If you can believe it, my original plan was to skip Porto entirely and head straight for Santiago de Compostela. Since I spent my allotted two weeks in Portugal, I felt I needed to leave the country if was to remain “on schedule.” Many of you may find it perplexing that I keep a schedule considering I have an entire year to travel, but thanks to the Schengen Agreement, I’m limited to only three months in Europe. However, after hearing such great things about Porto, I figured the hell with my plans!
My time in Lisbon has left me little time to write. Every single day was full of new adventures that I rarely had a free moment to sit by myself and think. The hostel's wonderfully dynamic atmosphere with incredibly friendly people make it an easy place to call home, and I can’t help but get caught up in the excitement of everything. Without fail, every time I start writing a post, somebody at the hostel sits next to me and we end up talking for hours on end. I know this will come back to bite me later, but I can’t pass up the opportunity for hours of conversation with these great people.
When it comes to traveling, I prefer to spend my time walking to “the ends of the earth." If there is a big hill - I must climb to the absolute top; if I find a huge beach (like in Faro) - I must walk the entire thing; or if I find a long pier - I must see what it looks like from the end. Much to detriment of friends and fellow traveling companions, I go out of my way to avoid taking public transportation wherever possible and opt for the 2+ hour uphill hike instead of paying the measly 1.5 $/€/£ for the bus simply for the feeling of accomplishment.
This will likely come across as insensitive or even a bit cruel for those of you currently sitting in an office cubicle, but I’m saying it regardless - everyone had a worse week than I did. I've stumbled into a breathtaking paradise that I thought only could exist in video games or CGI movies. I’m not a religious man, but I found heaven in the sun kissed beaches of Lagos... and best of all, you don’t have wait until you're dead to visit paradise.
