Even after having lived in Porto for almost 2 years as an expat I still felt like I barely knew the city that I chose to become my new home. It made me wonder if I had made the right decision and as many other people I turned to Youtube and Cat Videos as to cheer myself up. Not long after I searched up cat videos, I encountered videos of so-called “cat cafes” - cafes where cats live and stroll around. I have never heard of such thing here in Porto so I turned on “Location” on my phone, opened up the Google Maps application and typed it “Gatos”, which is Portuguese for cats. To my great surprise I also instantly saw “O Porto dos Gatos” - a cat cafe, only 15 minutes a way from my home and the only one in Porto. Obviously I immediately got ready to go there, after making sure it was opened, and soon I already found myself seated there. Hot chocolate and cake in front of me, cats all around me.
This was by far the best experience I ever made through Google Maps and as a Local Guide because, let’s be honest, nothing works better as a cheer-up than a cage full of adorable cats.