wanting to say “Ola!  Bom dia!” (hello, good day) when I approached new people because it’s one of the few Portuguese phrases I’ve gotten down pat (and it’s fun to say!).  But then I have to stop myself, realizing that I don’t know the Greek greeting.  I do know ‘kalimera’ (good morning), but other than that (and my name) my Greek is sorely lacking.

Cyprus is truly amazing.  I think I can squat here a while.  Hopefully, I can pick up a bit more of the language without making my head explode.   

Back To Cascais

 

After two weeks in that great place in Porto, I decided to head back to Lisbon.  My Schengen days were once again running out and I figured it would be easier to leave the country from Lisbon than Porto.  I’d spend the week in the city and figure out my next move from there.

Lesson learned from getting to the apartment:  don’t subject another Uber driver to those narrow streets.  I don’t care how skilled they are, I just didn’t want to risk it.  So instead, I hauled all my stuff down to the main street (not a fun journey dragging my roller bag downhill over rough cobblestones in the early morning) and call a ride from there.

A quick flight from Porto and I was back in Lisbon.  After an overpriced cab ride from the airport to Cascais, I was met by a woman (the first black Portuguese woman I’d spoken to) and taken up to the apartment, a new place for me since I couldn't book the place I liked from last year.

Yeah.  It’s not a bad place, but it instantly made me miss the place in Porto.  To its credit, though, it does have a tub and a gas range.

I chose to return to Cascais as opposed to Lisbon proper because the area has beaches that I love to walk along.  But do you remember when I mentioned that there is construction going on all over the city of Porto?  Well, it seems that Cascais is no different.  Not only are many of the streets blocked off and the sidewalks torn up, but there was also construction happening in my apartment building.  Once again, it was right over my head.

I had heard some banging and clanging throughout the week, but my last couple of days in the apartment were the worst.  One day, the buzzing and banging began at around 9:30 right after I’d finished breakfast.  Since the sound was starting to burrow its way into my skull and give me a headache, I decided it was time to spend the day in Lisbon.

It was a half hour walk to the train station from the apartment.  Another 40-45 minutes by train into the city (with gorgeous views of the coast most of the way).  Then it was either a short trip on the Metro or a not-so-short walk into town.  Since it was a nice warm day, I decided to walk.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned Bertrand before.  It is a chain of bookstores that are all over Portugal.  The branch in Lisbon is the oldest bookstore in the world, having opened in 1732.  It draws a lot of tourists, but, mercifully, not as many as Livraria Lello in Porto.  I never could get into that place because the lines were always stupidly long, but Bertrand is always accessible.  Crowded, but accessible.  Fortunately, I had visited the store on earlier trips, so I knew the way.  I made a beeline for the English section, got my books (which they will stamp for you) 

then got the hell out of there.  Too hot and too many people.  Very glad to get outside.

My former host Luis, the chatty one in Porto with the maps and suggestions, advised me not to go to the Algarve in the south because it wasn’t as historic as Porto.  The only reason, according to him, to go there was for the beaches (my research also told me that there were so many Brits who’d relocated there that the place felt more British than Portuguese).  Lisbon, in his opinion, was too expensive and crowded and not to his liking.  While I appreciated his love for his city, I gotta disagree. No shade on Porto, but I will always prefer Lisbon.  Yes, it is too crowded and too expensive, but there is a vibe to the city that can’t be beat.  I’m always happily humming while navigating the winding, paved streets.

And, as usual, there were various sights to behold on that day.  A parade led to a bandstand with people waving flags and chanting.  I have no idea what that was about, but it seemed to attract a lot of people.

In the main square, framed by pretty, purple-flowered trees, was a crafts fair.   You could buy all sorts of handicrafts and jewelry.  And of course, booze.  Lots of booze.

Porto IV

 

So, yeah.  A part four.

After three weeks in Porto, I had to consider what to do with my few remaining Schengen days.  I thought about going to Cyprus or taking a train to Spain, but … nah.  I’m good in Portugal.  Porto isn’t my favorite city, but it is still Portugal.  It may not be Madeira, but this country as a whole still feels like home.   I would actually love to return to Funchal, but I couldn’t find an available place with a reasonable price (the prices ranged from $100/night to – and I kid you not – over a $1,000/night!).

I called for an Uber to take me to my next temporary home.  The driver was a friendly man who chatted with me the entire way. You know the drill.  I told him about my situation, how I came to be in the country, and how I did not want to leave.  He assured me that Portuguese was an easy language to learn and I laughed in his face (well, at the back of his head as I was in the back seat).  “If I can learn English, you can learn Portuguese.”  Um, English is easy compared to Portuguese, Turkish, Mandarin, etc. which is why everybody learns it.

