Porto, Portugal
where i savored flavors
We left Lisbon by train headed north to Porto and closer to the start of our Camino Portugues hike. The train station in Porto is well known for their massive tile murals covering the majority of the walls. The blue and white tile work was impressive and something unlike I had ever seen before. After checking into our modest hotel for our stay at Hotel Universal we went out exploring. My mom had read about a famous bookstore where J.K. Rowling visited when she lived in Porto and it might have inspired parts of Harry Potter, so we headed in that direction. We arrived at Livraria Lello and I didn’t feel the need to pay money to walk inside and up the fancy stairwell in a single file line with dozens of people ahead and behind me, plus I could see part of the stairwell from the open door. But we did go next door and I got gelato in the shape of a flower. So I call that a win. During our walk we noticed more exquisite tile work on buildings, antique street cars like in Lisbon, a big Porto sign we took pictures at, and the big tower. After all that we headed to the riverfront cause I wanted to see the popular Dom Luís I bridge. It was crowded down there and we strolled along, passing musicians playing for money and the restaurants’ outdoor tables that are so common to see around Europe (and which this American loves cause you don’t see that much back in the states). After our stroll we stopped at a restaurant, ordered sangria, and I had some fish and cream dish that was pretty tasty. Then we had the climb back up the steep streets back to the hotel.
The next day we checked out of the hotel but since our bus to Ponte de Lima wasn’t until later that day we stored our packs by the reception desk (a common service most accommodations allow). Our first stop was the fancy Majestic Café, named one of the most beautiful cafés in the world. And after arriving I could see why: the high ceilings, full mirrors, elaborate wood paneling, and more. But since it was fancy it was a bit pricey so I got my café con leite and mom and I shared some scones. Afterwards we were on a mission to find hiking poles since we ended up not bringing ours from home because we would have had to check our packs which would have been a steep $120 fee with our discount ticket with TAP. Luckily I found a Decathlon (European sports retailer) and we were able to find some poles for a pretty cheap price. Then we walked to the bus station to verify that was where we needed to go later that day. And since we walked so much already we took the metro across the river so we could walk back across the top of the Dom Luís I bridge for some good views of the city. On the way back we stopped at Porto’s main cathedral and purchased our pilgrim shells to carry during our walk. The shells are a symbol of the way and with us carrying them on our packs shows that we are pilgrims. With our time in Porto coming to a close, we returned to the hotel, grabbed our packs, and walked to the bus station to take the bus further up the road to where we would start our Camino trek in Ponte de Lima.
Next: Camino Portugues
