However, the man on night duty was very sweet. We had a nice chat about 5 am (as you do) and he boiled a kettle in the bar so I got a teapot of hot water and then I came down later and filled our drink bottles.
He was very sad (? pissed off) that the bank he’d worked for 30 years had let go 1000 workers, he being one of them, and so here he is doing night shift at a hotel so as to put his 18 and 21 year old kids through their studies.
A bit before 7, I managed to get MF out the door and we walked back down to the canals to get more shots of the barcos moliceiros in the canals.
On the way to the Mercado do Peixe (Fish Market) are lovely Art Nouveau buildings, and we wandered out to the Beira Mar district nearer the sea. Quite delightful as the sun continued to rise.
Back to the hotel for a shower and breakfast and then a long trudge to the station - and those cursed steps along the way!
The train station is quite big; we buy our tickets to Porto at the counter as there are several trains and I am not sure I would have been able to select the correct one from a machine. We had to show passports to get Seniors rate.
In fact, when we get into Porto (after an hour travelling), we find the ticket system mind-boggling. We had to go to a counter again to buy the Andante metro card but the woman at our accommodation thinks we have been ripped off. We tried to explain that it is not that simple as the machine asks you to buy tickets according to the number of zones you plan to travel - and we have no idea about these zones!
Our accommodation is gorgeous - a big apartment beautifully appointed and overlooking the street below. We are near the Bolhāo metro. Very handy to everything.
We are here for 3 nights. Yay!
Porto is on the coast north of Lisbon on the Douro River and the second-largest city in Portugal - and famous for its port wine.
Whilst our room is being readied, we go to the Confeitaria do Bolhão (founded in 1896) for lunch and share the most delicious broccoli soup and veal pie and good coffee.
This is opposite the Mercado do Bolhão which is an historic Porto market. We might return here tomorrow.
Afterwards, we walk some more: seeing several marvellous buildings; we had to shelter out of a shower of rain at one point, then the sun came out and it was quite hot.
We passed by the bookshop Livraria Lello (made famous by the Harry Potter films) and are blown away by the queues - and it seems you have to buy a ticket to enter. Pass.
We walk some more - by now 11.5 kms; collect some milk and yoghurt and head into our apartment to have a shower and a break.
The number of people around is doing my head in!
Somewhat miraculously, we manage to head out again - to the Teleférico de Gaia (cable car). This was terrific fun and provided wonderful views down the Douro River and the Dom Luís I bridge. Linking the old town of Porto with Vila Nova de Gaia, this enormous iron structure, built by one of Gustav Eiffel's students, was the longest arch bridge in the world when it opened in 1886.
We are now in Porto's historic Cais da Ribeira neighbourhood and as we climb (again!) we get great views; then some more up and down the river as we walk back over the bridge.
By now it is about 7 pm. We have a booking for dinner at 9 and I had wondered how we would last the distance.
However, we didn't have to worry as the public transport completely 'did our heads in' as we went in and out of metro stations; out to non-existent buses that even one driver shook his head in confusion when I showed him the google map. Back into the labyrinthine metro system, each time tapping our Andante card as we went. These cards give you unlimited 24-hour usage of public transport (irrespective of the number of zones!). I think by the end of the day we got our money’s worth!!!!
Finally, after at least 3 metro trips and a bus and a few kms of walking, we got to the restaurant by the river about 8:45 pm. So we were kept fully occupied with getting to the restaurant and it was probably fortuitous that we had a late booking!
Our restaurant is Semea by Euskalduna - a Michelin-star establishment and Oh My Goodness! What a meal: share plates including a lovely entree of cod fish! This leaves the one we had at Nazaré for dead and I am so thrilled we have experienced this famous dish successfully. It was all so delicious, nice wines (can’t seem to go wrong here) and finished off with their signature French toast dessert with queljo da serra (goats cheese) icecream. A meal to remember.
Mr Google took us up a long hill (I supect we are close by the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal), then a bus (so crowded at this time of night - I couldn’t believe it!) and then a further long walk (because MF said to get off the bus - a stop too early!!).
Very weary. 20 kms walking today! Argh.
Absolutely stunning.
ReplyDelete