We turned off the road that hugged the coast into an older part of the city.  The transition is always marked by leaving the paved highway section and slowing down for traveling the uneven, stone roads and increasingly narrow streets.  And I mean really narrow.  At more than one point, I was sure the guy was about to lose a side mirror or hit a parked car.  I just sat there wincing the entire time. 

We got to one area where he could safely turn around and I told him to just drop me off and I’d figure out the rest of the way.  I really didn’t want him to damage his car for a 12-euro ride. He said “no, I got this” and kept going forward.  After asking a lady passing by for the exact location, we turned into a tiny parking lot.  The apartment is just to one side of it.

He got my luggage out, shook my hand, and wished me luck.  I tipped him the max amount through the app – dude had earned every penny.  As I already had my phone out, I began crafting a message for the host’s neighbor to let me in.  Before I could press send, a pretty young woman with long curly brunette hair came around the corner and helped me into the apartment.

I knew when booking this place that it was a new listing.  It had no reviews but was owned by a Superhost (for those unfamiliar with Airbnb, Superhosts have the highest reviews and the best reputations). I usually chose my places based on reviews but took a chance on this one because of it being owned by a Superhost.

Turns out, it wasn’t just a new listing as everything in the place is new.  Brand spanking new.  As in the twist ties were still on the power cords of the appliances.  As in I had to remove the packing tape from inside of the microwave.  New appliances, cookware, bedding, linens, the whole nine yards.  I was the first guest and I can’t tell you what a difference it was to go from an old place with ancient appliances to a squeaky-clean place with unused … well, everything.

I LOVE that!

The place is really nice.  Big kitchen with a backdoor that leads to a shared courtyard, a roomy bathroom, and a decent sized bedroom.  I love the U-shape of the apartment even if I don’t love that it’s on the ground floor.  The windows in the living room face the tiny parking lot and there are always people walking around and making way too much noise. 

Being a new place, there was a slight hiccup on the first day.  I noted that the fridge, located behind the kitchen door (which is dumb – why have that door in the first place if you have to close it just to access the fridge?) was not working.  I pulled it back from its cubbyhole to find that it was indeed plugged in.  I shot a message to the host then immediately figured out where the fuse box was located.  Something tells me that the place has been sitting unused for a while.  The fuse for the fridge was the only circuit that was shut off and the clock over the kitchen door was an hour behind.  Daylight Savings Time started in Portugal several weeks ago.

There was another issue I had with the place.  It has the same problem as other older buildings in this country in that it stays cold no matter what the temperature is outside.  There are two wall-mounted heaters in the place that do exactly zip unless you’re standing right in front of one.  Fortunately, there’s a heavy comforter on the bed so I didn’t have to use the one in the bedroom.  The host also provided a blanket on the sofa.

While not in sight of the water, the apartment has easy access to it.  This part of Porto is right on the ocean, a short walk away from the mouth of the Douro River.  There’s a park close to the shore that reminds me of Belem in Lisbon as it’s just as green and pretty.  This whole area is just gorgeous, so much so that I don’t think I caught it all on camera.

It’s a good hour on foot from this part of the city to the touristy section, but there are busses and taxis everywhere.  The colorful tram cars run right along the main street with the terminus of the tracks being just a short walk from the apartment.

Unfortunately, after having decent weather for the last couple of weeks, the first few days in this new apartment saw the weather take a turn.  A couple of days were just frustrating, starting off sunny and then turning gloomy and rainy.  Then sunny!  Then raining.  That cycle repeated until the weather just decided screw it, just rain all day. 

Yay.

Since I didn’t relish the thought of finding a new home in that weather and I was quite content in the apartment, I extended my stay for another week.  After days of wind and wet, Monday 5/6/24 started sunny … and actually stayed sunny all day.  It was glorious!  And I’m not the only one who noticed.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Portuguese are a hardy people.  When I went walking on the first sunny day, the temperature still hadn't risen much because of the rain.  I had ventured out in my heavy hoody zipped up to the neck as the wind whipped tears out of my eyes and made my nose run.  Meanwhile there were half-naked people lying on the beach.  I don't know if I'll ever be this weather-resistant.

The very next day, temps were in the low 80's.  Summer is coming, folks.  Only my favorite time of the year!

Porto III

 

Luis arrived just as I was leaving the apartment.  He helped me down with my bags and we chatted outside while I waited for my Uber.  Then we said our goodbyes and it was on to the next place.

Yep.  Still in Porto.  Still don’t feel like getting on a plane/train/bus.  Just not feeling it.  So even though I’m not crazy about the city – eh, it’s where I am now.

