Porto vlog | what i ate, bookstore, things to do

I am in Porto. I'm here for a week. I'm excited to make the most of it. As you can see from behind me, I am staying in the most beautiful studio apartment. I don't know what this aesthetic is called. I think it might be Bauhaus or Bauhau. I don't know how to say it. It's B-A-U-H-A-U-S. It is just so stunning. I love the wood. It's very warm, nature, bright, spacious, even though it's a studio. I love the architecture. I love how they decorated it. And they have like really nice cutlery here. And I love this design. I have so much natural sunlight coming in. This is just like such a lovely space. And this place was only 400 pounds for six days. I was looking at hotel rooms that were way more expensive and this has way more space. But I have to be honest, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. This morning, I wanted to make toast with banana. And then when the toaster was plugged in, it caused a power cut. I didn't know where the fuse was, but I called the people who run this and it was very quick and easy to figure out. This is the kind of situation you deal with when you have an apartment like this and not a hotel. Personally, I think it's worth it. And it also makes me feel like I'm like living here for a little bit. I can like romanticize as if I'm a local. I'm obviously not, but you know. There's so many cool things to do here and everywhere you look, it's so pretty. Like Porto has been on my Pinterest board for so long. It is super sunny today, like clear blue skies, which I am so grateful for. So I was thinking today I could wear my linen dress from Under the Stories. I think this style is called like a sweetheart dress. And it's just like a summer dress, very pretty, very nice. I really like the floral design of this. And it's actually quite structured when you put it on. When on holiday, I do like to dress up more, more than I normally would. And so I was like, when in Porto, let's bring the blue and white linen dress up. I plan to eat a lot of food today. I'm gonna have to be on my best behavior. Even though it's sunny, I've noticed it still is quite chilly when you're in the shade. So I'm also going to pair it with a bright yellow cardigan because in Porto, it's so colorful. So I was like, I also have to dress very bright and colorful because that would make me happy. Oh, I really like how this came together. I feel so cute and princessy, which is kind of the vibe I wanted to go for. I'm gonna pair it with these brown shoes and brown bag. That's basically that for done. And it's so sunny. I'm so excited. I've come to this store called Mantegaria. Probably said that wrong. Apparently they do it really well. So let's go get some. They literally just sell egg tarts, but they look really cool. Can I get two? Yes, please. Thank you so much. Oh, they come in a cute box. I must say, I quite like the packaging. It's quite cute. Oh, I think I'm holding upside down. Oh, I see. Oh, look at that. Very flaky. Mm. It's more custard than egg, which I'm very grateful for. I love the flakiness on the outside. It's warm, it's creamy. It's not creamy, it's custardy. That's really nice. Very sweet, but lovely. I give this a good solid seven out of 10 because it's a bit too sweet for me, but I love the flaky crispiness on the outside. Big fan of that. First egg tart of many on this trip, I'm sure. Big success, I like them. If you like tinned fish, this is the store of your dreams. This whole store does tinned fish, and the branding and the packaging is so nice, and they have so many different options. I'm just like in tinned fish heaven, basically. At first, I thought this was a date that it was put in a can, but obviously that isn't the truth. It's the date of people's birthdays. So this is Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins, 1993. That's me. Oh my God, Ariana Grande and me have the same birthday. Portuguese sardines in extra virgin olive oil. I will get this one. These are all sardines, but they also have different types of fishes. They have so many different options. God, this is so hard to choose. They have really nailed their branding. It's so cool, it's like circus themed. I picked up five, which is kind of crazy, but some of them I'm gonna gift to people, so they've given me gift wrapping. So the gold one that you guys saw me pick up has been wrapped up. Clearly wasn't cheap, but it's like a luxury experience, so we've got that one. The guy in the store said this one was his favorite, so I was like, you know what, I'll give it a try. I have no idea what garfish is. I don't believe I've tried it before, but this one said spicy on it and I like spicy things. And then the last one is basically just the 2026 one. It just looks like very cool packaging. For today's breakfast, we're gonna go for this one, which is tinned sardines in extra virgin olive oil. I've noticed they have these kind of, I don't even know what you call them, like toast, but it's like rusk toast. They're really good. So I thought since that's what they have here a lot, let's try it with this. Whoa, it's quite oily. I have some tomato slices actually. Let me cut some tomatoes. Ooh, lovely. Wow, the tomato's juicy, the toast is crispy, and the fish is