Travelling with one friend and staying with another, I travel through Porto, Aveiro and Lisbon glorying in the freedom to once more travel.
The full book is available on my blog, read through the whole experience or, if you prefer, order a hefty coffee table book with all the writing and images you see below to explore in your own time.
With just over a half-million inhabitants, Lisbon is Portugals largest city and its capital. Devastated in 1755 by a unique earthquake, the city is a mix of history and modernity. Divided, as many capitals are, by a river, Lisbon is a more touristy destination than Porto, more chic to Porto's hipster vibes.
Known as Portugal's Venice, Averio's canals were the lifeblood of the city, being used by the seaweed fishermen and bringing the valuable salt to the salt flats. Now more dependent on tourism than fishing, the city has a range of things to see and do.
If Lisbon is Portugals Stockholm, Porto is Gothenburg. A bit cooler, a bit more boho, a bit more of a music and art vibe. A small metropolitan centre of just 232,000 people, another 1.4 million live in the wider area. Settlement in Porto has started as early as the 6-8th century, and Port wine has been exported from the area for centuries.
