The flight to Portugal was a long one with a layover in Charles de Gaulle. There was no direct flight to Porto. I was surprised that despite being seated next to each other, we weren't at each other's throats. She let me sit in the aisle seat because I like to stretch my legs and hate being confined. Most of my flight was spent watching films and listening to music while she spent it reading her romance novel which I made fun of. I'd rest my head on her shoulder, read along, and make comments despite not knowing the full story. At first, she found it amusing but then she told me to leave her alone, pushing my head off her shoulder to which I laughed. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and said I was sorry.
When we arrived, we were elated and knackered. It was only noon in Portugal and we still had a long day ahead of us, getting settled in our hotel, finding food, and—if we were still up for it—walking around to get acquainted with the area. Florence spotted her suitcase in baggage claim and I helped her grab it and we were on our way to find the metro to Porto. The cheapest way to the city center was by metro and it was straightforward to use. We took it to Trindade station and walked the rest of the way to our hotel which wasn't a long walk per se but Florence was tired so I took her suitcase and had her navigate.
Checking into the hotel was easy. Florence unlocked our room and walked in, turning on all the lights and looking around. It was a small room with a closet, a bathroom, a desk, and two beds. She quickly claimed the bed by the window and fell onto the bed, her arms and legs sprawled out.
"I'm so tired," she groaned, her voice muffled by the sheets. I checked the time. It was only 1:30 PM. Even though I was knackered, I didn't want to waste the day sleeping. We were in Portugal for crying out loud!
"I'll give you half an hour to rest and then we're heading out to eat," I told her. She didn't respond so I nudged her leg. "Did you hear me? You're not asleep already, are you?"
"I heard you. I just didn't want to respond."
I shook my head and carried on unpacking my stuff. The first thing I did was take out my charger so I could charge my phone, then I started taking out my toiletries, putting them in the bathroom. I spent all day traveling and felt gross so I went ahead and took a quick shower. The shower instantly made me feel better and I felt more awake and energized. While Florence took a nap, I began searching for restaurants nearby to eat at.
Ribeira is Porto's most popular neighborhood full of shops and restaurants. It's right beside the Douro River and near the Dom Luís I Bridge. It seems we were lucky that it was sunny today, although it was a bit chilly out. Winters in Portugal are mild compared to winters in Seattle. Back home, it was 6°C and raining while here, it was 14°C and sunny. I'll take that any day!
It seems like Porto—or Portugal in general—is known for a few things like francesinha (a traditional dish from Porto), bacalhau (dried and salted cod), pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), seafood, and wine. After half an hour passed, I walked over to Florence to wake her up. She actually slept lying on her stomach and I felt terrible for waking her but I was hungry and couldn't wait any longer.
"Florence, wake up," I called, shaking her awake. Florence opened one eye, annoyed that she was being rudely awakened. She turned her head away from me as if that'd stop me and I chuckled. "I promise we'll sleep early tonight. I just wanna grab summat to eat."
Was it even worth eating at a restaurant for lunch? Maybe I'll get a snack to hold me over until dinner but it was nice out and I wanted to walk along the river. How could she not be excited to be in a foreign country?
In her defense, she did come home in the wee morning hours of Monday, drunk, but as promised she packed all her stuff. I was surprised I didn't hear her. She must've slept late...perhaps 4 AM and asked not to be disturbed but I woke her up by all the noise I made, frantically trying to make sure we had everything. I'm sure Florence planned to sleep on the aeroplane but she couldn't because of the excitement and partially because I kept bothering her. Florence sighed and sat up. Her eyes were puffy and her hair was a mess but she was still cute.
"Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."
She grabbed her stuff and went to the bathroom to get ready. When she emerged, she was freshened up. Her makeup was fixed and she brushed her hair. Florence walked over to look outside the window, wondering if she should keep her cardigan on. She decided to keep it. We made our way down to the lobby, happy that we were free of our suitcases. It was nice not having to carry anything around.
"So where are we going, Mr. I'm Hungry?" she asked and I laughed. She enjoys taking the piss out of me.
"Are you not hungry?" I questioned. Florence shook her head.
"Not really."
"Okay...well, it's a bit late for lunch," I said, noticing how much time had passed since we landed. "I can hold off 'til dinner but I'll need a snack. We can head towards Ribeira, find a convenience store, and buy a snack there." We set off in the general direction towards Ribeira and Florence surprised me by holding my hand. She noticed me looking at our intertwined hands.
"Is that okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course," I told her.