like so oily. It just tastes so good. Uh-oh, so good. I want more tomatoes. It's so good with the tomatoes. Holy smokes, it's such a good combo. The flavors. When in Portugal, definitely try out the tinned fish here. Now it's time to check out what is apparently the most beautiful bookstore in the world. It's called Liberia Lelo. Look how stunning this place is. I feel like I'm in like Beauty and the Beast. It's so beautiful. Look at the stained glass windows and the bookshelves. This place is insane. I feel like no amount of me capturing it is gonna do it justice. You have to come here in person. This is definitely worth the hype. I'm very excited because it's time to try some authentic Portuguese cuisine. I'm in the cultural district, in this restaurant called TNC. Literally everyone here has been recommending me to try this. I'm gonna butcher the name right now. It's called Franconcinha, or something like that. But it's basically like a toasted sandwich with meat inside, and egg and cheese on top, and their sauce. I've got the vegetarian version, and I'm not gonna lie to you, it looks intense. But everyone here has recommended it. I'm curious to see what the hype is about. It smells pretty like tomato-y, the sauce. It's also massive. Like the portion size is insane. And then, just in case I'm not super keen on this, I got myself a nice seafood stew dish. Now when I went to Lisbon, I really liked the seafood stew there. So I'm very excited about this one. It looks incredible. It's like tomato-y based, I think. And this is a dish that I would go for out of everything on the menu. So we've got a bit of both. I'm giving you guys options. Whoa, she thick. Oh my gosh, the inside of it is insane. Whoa, that is a thick layer. Oh, they're watching. I have an audience, guys. Okay, this is clearly a very big deal here, because I have a whole audience watching me eat it. Oh no, they're gonna do it every time. This girl is not gonna be able to eat in peace at all. Okay. Honest thoughts is, it's okay. I don't know if it's because I had the veggie version, and I wonder if the other version's a different taste. I don't quite get the hype. It's a lot of layers, a lot going on. This one has mushroom in it. It's good with the egg. I'm trying to figure out what the sauce is. It's like a bit tomato-y, but I'm not really sure. It's definitely worth trying while you're here, but I don't know if I'd order it again on this trip. But I'm very glad I tried it. I'd give this a solid five out of 10. I feel bad saying that, because it's such a big deal here. Now for the dish I'm super excited about. Mm, wow. That feels very rich and warm. This is a bit of me. It's got beans, it's got seafood. Mm, wow. This one I feel like is way more flavorful. It's very rich. I like the stew a lot. Mm, it's warm, it's tasty. We've got some mussels in here. Oh my God, this is a big one. Every time I come to Portugal, they really know their seafood. It tastes so fresh, it tastes so good. This one's a solid nine out of 10. This is what I love. I'm really, really happy with this one. This one's so good. I've gone for summer dress today. I don't know if the weather is summer dress weather. It's still a bit cold and chilly here, which I wasn't expecting. I basically packed clothes for like a super hot summer holiday, and it's very much giving breezy, chilly spring. I have one jacket, but it's not the cutest thing in the world. So we're trying to make it work. I very rarely ever wear summer dresses. I don't know why, but when I'm in London, I don't really dress up like this much. Maybe because I need to dress a bit more practical, because I'm like running around doing stuff. But when on holiday, I try to make more effort in how I dress. And so I brought this summer dress, which I haven't worn in a good couple of years, maybe. This one is from And Other Stories. I basically found a dress style I like in And Other Stories, and I got every single dress in that shape. So this is, again, another sweetheart dress from And Other Stories. And I just have them with my brown flats, because that's the only other pair of shoes I brought. Being in Porto and experiencing it in person, I can see why this place is so popular. And on so many people's Pinterest board, it feels like it has a bit of everything. Visually speaking, it's a very colourful and vibrant place. It has a very relaxed vibe to it, which I like. There's so much colour wherever you go. It's always sunny. The buildings are cultural and historic. The roads are narrow, but quaint. There's beautiful tiles everywhere, and the people feel very warm and happy and friendly. There's like this nice community vibe to it. Don't get me wrong, it's still definitely very touristy, but at the same time, didn't feel too crowded or overstimulated. Majority of the shops are targeted towards tourists, so there's a lot of souvenir shops wherever you go, which is kind of a shame. I would have liked to have seen more independent stores. But with a bit of research, you can find so many gems, great food spots. Porto feels very open. There's a lot of nature, lots of parks, lots of colour. You do feel very free and childlike. Maybe that's just because I was on holiday, who knows? But I found myself just getting lost in the