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Katie and Christine had already left Amsterdam around 9 am, and Nicola and I arrived on time, around 12:30 pm. Our flight to Porto was supposed to leave at 1:55 pm. We got through customs pretty easily and made our way to our gate which was down steps. We were both pretty tired. We were early so the gate was closed but people were waiting there in line. The gate attendant ignored them. Gradually lots of people were there waiting…an entire girls' dance team from Scotland arrived. They were definitely enjoying themselves. I guess there is a dance competition in Portugal from all over Europe. The plane was delayed because there was not enough staff to ready the plane so departure was delayed by about half an hour. Finally on the plane Nicola and I were seated in front of a family with two sisters that fought and whined for pretty much the whole flight. Our descent into Portugal was pretty spectacular. The girls' dance team screamed and clapped as we landed. Had to wait for our bags for quite a while…it may again be due to the fact that there are not enough staff to unload bags. Eventually got them and used the Uber app to get an Uber to the hotel. It was about a half-hour drive and the cost of the Uber was only $13. I was shocked. The driver was very good and did not say a word to us.
Katie and Nicola made all the arrangements for our accommodations and tours. Katie found a boutique hotel online that was very near the central district and overlooked the Douro River, the Porto Torel Avantgard. We arrived at the hotel around 5:30 pm and Katie greeted us as we got out of the car. Christine and I had a beautiful large suite of two rooms with high ceilings, a large bathroom, and a balcony from which you could see the infinity pool and Douro River. [Unfortunately, there is a large roof over the jacuzzi that is below so you are also looking at a tin roof — but I am in a very lovely location, so I am not complaining.]
The hotel gave us a complimentary bottle of champagne so after quickly unpacking the suite case and changing out of the clothes I had on for two days we uncorked the bottle and enjoyed our outside patio with a glass of champagne to kick off our girl's trip!
Katie picked out Cantinho do Avillez for dinner which was a 10 to 15-minute walk from the hotel. Walking through the streets of Porto for the first time made me feel like I was thrown back in time. The streets are cobblestone, uneven and the old ones are not straight, there are lots of twists and turns. We walked through a square that included lots of people, restaurants, and musicians! It was pretty magical. [Of course, it could have been my exhaustion too!] Cantinho do Avillez was located [Rua Mouzinho Da Silveira, Porto 4050-416 Portugal].
For dinner, we started with Vino Verde which is a very popular wine in this area that comes from the Minho province in northern Portugal. Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a DOC [denominação de origem controlada] which is the system of protected designation of origin for fruit, wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products from Portugal. The name means "green wine," but translates as "young wine", with wine being released three to six months after the grapes are harvested. A vinho verde can be red, white, or rosé and they are usually consumed soon after bottling.
For dinner, we split some starters:
- Prawns with garlic and malagueta chili
- LT (low temperature) egg with chorizo and fried bread
We also split the main courses
- Sirloin steak
- Scallops on a bed of avocado cream
- Veal risotto
Katie and Nicola did a good job navigating us back to the hotel after dinner. We were pretty exhausted and full, to say the least. Getting into our comfy beds felt great