Back to Porto

This morning we had to set the alarm again because our bus to Porto left at 10:00. A bit nostalgic, we packed up our things. The weather reflected our mood: it was very foggy and drizzling a bit. We found the nearest open bar and enjoyed our first coffee with the obligatory croissant. Wonderful! We had a quiet breakfast. We both were lost in our thoughts and soon headed to the bus station. The further we got away from the historic center of Santiago, the more desolate and gray the city became. We had experienced this in every city so far. Everything was very poor, run-down, and uncared for. We navigated on the city map and suddenly a nun approached us and asked if she could help us... it was the little bird from the pilgrim's mass. How nice. She was just as enthusiastic and energetic in helping us. After a half-hour walk, we reached the gray, dark bus station. It didn't take long for our bus to arrive. We were now going to make the journey back in 2 and a half hours by bus, a somewhat sobering experience. It had taken us 12 days to complete this journey, expended tens of thousands of calories, lost liters of sweat, and pushed our bodies to their limits at times. And now, in no time at all, we were back where it all started 14 days ago. In Porto, we had booked an apartment in a suburb called Matosinhos. The landlord offered to pick us up and take us to our destination. We gladly accepted the offer because we had no desire to walk along bleak streets for an hour and a half. We were picked up by a rather attractive Portuguese man who greeted us warmly and immediately struck up a conversation in perfect English. We had an enjoyable ride and reached our destination after 15 minutes. The area was a bit peculiar. Many run-down and dilapidated houses. Not a place where a woman would feel comfortable walking alone at night. The landlord assured us that everything was fine and that the apartment had an incredible view. At least. We were curious. We have gotten used to quite a bit by now. But he turned out to be right: the apartment was super clean, modern, and lovingly furnished, and the rooftop terrace with a view of the harbor was magnificent. Perfect for relaxing and unwinding. As a bonus, the landlord even went shopping for us. What more could you want. We unpacked, were happy about the washing machine, and enjoyed the luxury of having an apartment. We agreed that we didn't want to move around much today and tiredly sank into the sun loungers. Wonderful. We haven't been this lazy in a long time! But we enjoyed it endlessly. In the late afternoon, we only went outside briefly to get a few things for dinner. That was all we could manage today. We rewarded ourselves with a delicious omelette, tomato salad, and vinho verde. Finally, some rest... and as it slowly started to get dark on our terrace, we noticed a few red-lit windows down the street.... wow. So, there was also a brothel nearby. That promises to be an exciting night again. ... let's wait and see...