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Viana do Castelo
Last Saturday (28 de Outobro) Sabina, Tomasz and I went to Viana do Castelo.
We’d agreed to meet at the bus station at around 9, so I set the alarm at around 8, and left home at around 8:30. Having slightly underestimated the distance, I arrived at the station at 9:10, but no Sabina or Tomasz to be seen. Five minutes later I tried calling them, but no answer. At 9:30 I tried again, and this time Tomasz answered and said they were already in the bus; they had just managed to catch the one that lest af 9:05…
So I bought a ticket for the 10:05 bus, and used the 30 minutes I had left to do some exploring. I left the bus station from the back side and found a huge marketplace+hall. Never knew Braga had a market this size… pretty cool. At around 9:55 I decided to go back to the station, but was it to the left, or straight on? I asked somebody, but they didn’t understand my pronounciation of ‘autocarros’, so I tried the next person, repeating the word twice until they understood, and then they repeated the word, and I swear it sounded pretty close to what I said. 
Anyways, while this kind man was explaining directions to me, another lady walked by and dropped her 5L can of oil, which burst open and spewed oil across the street. Walking to the station I noticed there was some oil on my lunch knapsack and on my camera bag. Fortunately, about an hour later, the stains had dried and left no visible trace whatsoever.
The trip to took about 100 minutes and was a pretty nice one, meandering through villages and bits of forest and past some meadows, with a beautiful clear sky to boot.
 Lots of butchers shops in this part of the market.
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 Slowing down the bus and hard to overtake.
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 Welcome to Viana!
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Just after arriving I called Tomasz and we met up right outside the station. They’d already been to the tourist office and got a map, and we walked a bit through the city, taking pictures and such.
 Balloons?
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 Do notice Sabina's obscene gesture.
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 The church on top of the mountain.
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 These animals were pretty big.
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Later in the afternoon, we went to the ocean. It was pretty as ever. A very rocky shore. Then we went to a restaurant at the shore where we had sangrÃa (never had that before — it was very nice), and I had a chicken sandwich with garlic sauce. Mmhm.
 Seen on the way to the ocean.
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 Mmmhm, sangria.
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Sabina and Tomasz went to visit the church on top of the mountain while I stayed in the shopping center at the station (interface). Just before the last bus back to Braga left, we met up again, and at 18:35 we were sitting in the top deck of a double-decker, all the way in the front, with a nice view of the road ahead and the setting sun.
Back in Braga I found a big tent at Arcada with loads of CD’s being sold, as well as T-shirts, including ones of Pink Floyd, After Forever and Britney Spears. I also met Aura and friends there, and we walked home together.
 Where all the buses arrive/depart.
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 Sunset shot from a moving bus.
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 After Forever pretty much next to Britney?
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Comments
Hi : )
Glad to know you visited my hometown. I was born in Viana do Castelo but raised in Braga.
Um abraço (já falas português?)
You were born in Viana? Cool.
It’s a very nice place.
And here’s um abraço back for you: *hug*. I love hugs.
I speak um pouco de portugues, but reading is much easier! So, if you want, you can try and write to me in Portuguese.
Wow, i knew you were into photography and i saw a few of your pictures but..these just take my breath away. There isn’t one that I do not love and a few are simply extraordinary. You have quite a surprising talent.
Thank you very much, Nuit. =) I’m glad they make you so happy.
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