The host of the next apartment was an older lady who awaited me on the other side of the gated entrance.  She showed me in, not able enough to help me up the two flights of stairs.  That was fun.  It made me wish for the tiny elevator from the last place.

It didn’t help that, while getting my Samsonite into the apartment, the pullout handle decided it was done.  Sigh.  Well, at least this bag lasted a while.  I bought it after Costa Rica in August so I got eight good months of constant use out of it.  That makes it the longest lasting bag on this journey and worth buying another one. 

The new place is another interesting one.  It’s a huge one-bedroom apartment for Europe, but it feels very old.  I could tell by the condition of the tub, the floor that moved under my feet and the appliances in the kitchen.  To my surprise, though, old did not mean useless.  The mini fridge got surprisingly cold, the washing machine did its job even with a broken detergent drawer, and the oven … umm.  

It’s too old to even have temperature markings on the dial.  Instead, the knob goes from 1 to 10.  What the hell does that mean?  Since I had no idea, I guessed and put my trusty sweet potato casserole in at level 6 which, in record time, resulted in a more … Cajun style of dish than I had planned. I turned the oven down to level 4 and it was still too hot.  Apparently, level 10 is the power of the sun.  I don’t know why you’d need that much power in an oven but … okay.

I don’t even know what this thing is, so I didn’t touch it.

I made another pass at Livraria Lello, but was again deterred by the lines.  Instead, I found my way to a little restaurant that offered tastings of the city’s famous port.  I specifically asked the waiter for a solo tasting that wouldn’t leave me completely drunk and this is what he recommended. 

The tray came with a little book to explain the different flavors.  The first I tried, the Tawny, was my favorite with the Rose being second.  The waiter warned me to try the Ruby last as it had the most alcohol.  He wasn’t kidding.  That one made the others taste like fruit juice.  They were all pretty decent, though I don’t know that I’d ever purchase any of them.  I already drink enough green wine at night and the occasional drink during the day.  I don’t know how or even if I should include port in my daily drink-fest.

In making my way to the Douro one day after lunch, I passed by a store that sold Samsonite bags.  I seriously debated getting a new one. I mean, it was just the handle, right?  The rest of the bag was fine.  But then I remembered just how many times I used that handle to get through airports and realized that I really needed that feature.  So, I bought bag number five.  I sincerely hope that I am housed before I have to buy #6.

Remember what I said about the apartment being old?  Yeah.  About that.  It took a few days in the place to realize that the balcony in the dining room was one of three attached to the apartment.  The one in the living room was blocked by the entertainment center, so I first assumed it was a window.  The third balcony was in the bedroom.  Since the blinds were kept down in all the rooms to keep the sun from overheating the place and the apartment didn’t have a clothesline (I just hung the laundry up around the apartment), I didn’t bother to check out any of the balconies until my last full day in the place.  I went out of the dining room door, curious to see if the balconies were connected.  Once outside, I left the door partially open … only to hear it snap into place.  Before I even checked it, I knew I’d been locked out.

Oh.

So that’s why there are rocks placed beside the entrance to the balconies.  And, of course, there is no handle on the other side of the door.  So, I was stuck on a tiny balcony with no idea what to do.

Unbelievable.  And I hadn’t even had breakfast yet.  Nice way to start the day.

Panic instantly set in.  I could see my phone on the table inside.  Fat lot of good it did me there.  I wondered if I could make it to the ground but alas, I was on the second floor and didn’t have enough radioactive spider blood in me to make it down.  I could maybe get the attention of someone on the street … who probably didn’t speak English.  Brilliant!

Fine.  I’d just have to He-Man it.  The first door wouldn’t budge, but the other side of the door did give a little.  I kept working on it until it finally cracked open (I may have broken it, but we’ll just keep that to ourselves).  I was then able to slip inside and breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, that was the only bit of excitement in that place.  At the end of the week, I prepared to move on as usual.  This involved transferring my stuff from my old bag which I did with reluctance.  While the new bag is slightly larger, I still preferred the old bag.  I couldn’t bear to throw it away so I left it in the apartment and let the host know that I hoped someone got some use out of it.

Porto II

 

April 14 and it was moving day again.  I had no desire to get on a plane again so soon so I chose another apartment in Porto for a week.  The Uber driver took me from the eastern part of the city (I would later learn that that was considered the old section of town) to the western side of Porto.  The new place was located on a busy main road that was under heavy construction.

I was deposited on the sidewalk to wait for the host.  Luis arrived soon after, a friendly man who helped me into the apartment.  This place was a studio, not my first choice of places, but it was all that was available at the time for a decent price.

