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Despite the fact that I was in very lovely surroundings I didn’t sleep great. It is always hard in a strange place. But we had an espresso maker in our room so first thing in the morning Christine and I had a very strong cup of espresso. It is quite calming to sit on the balcony and sip strong coffee. It certainly does wake you up!
We met the girls for breakfast that is served every day at the hotel restaurant that overlooks the Douro. It is a lovely spread of pastries including pasteis de nata, croissants, pound cake, and apple croissants; cheeses, cured meats, fruits, cereals, chia pudding, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, bacon, fresh orange juice and of course strong Americano coffee with warm milk.
Jardins do Palacio de Cristal
After breakfast, we walked up to the Jardins do Palacio de Cristal which is about three blocks from our hotel. It has large mature trees of London plane and Mourning cypress, lots of beautiful flowers, and peacocks strolling all around. There were lots of families walking through and it had a beautiful view of the Douro from there.
Food Tour
Nicola scheduled our Porto food tour for Noon, so we worked our way to our designated meeting location to meet our guide, Andre. He had several places he planned to take us and fortunately, we walked from one place to the next as we need to work off the food and drink from each location. Plus Andre provided commentary about the sites we saw along the way.
The first stop on the food tour was a small outdoor cafe that was right by all the construction that was taking place to create a new metro stop and very near the prettiest Mcdonald's! We had Octopus salad marinated in olive oil and codfish croquet and a glass of vinho verde.To get to our second stop we did have to do some steep walking uphill to get to Casa Louro. We were seated in the very back of a long thin small cafe which was very hot and muggy. We had fried whole sardines, cured meats, dark dense bread, and rose wine.
The third stop was Conga - Casa de Bifanas, where people were lined up to enter the establishment. Here we were given a Bifana sandwich, a delightful combination of succulent pulled pork, zesty piri piri sauce, and rustic bread. It was accompanied by a refreshing Super Bock beer. Standing at the bar, we savored every bite of our sandwiches.
The next few stops on our culinary adventure were simply places where Andre picked up some finger food / treats for us. The fourth stop had us going into a charming coffee shop adorned with a picturesque garden. From here, Andre gave us figs with a delicate powdered coating, that had a slightly chewy texture. The fifth stop was a bakery for almond cookies that had the paper on the bottom and you eat the paper.
The sixth stop was Mercado do Bolhão. This was a huge market with a least 100 different vendors that sold vegetables, fruits, baked goods, wines, artisan crafts, wines, etc. We stopped at a vendor that sold cheeses. We were given two kinds of cheeses, one soft, and one harder with crackers.
The final stop was a coffee shop with pasteis de nata and coffee. These were the best pasteis de nata so far.
Other highlights
Our tour led us to the central train station, a breathtaking sight adorned with vibrant blue Azulejos tiles. These tiles, a common sight throughout Porto, captivate with their intricate designs and storytelling abilities. Andre, pointed out the murals adorning the main thoroughfare of the train station, depicting the rich history of Portugal and the various civilizations that have left their mark, including the Moors, Visigoths, and more. It was a mesmerizing glimpse into the cultural tapestry of this enchanting city.
Standing on a very busy street corner, Andre was telling us a story, and all of a sudden, a bird pooped, landing on Christine’s shoulder and Katie’s suede shoes. It was pretty unpleasant.
We stopped to listen to this group of musicians/dancers. I am not sure what their affiliation was but I can not imagine performing in those hot black clothes in that heat. I am pretty sure it hit 90 that day.
After the tour was over we walked back to the hotel. Walking through the streets of Porto can be a challenge because it is so hilly and most of the streets are cobblestone which can be challenging to walk on.
But we made it back and decided to relax by the pool. The weather was pretty warm the whole time we were in Porto so time by the pool was an opportunity to cool down and get refreshed.
For our evening meal, we had made reservations at the hotel restaurant for 7:45 pm. We had heard good reviews about the food, so we wanted to give it a try. Christine had risotto, and Nicola had cod with creamy mashed potatoes. Katie and I had beef tenderloins. Interestingly, the steaks came accompanied by a wooden box filled with our sides of fresh salad and roasted potatoes.
That evening the hotel was sponsoring something called “Sunset” that featured a DJ mixing music by the bar and pool which was just outside the hotel restaurant. We were of course seated right behind where the DJ "De-Neah" was mixing and facing her followers. The music was an 80s disco mix that was pretty horrible. It didn’t make for a good eating experience.
But the girls ended the evening with a tasty Harry Potter-themed dessert, the Snitch!
After eating all day, we were pretty tired after dinner so we made our way back to our rooms and went to sleep.