Sat May 30: European Championship on the Last Day of the European Trip

One more day left to this adventure, so I took the time to retrace my steps from the orientation walk – stopping in a few of Porto’s many churches along the way. 

First up was the exterior of the Igreja de Santa Ildefonso, with its unique blue tiles. 

A short walk further was the Sé de Porto cathedral. Perched on a hill overlooking the Douro, I walked up to the top of one of the towers for a panoramic view of Porto on a grey (but cool!) morning. 

After lunch and a stop in a bookstore, I checked out the interior of the Clérigos church, attached to the city’s iconic Clérigos Tower. While I wasn’t up to climbing the 255 steps of the tower, the interior of the church was beautiful and hosts laser light shows in the evening. 

I am a massive football ⚽️ fan and my favorite team for 25 years is Arsenal, this year’s English Premier League champions 🏆.  For the first time in 20 years, Arsenal was in the European Championship Final and the game was in the late afternoon. I strategically scouted some sports pubs and set out to watch the game against Paris St Germain, taking place in Budapest. 

The first couple places were full with lines out the door to get in. I happened past a cafe which had set up a TV on their patio and arranged chairs and tables. I grabbed one tucked into the awning of a closed shop they’d cleverly arranged as a terrace. 

What an experience. This game is Europe’s Super Bowl. To watch my favorite team in the championship while IN Europe was a thrill. 

The crowd was primarily supporting Paris and Arsenal lost in heartbreaking fashion via penalty kicks after extra time, but I’ll still always treasure having watched in Porto. 

After the game, I hustled down at sunset to meet up with Flora and Nerrie, the other members of the Portugal GAdventures tour who didn’t continue on with the rest of the group to Spain, for a final drink on the Douro riverbank. 

Sunday May 31: The Long (and Longer-Than-Expected) Trip Home

A 3:30am wake up call and 4am cab ride to the Porto airport started my return home this morning. 

After a 7am flight to Lisbon, I experienced what I’d read quite a lot about…the long lines at passport control 🛂 due to the new European Entry/Exit System. With only two hours to make my connection, the line snaked through half the airport, past the food court and duty free. I was mentally-preparing myself for the probability I would miss my flight. Luckily, the line moved quickly and I made it through in about an hour, arriving at my gate just as my flight had began boarding. 

A 9-hour flight across the Atlantic was uneventful until the pilot revved the engines and pointed the nose back up on final approach to Miami. A thunderstorm had crossed the runway and he was instructed to abort. After circling a bit, the flight diverted to Fort Myers on Florida’s west coast. Following refueling, we finished the flight to Miami 12.5 hours after it had started in Lisbon. 

This was the perfect trip at the perfect time. Portugal is a truly lovely country with friendly people, historic cities and beautiful landscapes. Until the next adventure, I’m glad to have shared my visit to Portugal with you! 🇵🇹