Fitness & Health, Food, Fun, Travel

Rock-climbing, off-roading and a visit to a Roman gold mine (from Porto)

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My Greenway Tours, run by Eduardo Mata together with a business associate, and which, on Tripadvisor, ranks #21 out of 133 tours to do in Porto (the other ones mainly being about food/wine, or tours of the town), invited BSqB to come with them on a one-day outdoor adventure tour while I was visiting Porto (Portugal) last week. My wife, who is writing this blog with me, only joined the following day, so I was accompanied by an old German friend of mine, who spent the whole week with me as my fellow blogger and as part of our customary boyz-only annual celebration of madness. I grew up in a small town at the doorstep of the Bavarian Alps and have done my fair share of outdoor adventures in the mountains, but this was an absolute blast! Eduardo also grew up in the mountains, and clearly was more serious about […]

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Food, Travel

Douro Valley Tour

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While I was spending last week in Porto, CoolTour Oporto invited me to check out their famous Douro Valley Tour. It ranks #7 out of 133 Tours in Porto on Tripadvisor. With a Certificate of Excellence thrown in on top for good measure. DOURO VALLEY TOUR WITH COOLTOUR OPORTO Many people visit Porto mainly with the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Douro valley region in mind. This hilly patch of land is famous for its port wine production. It is the only region that is officially allowed to call its wine port wine. Although it seems that some Australian producers have yet to take note. The rock star status of the Valley is harsh on the beautiful seaside city of Porto. But once you’ve done this tour you’ll understand the enthusiasm.       GOOD COMPANY ON THE DOURO VALLEY TOUR An old friend from Germany was spending the week with me in […]

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Fun

Goa Bicafe, Porto

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On the day of my arrival in Porto (from Lisbon, by train) I was so tired, I struggled for two hours to fall asleep, then decided to go for a little walk, it was about 2am and I did not expect any bars to be open in the proximity to my hotel. But what do you know, I bumped into one of the most fun bars I had been to in years: “Goa Bicafe, cafe, snack, bilhares” in Rua de Fernandes Tomás (close to corner with Campo 24 de Agosto and 2 minutes walk from 24 de Agosto tube station). The owner, whose name I can’t seem to remember by the life of my mother, was serving behind the bar and a few regulars were finishing up their beers.    They were clearly set to close shop for the day, but the friendly owner started a lively conversation with me […]

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Art and Culture, Fitness & Health, Food, Fun, Travel

One Week in Pretty Porto

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One week Porto sounds like a lot to some people, who think Paris can be done on a weekend, but if you have the time, one week Porto might be just what you were looking for. It was my first time in Portugal and I had a brilliant time. I was joined for most of the week by Nils, an old friend of mine, who was visiting from Munich – you can see two of his guest blog posts here (Kalmykia) and here (Grozny). Then my wife, Ellie or MsB, as she likes to call herself for blog purposes – she is writing this blog with me – joined for the second weekend. My name is Stefan, by the way, or Mr B, if you like. Things to Do We did most of the touristy stuff like all good travellers (can’t miss out on the top sights). The city is […]

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