Portugal- The Texas of Europe?

So they say that everything is bigger in Texas right? Well never having been to Texas I don't really know if that's true there, but it certainly is here. And not only is it bigger, its cheaper too! And everyone is super, super nice and helpful. I got here not speaking any Portugese or Spanish (which just about everyone speaks too) and was still able to get a really good room for 25€ (at something called a 'guest house' which I think is just like a hotel-except smaller) and thats all to myself!! With an amazing view of one of the city of Porto's main squares, and a balcony!! From my balcony (!!!!) I can see the city hall at one end and the train station at the other with a square in the middle that has a fountain and lots of trees (but, alas, no grass).

Sorry that I have not updated so much since getting fired, hope I didnt live anyone hanging on too much of a cliff. So the family I was living with gave me a day to get out, but after sleeping there one night I decided that was enough for me and headed out the morning after I wrote that last blog. It was just too akward to do anything else, so I hopped on a bus to Dover, got on a ferry to Calais and then a train to Paris. After a night in Paris I decided to try and find some friends of mine who had been in Porto, Portugal the last I had heard from them. So I bought a ticket to Porto (when I say bought I mean reserved- I have an EUrail pass) and three trains and 18 hours later I found myself in the beautiful city of Porto, where I have not found my friends, but thats ok because I am having a good time anyway and getting lots of work done on my homework for my Ireland class where computer time is cheap. I am very glad to say that it makes it easier becasue just about everyone speaks English, and so I think on some level I have stooped to being an Ugly American in some why because I do not speak Portugese, but what can you do? I had about 24 hour advance decision-making before comming to this country, so I learned curtosy phrases and also Portugese for "Do you speak English/French?" and that coupled with universal had gestures and a confused lo