Can't believe we've been here a week! We’re settling in and getting familiar with the neighborhood. Our apartment is in a great location! We're two blocks from Rua de Santa Catarina which is a large pedestrian shopping street, a block from the metro and there’s a Minipreço (7-11 meets grocery store) in the building. Originally the plan was to get a place from AirBnB but in Portugal if you book for more than 27 nights, you have to pay the full amount when you reserve a place. I noticed the place we liked was managed by a rental company so I dug around online and found their contact info and booked with them directly. Not only would they allow us to just pay a deposit, we avoided a lot of the AirBnB fees and they are providing weekly housekeeping services!
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| The buildings in Porto do not have trash shoots so residents bring their trash to strategically place dumpsters around town. |
A year ago when I was here, they were building the new Mercado do Bolhão and this street was full of cars. Now it is a great covered market and the street is for pedestrians. There is so much construction in Porto these days as it has become a popular destination to come when they retire or just want a change of pace.
Every 5 feet there seems to be a bakery or nata shop so we’ve decided it is our duty to try them all and do a comparison! We’ve tried a different place each day so far. While I do love a good pastel de nata (which usually ends up being pastéis…meaning more than one nata), I do like a bakery because you can have a choice of a nata or one of the other amazing pastries in Portugal!
Not to leave out gelato, we’ve also tried a couple different gelatarias! Amorino has always been one of my favorites as they make your come look like such a pretty flower!
We spend a good bit of time just wandering around Porto and doing a little sightseeing. As I’m working during some of our time here, we spend time exploring in the mornings and early afternoons and then I work from 2pm - 10pm on the days I’m not taking PTO. While I’m working, LuLu sees what kind of trouble she can find! Here are just some random photos around town.
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| Dress Well & Cheap Here |
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| Sao Bento Train Station |
The Francesinha is a Portuguese sandwich that originated in Porto. It is basically a heart attack on a plate as it consists of roast, steak, ham and sausage topped with melted cheese and a sauce of tomato and beer (sometimes an egg too) and served with fries! One day when we stopped in for lunch and they had mini Francesinhas I ordered one so LuLu could see one. LuLu can’t resist a good hot dog and when she saw they had a special hot dog on the menu she ordered it...turns out it was basically a hot dog that also had ham and topped with the Francesinha sauce. Saw the painting on the right that shows all the layers of the Francesinha.
In my past visits to Porto, I’ve never been inside the Igreja do Carmo (even when I lived literally around the corner last summer!) so LuLu and I popped in for a visit. It is a beautiful little church on the inside and covered with gorgeous tiles on the outside. Many of the altar pieces represent the Via Delorosa of Jesus (the path he took on Good Friday).
It is rumored that while living in Porto, JK Rowling was inspired to write the Harry Potter books by the bookstore, Livraria Lello. She disputes the rumor but judging by the lines to get in (some times in excess of 2 hours!), fans believe it to be true. Elaine is a member and as part of her membership she can skip the line and bring in one guest. She and LuLu went in for a little look around while I enjoyed some people watching.
The Peninsula War took place 1807-1814 on the Iberian Peninsula when France tried to conquer Portugal. Spain and England came to Portugal's defense and together they defeated the French. Here are a few pics from the Monument to the Heroes of the Peninsula War (aka Rotunda da Boavista).
When Elaine decided to move to Porto, she knew it was her responsibility to learn the local language and started Portuguese lessons online and then when she moved here, she started working with Lara, her Portuguese tutor. She's been here a little over a year and it is amazing how well she speaks and understands Portuguese! We thought it would be fun for LuLu to take a lesson with Lara so back to school she went and she's been practicing her new language as we make our way around town! Later that day, Lara texted Elaine and said "Ela é absoluta amorosa!!! Eu adorei a Lulu" which translates to "She is absolutely lovely!!! I love LuLu". LuLu continues to go international as she won the hearts of folks in Vietnam and Cambodia in December!!
The Dom Luis I Bridge connects Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia (aka Gaia) across the River Duoro. When I first visited Porto 5 years ago, you took your life in your hands to walk the bridge as it was shared with cars, buses and metro. A couple years ago, the bridge was renovated and the top deck is for pedestrians and metro only while the lower level is for buses, cars and those brave pedestrians. The views from the bridge are amazing! It is only a 20 minutes walk from our place...and downhill!
A year ago, this is the bus stop where I arrived from Lisbon. Back then it was basically a concrete lot. Today it is a proper bus stop. Just another sign of the growth here in Porto. While it is nice to see some of the improvements, I hope it does not take away the charge of Porto as has been the case in my own hometown.
More to come as we continue to explore Porto. Até à próxima (until next time)!
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