Today we left Porto with the feeling that we’d one day come back to Portugal. It is one corner of Western Europe that is still affordable on a New Zealand income (or no income in my current situation).
The price of many things are on par with New Zealand. Fruit and ice cream in particular were cheap and better! Strangely, they don’t have a habit of inflating prices of food and drinks in heavily-touristed or landmark locations!
It is still a bit rundown with graffiti but that adds to the authentic charm. And it isn’t overrun with McDonald’s or Starbucks or any major international chain.
Arriving in Paris through Beauvais airport was relatively painless … probably easier than the big airports overall … it is about 2 minutes walk from the plane to the bus, making up for the slightly longer travel time into the city.
We are staying with Marie and Bernard in a typically Parisian apartment near the Seine and Notre Dame.