T&T Consultancy

Happy love month!

For the ladies, it’s leap year, so this is your year to take the plunge and take the reigns on your love life, if you feel there’s a need to! Take a chance. Propose to your man. Or ask that fella out! Ha ha! Just joking, I personally couldn’t, but why not, if you can!

Anyway, thanks for voting Porto for this months’ travel blog. A city very dear to Remi & I as master Teniola Benson was conceived there. We knew he was conceived in Portugal for sure, but it could have been Lisbon or Porto, as we did both cities. However, given Teni’s date of birth, it was definitely Porto! Which seems appropriate as this place is the perfect chill spot. Really. I don’t drink wine (only pink occasionally), but in Porto, I drank wine, including green wine! My favourite was red Porto wine, which was simply delicious! Guess hubby and I were truly happy and relaxed, if you know what I mean!

So, Porto is highly recommended. It’s a great spot to wind down. Make sure you get a hotel by the riverbank close to Ribeira Square and Dom Luís I Bridge. Here’s a snapshot itinerary of what to do:

1. Wine, dine and unwind along the riverbank (on / by Ribeira Square). Whilst taking in the atmosphere or getting involved with the bustle of activities. From buskers, to live statues, to impromptu bands, and more. This spot was the best place to sit back and relax. We heard a particular guitarist/singer on one of the nights who was an absolute delight to listen to – one of those ones that give your arms goosebumps

2. Either catch the hop on hop off bus or take a free walking tour to see the key landmarks (such as the cathedral, liberdade square, the railway station). We took the walking tour, and it was nice to walk down the narrow cobbled streets, which you wouldn’t necessarily find if jumping off the bus

3. Visit the famous bookstore – Livraria Lello. It’s known as one of the worlds most stunning bookshop, and where JK Rowling is said to have got inspiration for her Harry Potters Hogwarts. Did you know JK Rowling was once married to a Portuguese?

4. Do a wine tour. This is the best place for Port wine so you’d be mad not! The tastiest port you’ll try

5. Stop by a market. Buy from the locals, we all know that’s the best quality and real taste of the country

6. Walk across the bridge (the Dom Luís I Bridge). The bride goes over the river Douro and connects the bustling Ribeira area with Vila Nova de Gaia, where you’ll find the port houses to do the wine tours

7. Catch the tram to anywhere! Explore. We caught the tram a few stops past the Ribiera area and found another part of the river bank where people were fishing. It was fun/calming to watch and hear the water hit against the riverbank and try and avoid getting soaked!

8. Take a ferry ride on the river Douro. You’ll get some great pictures of the colourful houses

9. Depending on how long you’re in Porto for, take a day or 2 trip somewhere. We combined Lisbon and Porto by train, and there were many other locations across Portugal we could have linked to, so plan your journey well if you opt for this, and you could really have a great adventure

I hope I’ve enticed you enough to try Porto as the love for this place is real! They do have an older population, so who knows, may be one for the retirement list!

Next month is my birthday month, so we’re off to Pisa and Florence (Italy). This will be our first time travelling with our little Master Benson, so wish us luck (he’ll be just 4 months!). But so very excited to start Teniola off on his baby travels and instil the same love for travelling as we have!

See you in March for our next travel blog, and remember to visit @justAsktina_travels to keep up to date with our live travelling. Or you can now follow @homeofthebensons to keep up to date with babies travel diary and more! Don’t forget you can also view our YouTube page for the video to get a real feel for the place: https://youtu.be/gU4fHICJzf0

Ciao!

Tina Benson
T&T Consultancy