Walk and I have 2 weeks until our next Workaway assignment (boutique hotel about an hour south of Paris), and having explored a good part of Southern France, we were ready for something new. We found incredibly cheap flights to Portugal, a fantastic VRBO and here we are!

The view of the Duoro River from our apartment.

Porto is situated in northern Portugal, right on the Duoro River. the city itself reminds me so much of San Francisco: steep streets to climb, tiny wine shops, loads of outdoor cafes. Even the buildings are distinctive like San Francisco's Victorian homes. Many of the homes and buildings here are decorated with intricate tiles, usually extending from the ground all the way to the roof.

The first few days were quite rainy, so we stuck close to our little area, perfectly situated across from many of the port houses on the Duoro River. Our first night we found a great place that had octopus that Preston loved, and I tried the local sandwich, Francesinha, which is on practically every menu here. It's a steak sandwich, with ham, coppa and sausages, topped with cheese and a spicy marinara-type sauce. It was delicious. Each place has their own take on the sandwich, some better than others.

As much as I like to go out to dinner and check out local restaurants, I also like to buy local food and make it. Shopping around, we've found amazing bacon, smoky sausages, dense olive bread and incredible fruits and vegetables. We made a few small dinners in, sipping wine and watching the boats cruise up and down the river.

Many more things to post about in Porto, I'll try to make that happen before we take off tomorrow for Lisbon.