Porto

At seven o'clock in the morning the dogs had come over to my bed. Incredible how they sensed that today something would be different than on previous days. Yes, we’re breaking camp. I took them out, fed them breakfast, and after getting myself ready for the day, I started packing. Luckily I had parked the car by the fence, so I didn’t have to carry the bags far. I only made eight trips, well, maybe ten or eleven. Meanwhile I tied Gerbeaud up outside in front of the entrance door, Panka was bustling around me. Gerbeaud couldn’t see us when we were at the car, yet he stayed calm the whole time — quiet, lying down or sitting. He trusts me and knows he doesn’t need to throw a tantrum, yelp, or bark that he wants to be there around me too. He knows me by now; he knows I wouldn’t leave him behind.

At 10:30 we set off. The trip to Porto is three and a quarter hours, plus I factored in one stop. We arrived a little after two. I set the GPS so it would take us not to the accommodation but down to the riverside, since we still had two or three hours free time. I found a very good spot: for one euro we could park for two hours. I put Panka on a leash sometimes and took it off at other times; Gerbeaud was strictly on leash. Porto’s layout is very interesting — so many houses, and,  because of the hills, it looks as if they were built on top of each other, like someone had put together a Lego city. Fairy-tale tram cars rattled past us; pedestrians and cyclists enjoyed the sunshine. After the long walk I sat down on the terrace of a bar and ordered a glass of nice cold beer. The older waiter looked at me with a very serious, almost unfriendly face — at least that’s how I saw it. But a few minutes after he delivered my beer, he brought water for the dogs and gave them a good petting. Kind, just not the smiley type. My dogs managed to coax at least half a smile out of him. He pantomimed that he also has a dog and loves it very much. At the table next to us a young man and his wife were having beer; the man had his back to me, we were sitting directly behind each other. As we came in, Gerbeaud immediately went over to him, sat down beside him, and asked to be petted. Not just petted once, petted for minutes. I apologized for what an "aggressive" therapy dog I have. “Oh, it’s no problem, he’s very cute!” Of course we got talking. They’re English, from Worcestershire; they had already been to Porto in October. They love it, they booked accommodation in the same place, walked the same streets again now, and came to drink beer at the same bar where they had been then. They arrived yesterday, are staying until Saturday, and would like to come back in June too. Then they asked about me. I sparked their interest so much that Ian asked if they could follow my blog. Well, with great pleasure.

At half past four we said goodbye and we set out to find our accommodation. Luckily I could park very close. There was a sign saying stopping is forbidden, but besides me three other cars were parked there, so I took the risk — at least until I could check out the apartment with the dogs. I received the instructions on WhatsApp; we could get in easily. Everything was fine: a tiny studio apartment, perfect for two nights. A few minutes later one of the rental company’s employees came to greet us. Alfonso was a very kind young man who spoke perfect English and told me a few things. For example, that the token on the key chain is for restaurants they are affiliated with (he sent me their list earlier): they give a 10% discount to anyone who shows this token. Then he recommended me two restaurants with which they have no such relationship. That made me smile. If I have any wishes or problems, I can contact them on WhatsApp.

After that we only explored the busy neighborhood. Luckily there’s a teeny-tiny park near us where the dogs can take care of urgent business. Alfonso also showed me where I can park safely and completely penalty-free, about fifty meters from the “No stopping” spot. Splendid.

Then I started looking at places to stay after the Douro Valley (we’re going there from Porto for three nights). My plan has changed, which of course can still change, but more on that a bit later.