The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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Good travel doesn’t mean spending all your budget and then some. The U.S. dollar is so weak against the Euro and Pound right now that I paid $20 for a sandwich, water, and dessert at the airport. A taxi ride in Poland was $12 but in Portugal it was $28. At the Portugal hotel, room service continental breakfast is $25. Internet in Poland was $37 for a day so I’m afraid to look in Portugal. As a result, I save where I can so I can spend on sightseeing. I always bring a box of granola bars and Nescafe packets. It’s not gourmet but it’s cheap. When possible, I use free wireless. This means getting creative with the best connection and in this room it involved pushing a chair next to the window to steal a signal. I can’t do anything with credit cards or security with free wireless but I can access school and blog. Plus save money. The big bargain in Portugal is the cost of the Hop-On-Hop-Off Sightseeing bus. Only $14 and there are two routes plus all regular bus service is included for a 24 hour period. I made good use of that today to get around Porto. My hotel windows are too dirty to take a photo but if they were clean and the sky was clear, I’d have a great view of the Atlantic ocean.
This isn't my room view but the coastline is beautiful. There are warnings not to go in the water though because it's so badly polluted. If no one swims in the Atlantic, then why are they all eating the fish? I don't want to eat something that swims in water that no one goes near.
One of many cool buildings in Porto