city, being around sunny weather, aesthetic buildings, nature, just made me feel a lot happier, brighter, and safer. I feel like I'm definitely someone who the environment definitely impacts my mood, and I feel like Porto brought out the best in me. If you're just looking to have a week away, enjoy the sunshine, be around a community vibe, and eat good food, and relax, I would definitely say Porto is worth a visit and lives up to the hype. I just woke up from a big, fat nap. I don't know what it is, but I'm feeling quite tired all the time. I also am getting a lot more headaches, and I think it's because I'm not drinking enough water. I am the worst at remembering to drink water when I'm on holiday, even just generally, but I think on holiday, because I'm out and about doing so many things, and it's so sunny here, I think I'm forgetting how much of an impact that has on my body. I'll get headaches, and I'll get tired quite quickly, and I feel like I'm just not really paying attention to taking care of myself in the way that I need to. Anyway, I woke up from a nap, and now it's time to chase a sunset. There are many great sunset spots here, but one of the ones that was most recommended to me was a place called Jardim do Morro. Absolutely budget that, but it's basically a park on the top of a hill. You have to go through a bridge to get there. It's beautiful, and it's meant to be perfect to watch the sunset. It's right in the perfect direction, so I thought we could try and walk there just in time to catch, hopefully, a lovely sunset. It takes half an hour to walk there, so let's go and hopefully watch a lovely sunset. I have come to the coolest and biggest indoor market here. It's called Mercado do Bolhão, and it's just so nice. I really like the vibe here. There's so many stores, so many options. It feels very clean, bright. I've come here for lunch, so I'm thinking we can try some different food options and try the local cuisine here. They've got dragon fruit here. It's very loud and chaotic and noisy. They've got mini mangos. I don't even know what this is. I've not seen anything like this before. Something called guava. I think that's guava. Yeah, that's guava. This looks interesting. Sweet passion fruit. Look how small they are. This looks like a mini mango. I don't even know what that is. I've not seen anything like that before. Yeah, lots of interesting ones. I wonder if I should just pick a few to try later. This is something you wouldn't get at a supermarket, and I feel like sometimes we go so quick for convenience, but it's just so nice to experience your grocery like this. Maybe I'm feeling like this because I'm on holiday in Porto, but it is nice. I will say the produce here, everything's so fresh and it looks so nice. If I ate from here, my diet, my skin would just suddenly clear, be less stressed. I'd be less bloated maybe. Look at all the pasta. I want to get the pasta now. The green one looks really good. I didn't realize this, but they also do plants here. I thought it was just food, but they do flowers. Also, I've seen the candy. There's also chocolate and sardines in chocolate. It's very interesting how different environments bring out different moods in you. And for some reason, an environment like this really makes me happy. I think it's because it's like, even though it's busy, it still feels quite calm. I'm not overstimulated, but stimulated the right amount. They have all these hot sauces, and I want to get my friend who loves hot sauce too. A hot sauce? But there's so many different options. I don't know which one to choose. This one won the 2025 European Hot Sauce Awards. It looks very intense. Panera is the one she normally gets. I kind of want to try something very different. I might get this one just because it's very different. It's like in the middle in terms of spicy. I'll get this one. I have found the cheese, and you can get them in like these little platters. So I'm thinking maybe I'll get one of these. Ooh, I don't like the flies on it. I might get this one. Try the different types. I'm treating cheese like exposure therapy. I'm hoping the more I try cheese, the more I get used to it, and the more I start liking it. I like cheese a lot more than I used to a few years ago, and I think it's because I've just exposed myself to it. I've no idea what the different types of cheese are, but let's try them. This one's really creamy. I like this one a lot. Kind of gives me like dairy-ly vibes. This one looks a bit more intimidating. Oh, they're all really kind of like light and creamy. Okay, this one feels like it's gonna be the strongest one. I might have it with a cracker, just to brace myself. Mm, oh wow. It's a 10 across the board. I think I made a good shout. All the cheese is very creamy, very light. The cracker is more like a rusk, very light, toasted. All of it works really well. Okay, great success. This one is a bunch of seafood. It looks very interesting, and it's very popular. Wow, look at that. Oh my goodness. Some of it looks kind of intimidating. So I got like stuff I already know, like shrimp tempura. This is codfish, which is like very popular and like a staple here. It's very traditional food. And this one is where it looks really intense. There's a