Porto – September 26th 2017
We couldn’t wait to take the bus into the city of Porto to explore. Our super hosts had given us a huge amount of suggestions along with a city map so we were set!!
The bus into the city was an easy ride, and we arrived to the city in no time. The city was stunning!! It was a small city and not overly congested. The buildings were beautiful and it was new and exciting.
With our trusty city map we were the ultimate tourists this day, first up was walking the streets to find the market. The Bolhao Market was an indoor market full of everything from fresh flowers to fruits and vegetables, seafood and souvenirs. I loved it. I loved the older women prepping the seafood. They however did not like me taking pictures and I believe I was told off in Portuguese, haha.
We had many other stops to make so off we went to the train station. You’d think we were crazy to go check out a train station but this one in Porto was BEA-U-TI-FUL. Tile work all over the walls made this space look like an art gallery and not a train station at all. I suppose it was a known thing as we arrived to many people there for the same reason as us.
Walking along we found a church and went in, and up the bell tower. City views for days!!
Soon, the kids were ready for a snack and so we went for something authentic, something very Portuguese and something our hosts insisted we try while in town. The famous Francesinha sandwich. An open faced, full of meat and topped with an egg and gravy sandwich. The 5 of us were able to share one for a snack. It was pretty good I must say!
While the order had been put through, I dashed over to the Livraria Lello book store made famous by Harry Potter. There was a cost to enter the bookstore but it was amazing inside. The woodwork and design had me all over the place with my camera!
One of the last stops of the day was a late lunch over the bridge in Gaia. Just a small walk over and we were on the other side of the river looking at Porto. Listening to music coming from below us on the boardwalk while we ate lunch on the grass was lovely.
A walk back to the bus stop to head home had us taking the waterfront route back.
We covered almost the entire city in just one day. Porto became my favourite city so far. The ease of walking and convenience of everything was perfect for us, especially with kids. Ahhh Porto, we will be back!
More Photos..
