5/13/12 day 18: Porto, Portugal

Really bummed we didn't have more time in Porto. Right after lunch I took the shuttle to downtown, which was close to a 30 minute ride because we were in a neighboring town. I ran around for a little bit and took some shots, but there was too much to see. I definitely want to come back and spend more time here. It felt so old. Unlike some of the other cities we've seen, it felt like an age old city, with labyrinthine alleys, locals leaning out of there windows, stray cats... The whole vibe. It was cool. It was a little rough around the edges which gave it a lived-in feel. Locals lived right next to, almost on top of, monuments. This was also unique I thought. Usually monuments have a "dead zone" around them; an area where no locals live. Maybe this is because the rent is too high or there is too much traffic or both. Literally today this woman was leaning out of her window having a conversation with a friend right at the cathedral. I thought that was cool. The monuments have local energy around them and they are to be used, not just looked at (the monuments, not the locals...) Definitely Porto is on the list of places to visit again and spend more time. It's also a great reason to learn some Portuguese.

2200
In between sets, I ran into Nick the piano player on the ship. I was up taking photos of the putting green when he waved me over. He was headed into the Colonade for dinner and asked if I wanted to join. I ha never been into that restaurant and had heard so much about it. As an artist on the ship, you are only allowed access to some restaurants and facilities on the ship. This is a restaurant where I think technically I need to be asked by a guest to join them, I can't just roll in, but Nick and I were confident we could swing a table especially because it was quiet. Unfortunately I had just had dinner in the crew mess before my set, so I just ordered a salad and had a lass of wine. Nick hipped me to a pretty cool dinner though, definitely going to partake in the future. Also, had another "what the hell am I doing here" moment. Here we were, gliding through the Atlantic in a luxury cruise liner sitting at a beautiful table enjoying a delicious glass of wine. Life is amazing.