Porto
Ok. I'm going to start with "I love Porto!". I got here late last night just in time to find people from the hostel to have dinner with. I ordered a local favorite - bacalhau com natas (cod fish with cream and potatoes) and it was so good that everyone had to have a bite. The wine here is almost the same price as water and good stuff too.
Today was sightseeing day. Since Harneet was just here, I had a list to work off of. I walked the Dom Luis bridge (such amazing views), saw the road of flowers, the Christmas market in the Sao Bento station, visited the Cathedral, the Carmelitas church (for those who don't know, I went to a Carmelite convent school) and then stood in a long line to enter the Clérigos church. Only to reach the front of the line and realize that the line was for the tower. The one thing I love about Porto is that they do not have a fee to enter most churches here. This is great because it feels weird to pay to visit a church. They do have fees for supplemental stuff like museums and towers which is fine. Now, there are annoying tourists who are constantly clicking pictures while people are trying to pray so I guess it's not all rosy. When I got to the Carmelite church, the nuns were praying so they had a sign outside that said: "it's prayer time, you are welcome to come in and pray, not visit." I thought that was pretty cool.
And then I was hungry. Now people had told me food in Portugal is cheap but I wasn't too sure of it. I headed over to a recommended sandwich place and got a soup, tea and a really good sandwich for just €6. I'm sold.
I went back and took a nap before taking a stroll to pick up some toothpaste (can't survive four more days without toothpaste). I then visited Padaria Ribeiro - a local pastry shop - where I am currently finishing a cup of coffee with a custard tart and eclair. Meanwhile, a friend is attempting to unsuccessfully make me jealous with food pictures 😉.
I'm going to head back to the hostel soon, try out some port wine and a Portuguese dinner.
Tomorrow is going to be a day of just roaming and relaxation before I head over to Lisbon for my last trip destination.
Fun note: The hostel kept asking me where I was from during check in because of my name. It was quite funny.
And yes: I did not do a wine tour. I'm just going to sample port wine without a tour instead. Honestly, wine tours kinda bore me now. The first few were fun. And although I enjoy a glass of wine, I'm not as big a fan to want to do a tour vs. take in the city.
Today was sightseeing day. Since Harneet was just here, I had a list to work off of. I walked the Dom Luis bridge (such amazing views), saw the road of flowers, the Christmas market in the Sao Bento station, visited the Cathedral, the Carmelitas church (for those who don't know, I went to a Carmelite convent school) and then stood in a long line to enter the Clérigos church. Only to reach the front of the line and realize that the line was for the tower. The one thing I love about Porto is that they do not have a fee to enter most churches here. This is great because it feels weird to pay to visit a church. They do have fees for supplemental stuff like museums and towers which is fine. Now, there are annoying tourists who are constantly clicking pictures while people are trying to pray so I guess it's not all rosy. When I got to the Carmelite church, the nuns were praying so they had a sign outside that said: "it's prayer time, you are welcome to come in and pray, not visit." I thought that was pretty cool.
And then I was hungry. Now people had told me food in Portugal is cheap but I wasn't too sure of it. I headed over to a recommended sandwich place and got a soup, tea and a really good sandwich for just €6. I'm sold.
I went back and took a nap before taking a stroll to pick up some toothpaste (can't survive four more days without toothpaste). I then visited Padaria Ribeiro - a local pastry shop - where I am currently finishing a cup of coffee with a custard tart and eclair. Meanwhile, a friend is attempting to unsuccessfully make me jealous with food pictures 😉.
I'm going to head back to the hostel soon, try out some port wine and a Portuguese dinner.
Tomorrow is going to be a day of just roaming and relaxation before I head over to Lisbon for my last trip destination.
Fun note: The hostel kept asking me where I was from during check in because of my name. It was quite funny.
And yes: I did not do a wine tour. I'm just going to sample port wine without a tour instead. Honestly, wine tours kinda bore me now. The first few were fun. And although I enjoy a glass of wine, I'm not as big a fan to want to do a tour vs. take in the city.
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