Porto in a Day? Challenge Accepted!
Today was our one and only day in Porto. So we set out relatively early this morning to maximise our time here.
After a quick breakfast we made our way to Livraria Lello bookstore; one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores and possibly an inspiration for JK Rowling when writing the Harry Potter books. The upshot is you pay and queue for the privilege to browse and buy a book.
The interior of the building that was completed in 1906 is like no other bookstore that I have ever seen. The central staircase is especially impressive. Again booking the first entry paid off as the store filled up quickly and the magic dissipated at the same time. Purchases were made though which did make the visit worthwhile (the cost of the ticket comes off any purchase you make)
We then visited the Clérigos Church before climbing the 76m, 240 stair tower for a 360 degree panoramic view of Porto. Quite spectacular!
A quick visit to Manteigaria Pasteis for, well some takeaway Pasteis de Nata was next on the agenda before we took did something very different and bought a drink at McDonald’s. The interior of the Porto MacD’s is special and we thought it was worthwhile to check out. The drinks…not so much.
So when we passed the little market we found yesterday we decided to stay and order a mini beer and maxi sangria and chilled, soaking in the views, the drinks and our little custard tarts. Lekker!
Porto kept on giving as we made our way up the funicular, walked over the Douro River via the top tier of the Dom Luís I Bridge and then caught the cable car to the bottom of the Cais de Gaia.
A quick bite at a market and a short stroll took us to the Bermester Port Cellars where we spent a good hour and a half learning about the history of port production in Porto and enjoying a port and chocolate tasting.
Believe it or not the day was not even close to being done. We still had to make our back to the hotel and then had a three hour train ride to Lisbon.
A smooth transfer to our Airbnb was followed by some great tapas at a small restaurant down the road from where we were staying before we finally made it back to our apartment for some sleep.
