So much has happened since my departure from Barcelona one month ago, I barely know where to start. This is what happens when I get behind on updating on a regular basis…
March 31, 2011
Sleeping nearly the whole flight from Barcelona to Porto, I woke up to the PA announcing we were now descending into Oporto Airport. I looked out the window, three colors met my eyes: green, white and red. The rolling hills passing by underneath were carpeted with trees and fields of varying greens. If Barcelona was still clinging to the last bit of winter, northern Portugal was already in full force of spring. On this western edge of Europe, the lines between cities, towns and villages were blurred. Groups of white houses with red roofs were splattered all over the hills, around the city, and just seemed to spread on and on…
One hour to the north was my final destination — Guimaraes.
April 4, 2011
Finally had a place to call my home for the next four months! It was by sheer luck that I found this apartment. While thoroughly disappointed by another apartment in the building, I ran into my now landlord and previous tenant, doing the final check for lease termination. Long story short, I now lived by myself in a perhaps too-big-for-myself apartment on the 11th floor (the top floor of the tallest building in the surrounding area).
Without electricity or water this first night, I only had two tea candles to see by. The flickering candles danced against the night lights on the hills, the lit-up castle and the palace. What an amazing view just lying in my bed! What a romantically lonely night to celebrate the first time that I truly live on my own. I think I’m going to like it here.