I gotta say that this is the strangest studio I’ve ever seen.  And I thought the last place had a weird layout.  The place is spacious – except when it isn’t.  The living/dining area has plenty of room, but the bedroom and kitchen are tiny and hidden by the same set of sliding wooden doors.  It wasn’t such a problem in the kitchen to cook while the door was open.  But trying to slide by that door to get to the bed was an act of contortionism.  Good thing I’d had that massage the day before.

At the very least, the apartment didn't have the same issues with damp and cold as the last one.  Located on the 6th floor, it even had a decent view.

Upon first entering the place, Luis sat me down at the small dining room table with the map of Porto already laid out.  Since I told him I’d already been in the city for a week, he said he would test me on what I had seen.  I had been to most of the places he’d mentioned (while not actually going inside any of the churches).  When he asked about Livraria Lello, I groaned.  I’d been by that place twice, wanting to see what all the fuss was about, but the lines to get in were so stupidly long that I just kept walking.  Luis laughed in understanding, saying I should still stop by to see it when I can.

He explained that this was a quiet area as opposed to the area where I had previously stayed and the area around the riverfront which he dubbed “Disneyland” because of all the tourists (can’t blame him on that assessment).

He gave me numerous recommendations for restaurants and sites to see, following up with a long text containing even more info.  I do love when hosts provide info like this.  Luis is obviously a man who loves his city and knows it backwards and forwards.  I like that.

I mentioned the construction on this street, but it wasn’t limited to just that area.  There are cranes and crews working all over the city.  Streets are blocked off, sidewalks are replaced with wooden planks, and there’s the sound of saws and hammering everywhere.  Even above my head.  The banging usually started around 8 a.m.  A fun accompaniment to my breakfast every morning.

The power went out one day as I was making breakfast.  I figured it had something to do with the construction, so didn't think much of it.  Breakfast was done enough so I ate it and left for the day, assuming the power would come back on shortly.  Cut to 5 pm and the electricity was still out.  A quick message to Luis and he had me switch a lever in the circuit box.  It was probably my bad.  I had the A/C, the microwave, and the electric kettle on at the same time.  Good thing I changed my mind about doing the laundry that day.

It takes about an hour by foot to get to the touristy part of the Douro.  There are buses and the metro system to get people around, but as the weather had been gorgeous – 75 degrees and sunny – I had no problem getting on the good foot.

At my host’s suggestion, I stopped by a local pizza parlor for lunch that was just a few doors down from the apartment.  This was another one of those deceptively large restaurants – just walking by the storefront, you’d think it was just a tiny place with a few tables. But once I stepped inside, I realized that there was an upstairs, a downstairs, and a back patio.  The spaciousness of these places never fails to amaze me.

The menu lists a bunch of baseline pizzas to which you can add more toppings for a fee.  The food was good and the entire experience was made all the easier thanks to the tablet ordering system.  I’ve seen similar electronic methods of ordering before (namely the Olive Garden in the U.S.) but this was more comprehensive than any I’d ever seen.  Nothing is ordered from a human – from the first course to the last, it is all done on the tablet.  The waitstaff bring the food and clear and that’s it.  The only thing you can’t do at the table is pay.  You can order the check, a waiter brings it, and then you pay at the front.  The restaurant is called Pizzaria Luzzo and has several locations around Portugal.  I highly recommend it.

Another one of Luis’ suggestions was the Mercado Bom Sucesso.  Also located near the apartment, this is an extensive food court sans the mall (that’s located across the street).  You can find sushi, tacos, a wine bar, a beer bar, and lots more.  A very popular spot for the locals at lunch time.  I went there a couple of times, wandering around and being overwhelmed by all the options.  I ate at an empanada place one day (of the three I ate, the cheeseburger was the best) and an Italian restaurant the second time.  There’s a bar there that serves a delicious Cosmo.  Another place I recommend when visiting Porto.

Continuing to follow the list of Luis’ suggestions, I took the rather long walk across the Douro to the World of Wine complex.  This is a confusing maze of museums, restaurants, wine caves, and cafes all scattered around multiple buildings.  There were wine tours, tastings, and interactive displays mixed in with numerous shops where you could buy any of the wines you tasted.  Since I’m still not a big wine person (other than my beloved green wine which I suck down every night) I skipped the tastings.  But for those who are really into wine, Porto will ensure that you are not disappointed.

I found one section of the complex that was particularly pretty.  You can get your drink on while surrounded by greenery and birds.  Just like at the Lisbon Zoo, the peacocks run this place.  I don’t know if the birds are native to this area or just exotic pets that are kept in Portugal, but I’m always thrilled to see them.