We learned so much about this amazing city, like the fact that half the older-looking buildings in the city are actually recent and only made to look old as the old dictator wanted to give the Portuguese people something to be proud about. Now they use these buildings as monuments to teach their students about why it's important to know fact from fiction. Our hike was incredible, as we got to see a whole other side of Portugal and one that we would never have seen if we hadn't gone with a guide.
I continued reading my book, Circe. While in Porto, we went to the famous Livraria Lello, which is said to be the place that inspired J.K. Rowling to include magical staircases in the Harry Potter series. There, I purchased a book on 28 Portuguese poets to learn more about the literary history of the country.
I didn't do any sports this weekend, but I did do a lot of hiking during the last day we had in Portugal.
This week, I got to learn that I will be going to Valencia, Spain in February for a seminar organized by the Fulbright organization. I will be there for a good part of the week, and then I think I'll go and explore Alicante, which is a smaller port city south of the capital.