It wasn't that I didn't want her to hold my hand. I was still getting used to the fact that we were dating and that she wasn't just a study participant. Her hands were soft and warm. She had painted her nails black for the trip. Florence would slow down to look through storefronts which caused me to stop and one time, there was a group of people walking towards us on the pavement. Florence went left and I went right and we laughed at how awful we were at this. Eventually we figured it out.
We found a convenience store and I dipped in to buy a snack which was basically just biscuits and a drink. We hadn't realized how hungry we were until we finished the sleeve but now we were no longer starving. Up ahead, we could see the river and Florence quickened her pace. The cobblestone streets were a bit wobbly to navigate; I had to watch my step as I tried to keep up with her.
Once she reached the river, she turned around to face the city and I did the same. In reality, the river should be more beautiful but the city was equally as beautiful with the colorful façades and tile rooftops that seemed to go on for ages. Of course, we were much too close to see anything. We'd have to cross the river and go up. Florence took out her phone and began taking photos of the scenery. While she did that, I took the opportunity to look around.
There was a busker sat on a chair. He was playing the guitar and singing in Portuguese, but despite not being able to understand him, I enjoyed the rhythm of the song he was singing. It fit the vibe of this place perfectly. Even though it was the dead of winter, the sun was shining, and no one was in a rush to go anywhere. It was different from what I was used to.
It seems like during the warmer months, eating outdoors is a common thing but most tables and seats were packed away. There were people walking along the streets; a mix of tourists and locals alike. They'd stop and point at something and talk amongst themselves. I turned my attention back to Florence just in time to see her snap a photo of me. She put her camera down, looked at the photo, and laughed.
"You look so confused! I'm gonna keep that one," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Do you want me to take a photo of you?" I offered. I wasn't sure if Florence was the type to love having photos taken of her, if she avoided them like the plague, or if she was indifferent.
"Sure," she said, walking towards the river. "Can you get a photo of me in front of the river and one in front of the buildings?" She smiled for the photos and I took a few. An older gentleman noticed we were taking photos and walked towards us.
"Do you want me to take photos of you together?" he offered.
I was in the process of saying no but Florence said yes, beckoning for me to hand her camera to him. She gave him a brief rundown of how to operate it and the man backed up, trying to get a good view. Florence stood next to me and I wrapped my arm around her waist. She leant into me, leaning her head against my shoulder and the man took photos of the both of us.
"Now for this side," the man directed, pointing towards the buildings. We laughed and did as we were told. At the end, we thanked him and he asked where we were from.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your time here. Portugal is a beautiful country. Do you see that bridge over there?" The man pointed towards the bridge. "I recommend walking across it and watching the sunset." We thanked the man and he continued on, walking along the river.
Walking across the bridge and watching the sunset was our plan but I wasn't sure if Florence was up for it. We got lucky with the weather today. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy in the morning but it'll clear. Florence seemed to read my mind because she nodded her head.
"Let's go, walk around for a bit, and then eat dinner."
It turns out on this double-decked bridge, there are two paths you can take. One at the top and there's a pedestrian crossing at the bottom. Down by the river, it was out of our way to walk on top (we'd have to walk further and head up) so we decided to use the lower pedestrian crossing.
Although the sun sets earlier in winter, it was still a couple hours away so we started exploring the other side of the river. We strolled along the river, looking at the stands locals had set up, selling souvenirs and trinkets for tourists to buy. There was a lot of emphasis on art (made from cork) and jewelry showcasing the beauty of Portugal. Florence would slow down to look at what they had. Of course, our holiday had just begun and we'll come back to Porto towards the end of our trip to fly out so Florence refrained from buying anything but she took note of the prices so she'd know where to shop.
Next, we walked down the streets further inland until it started to get dark and we knew we should head back to the bridge if we wanted to catch the sunset. There was a small crowd gathered towards the center. The majority of the people were at the top but we figured we'd go there tomorrow or the next day, but for now, this pedestrian bridge was good enough.
The sunset bathed the winter sky in a warm, golden light. Florence was busy capturing the sunset on her phone but I was too busy looking at her to notice. Despite being knackered, she still managed to look beautiful. The golden light brought color to her face and she suddenly turned to look at me. I didn't even look away. After a brief moment, Florence used her left hand to bring me towards her and she planted a kiss on my lips. Our lips lingered there for a moment before she pulled away, turning her attention back to the sunset. Even though it was just a peck, my heart was pounding, and I couldn't help but think that I haven't felt this way about someone in a long time.