bunch of shrimp, crab meat, and octopus in here. Smells very, very fresh, like straight from the sea. Mm, really juicy. The crab meat looks the most intense. That's what I'm kind of nervous about. Mm, that's so sweet. Wow, that's really nice. That took me by surprise. I was nervous about this one, but that's really fresh, really sweet. I think they put some sweet sauce on it. Really tasty, I really like that one. I really like the seasoning that they put on that. And you can taste the salad, like the pepper with it. Okay, that one's really good. This is codfish. Mm, crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Well seasoned, I really like it. And the last thing is the shrimp tempura. Very fresh, very good. Honestly, the seafood here is like a 10 out of 10. I'm very happy with my choices. I tried something different, which I normally wouldn't try, but I actually really liked, so. Overall, great experience. Being a bit thirsty, so let's get a drink. They have these natural juices here, and they're so pretty. Look at all the different colors. We have strawberry and banana, mango and pineapple. That sounds really good. Kiwi and pineapple. Kiwi's really good for you, so maybe I should go for the kiwi and pineapple, actually. Wow, this is a very big straw for a small cup. Is it pineapple or is it banana? Either way, that is really nice. Very happy with my choice. It's not too tangy. It's sweet, it's light, it's fresh, it's fruity. Oh, mocha girl neat. I'm trying to build a print wall in my living room, and I feel like how cool would it be if my home was just filled with prints from all the places I've been to by local artists? I think that'd be quite special, so I'm debating whether I should get this one, because I quite like it. I just don't know if it's going to fit in my suitcase. I don't know what's happened to my face, but it is breaking out like crazy at the moment. Like, look at that. There's one, two, three. Is it connected? I don't know why I've shown this so casually, because it's actually quite bad. I don't know if it's Porto, or if this is a problem I've had before landing here, but it's not looking great. Someone has not been keeping up with the Skin and Knee subscription, and it shows. I really need to get back on that. Anyway, it is the last night. It's gone so quick. It really has, and it's been lovely. And one of the last things I did was go to this very touristy shop. It's very obvious that Porto is targeted to tourists, and there's so many touristy shops here, but not enough local shops. And even getting supermarket stores is kind of hard. Like, you kind of have to go out of your way sometimes, it feels like. But there's touristy shops and restaurants everywhere. One thing I really want to do when I get back is really start decorating my place and making more me. I know I've been saying that for a long time, guys. Honestly, interior decorating is not my thing, and it really does take a long time to figure out your taste and what you like. And also just having the finances to make it happen as well. It's a lot that goes into it, but I really want to give it an honest try this year. And one of the ways I want to make it me is I want to buy prints from every place that I travel to. I say that. I didn't do that in California. Can't do every place, but I got print from Amsterdam, which is incredible. And I really want to build a print wall, and I want to have it with prints that actually mean something, and they're from places that I've been to. What I love about these, these are all hand-painted by this woman called Anna something that I can't read. I don't know if this is legit or not. This could just be a lie, but I'm going to choose to believe that these were painted by a 70-year-old woman who just loves the joy of painting watercolor paintings around Porto. So these are from the streets of Porto, and I just think they're so cute and lovely. And they're all original pieces. For some reason, I really think this would look good in my bathroom. I want to have, like, lots of paintings hung up in my bathroom because it's a bit gray and lifeless, and I feel like having paintings in there would just liven it up and make it look really good. And I thought this one would look really good in my kitchen. I really want to decorate my kitchen because my kitchen is giving clinical. It is like a hospital in there. It's so white. It's just not giving what I want it to give. Like, I really want to have a rug in my kitchen, which sounds a bit rogue, but I've seen a lot of inspo on Pinterest, and I feel like a nice rug in my kitchen would look cool. And I also want to have, like, a little shelving unit where I can put spices and mugs. I think that'd be really cool. And I also want to have, like, prints on the wall, and I thought this would be a nice print. So yeah, I'm very happy with them, actually. These are a good find. Really like it here. It's a really nice place. So colorful, so vibrant. The food is incredible. The people are incredible. The weather, the vibes. So yeah, that has been me in Porto. I hope you guys have enjoyed coming along with me. As always, thank you so much for watching. I love you lots. Please know you matter, and I shall see you guys next time. Thanks for watching. Bye.