We are thrilled with our apartment. It is so lovely and so spacious. We look out at this wonderful building.
We eventually set off for the day - an incredibly relaxed start for us at 10. We walk to a bus stop to go to Foz do Douro - the mouth of the river where it empties out into the Atlantic Ocean.
We enjoy the longish bus trip (relishing that we can sit, not walk), then have a nice short walk via back streets to the beach, and we stroll along the coastal promenade in the sun, followed by coffee - and cake!
We return by bus to Porto to visit the market we went to yesterday - but firstly via the 19th century Torre dos Clérigos which is meant to have great view across the city (it is 75 m tall) - 15€ pp (at that price, it probably explains the lack of any queues; or perhaps people prefer Harry Potter ...). Anyway, pass. Instead, we had a look at the church attached to it - gratis. Nice.
Lunch at the Mercado do Bolhão - oysters for MF plus a glass of albarinho - excellent. I got a glass of cab sav from the north of the country along with some bread rolls and beautiful ham and cheese. We enjoyed our ‘picnic’ at a table we lucked on - and the stools came a short time later after some strategic attention to when they became free! We had a lovely relaxing time.
We returned to our apartment for a short break then set off via the metro (using those Andante cards!) to return to the Ribeira area near the river. OMG the crowds are insane!!
We made our way down a lovely cobble-stoned lane from the station Jardim do Morro to cross the lower bridge to access the medieval Ribeira (riverside) district.
Its narrow cobbled streets wind past merchants’ houses and cafes - and there are lots of stalls selling souvenirs to the tourists threading their way at snail’s pace along the waterfront. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough!!
We crossed the river again and made our way to one of the port houses for a tasting: Kopke is the oldest port house in Porto (opened in 1638).The flight of ports came with chocolates made in Porto. We had a lovely window view out to the river.
Next stop was to be a roof-top bar for dinner but it was closed for a function. So we headed back - lovely views on the way.
Stopped off at our Bolhão district at the Confeitaria opposite the market (where we had lunch yesterday) and had vegetable soup and toast for dinner - for less than 5€.
We’ve had a lovely relaxing day. Did a lot but were economical on our feet.
Still walked 11.5 kms. An early night tonight.
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