A Glitch of a Day in Porto!

GRATITUDES: And so ... the fog rolled in early last night and cooled things down considerably!! We washed underwear by hand and draped them all over our balcony to dry ... opened the patio doors ... and, very thankfully, had a fabulous sleep!!

We awoke nicely rested with renewed energy and were ready to hit the marble and stone roads! Have I mentioned how hard they are to walk on?? Thank goodness I got those new walking sandals in Roses! My expensive but cheap Barcelona flip flops would not have cut the mustard on these historic roads and little lanes! 

GLITCH #1: Foggy undies. Our freshly washed underwear was not even a wee bit dry. 😯 First lesson learned for this prairie girl. Things don't dry in the fog.

GOODNESS: We wandered down one of the narrow stone paths to our favorite little breakfast place ... Café Christina. It was opened 214 years ago ... in 1804!! Its such a busy little place. John captured some video to give you a felt sense of why we enjoy it so much!

GIFTS: We took the river taxi to where we could hop back on the bus and then hopped off so we could walk over one of the six bridges here in Porto. And then ... we took the Funicular up the riverbank hillside so we could, once again, wander through the old historic parts of the city.

GASPS OF GREATNESS: We scaled the tower of the Church of the Clerics (aka:Torres does Clérigos) which was designed by Nicolau Nasoni (1691 - 1773). If I understand correctly, the Church and it's Tower were started in 1725 ... and not completed until 1795.

GRANDEUR: It was 111 steps up from the 4th floor and then another 33 up to the very top. John even scraped up his elbows because it got so dang narrow the higher we went!  But ... it was worth t! The views were absolutely stunning. And ... they also had brass plaques all around the turret with interesting information. For example, comparisons of heights of tall structures around the world. It was a fascinating experience!!

GLITCH#2: Afterwards, we stopped for lunch in the touristy area ... where the placemat had a sudoku puzzle on it. This got me wondering if we were in for a long wait?? But no. The food arrived quickly ... but ... it was the most disappointing cuisine we have had in Porto!! I couldn't drink my red wine and my lasagna was soggy. 😥 And so, I tried some of John's fries ... but they tasted fishy (must have been fried in old oil) and his appy tasted off to me. So ... I left ... still hungry ... in search of a second shot at lunch!

GLITCH #3: And then ... we arrived at Pimms (I had seen it from the bus!). And ... I was tickled to see I could get a 
"francesinha" ... which I had heard was a MUST HAVE in Porto. 

And before I knew it ... I was being ushered to a table ... in the back ... by the most authentic and quite aged but very determined little Portuguese lady. She seated us and then we watched as she bustled and snagged customers who were looking at the menu on the side of the building ... just as we had. It wasn't until I went to the menu board to get the correct spelling for my sandwich that I realized things were not as they seemed!!

The proprietor of the restaurant approached me and wanted to know my purpose ... and ... what I was writing in my phone. I told him I was checking the spelling on the sandwich we were having in his restaurant. He grabbed my phone suspiciously and typed it in ... reading what I had written ... and informing me that I was not seated in his restaurant. 

Yep. The ambitious little lady had stolen his patron and ushered us to her restaurant... right behind his. And, even funnier than that ... she was making me a francesinha... even though that item was on HIS menu but NOT on hers!! 😏

GLITCH #4: It might have been hilarious at the time, but they were doing renovations or restorations or demolitions on the adjacent building. So ... they were jack-hammering tile and tossing it down towards us. My amygdala was on fire with the crashing down of things beside us! 

GLITCH #5: My francesinha was way too salty to eat. So much for lunch attempt number two. Argh! The wine, however, was lovely. And I was enjoying it until this fiesty little lady actually pulled the table away from me ... so she could seat two other prospective patrons that she had snagged at the streetside. 

GAFFAHS: No. I'm not kidding. The two potential patrons looked at me ... looked again at her ... and backed away ... suggesting I should just enjoy my wine. 😉

GAHS: The little lady would have none of that ... no need to lose a new customer the one who should drink up and leave!. She plopped the hand written bill on the table and nicely shooed me away! It was actually so bizarre it was funny ... and ... the patrons at the other tables were chuckling along with me at the hilarity of it all. John was in the bathroom... so he missed most of these shenanigans! And ... so ... I drank up and we left ... with another unforgetttable experience of this fabulous city!

GIFTS: We ambled up and down a few more lanes (it's very hilly on the banks of the Douro) ... not knowing where we would end up. Fortunately, we found some comfy chairs at a bar right along the riverside ... in the SHADE ... and had another exceptional experience! Green wine!! We had never heard of it ... but ... the server said it was made rom grapes that were not yet ripe ... so it was quite dry and fresh and grassy! Perfect for a hot, hot, hot day on Porto. So ... we ordered one glass ... and then another ... and ... I think we even had a third! If/when you come to Porto, be sure to please your palate with the green wine!!  And ... we languished and lounged on the shores for a good while. It was sublime.

GRATITUDES: We capped off the evening with a dinner at a local restaurant that grills the fresh catches of the day ... outside ... over white hot wood coals. The old boy was ecstatic! He had grilled sardines and dorado ... and ... I enjoyed the sole. The oohing and awing from my hubby went on and on and on and on! It was fun to see him enjoying the experience so fully!

GOODNESS: We understand that Lisbon is also an exceptional choice, but we are just loving the pace of Porto! It has been such a gift to enjoy all the moments thatis special space has to offer without the congestion of a bigger city. For example ... the sunset on the walk back to our AirBnB was exceptional tonight!!! I couldn't get enough pictures of it!

And so ... despite the glitches ... we say "obrigado" Porto. It's been another wonder day annd we end it with grateful hearts!Read more