Dávid from Zambia – XXXVIII. Blog Post
We Arrived in Portugal Last Night!
After nearly 40 hours of traveling by plane, taxi, bus, on foot, and finally by train, we arrived absolutely exhausted... but we finally made it through the door and straight to bed. So, a big high five to everyone, and good morning!
We're in Aveiro, a city about 2 kilometers away from the North Atlantic Ocean – this is our base, and two of our friends, who we've known from before, are hosting us for the next 9 days.
These guys were also CICD students, but unlike us, they worked on an environmental program. After finishing their project, they moved to Aveiro, where they're currently working on building a self-sustaining climate center with the help of a few local do-gooders and smaller organizations.
Our journey started in the capital of England, on Monday. After waiting for 11 hours for our flight (a backpacker-style nap at the airport), we flew to Vigo, in the northern part of Spain. We only had a few minutes to enjoy the beautiful ocean and the smaller island clusters, before hopping on a bus to Porto, Portugal. There, we had more time before our next train. Even though we were completely exhausted, we were highly motivated, so we took a quick tour of the city and tried one of Porto's famous dishes, the "Francesinha."
As a Hungarian, I'm really proud of our national cuisine, and every time I try new food, especially meat dishes, I (though I know it's not the right thing to do) compare it to the flavors and quality of the food from home. Portuguese friends, hats off to you! The flavors are incredible, and the food is both delicious and of high quality!
Our trip around Porto was quick. After filling up our stomachs, we caught a train to Aveiro. It wasn't easy, though, because there have been strikes across the country for months, which has affected transportation... And now, here we are in Aveiro. The weather is great. Warm and pleasantly windy. The coffee is delicious, the people are friendly and straightforward. The ocean is nearby, and it's my first time seeing it in my life. There's still so much to explore. Right now, we're working on our presentation, which will be on Saturday afternoon – the reason we came, by the way.
On top of that, we've also scheduled a few city tours and a special excursion… I'll share reports about them soon.
See you all soon!
Photo: Vigo, Northern Spain.
