The Pleasures of Porto Continue ...

FUN FACTS: We were told that Potugal has been named one of the three safest countries in the world! It is nice not to feel a sense of wariness all the time when out and about! And ... it has also been declared as of the most popular tourist destinations! We can see why! 

GORGEOUS: With all its little lanes lined with shopping and cafes and patisseries ... it is so charming and magnetic! You are drawn in by the sights and smells and sounds that envelope you as you stroll through the narrow little streets steeped in history ... or wander down the river walks ... or stare out into the ocean!

GASPS OF AWE: We were ambling along the very popular pedestrian mall here ... in search of a Christmas ornament from Portugal when we decided to find a little place for lunch. We stumbled upon "Delta Q" which had their bakery along the windows so you could watch them making croissants and custard tarts etc! We watched with rapt fascination as the complex croissant process unfolded before us! It was so intriguing we got a hankering to have one ... but guess what ... they RAN out of croissants!! 😔

GOOD GOLLY: And so we took that as a sign that the Universe had a different plan for our lunch. So ... we carried on. We ended up at a very famous high end restaurant called Cafe Guarany. They had fancy linens and fancy waiters and fancy olives and tuna paté and all kinds of fried toasts and soft buns that they brought you ... just for starters!! John ordered the daily special ... Cod Loin ... and I had the Prawn Linguine. It was good ... but none of that was particularly remarkable ....

GASPS OF SHEER DELIGHT: But THEN ... we ordered the almond pie with pistachio ice cream ... which was served with a Port that was older than our server (by his own admission!). 😁

GIFTS: And ... hands down ... it was the VERY BEST dessert either one of us has EVER had! Yes. The best. Not at all sweet ... and ... the pistachio ice cream was such a great compliment (even for me!) And ... John so enjoyed the 30 year old Port alongside. He absolutely loved it.

And then he and our server discussed the pros and cons of age of Port. So ... John had to try the 20year old too! Just to compare ......! He preferred the younger one. Let's hope he doesn't think he should do that with wives!

GOODNESS: And Porto continues to impress us! It is just so enchanting. So many of the store fronts display such intricate tile work on the age old buildings. And the way the buildings line the slopes of the Douro River is truly a masterpiece of architecture. 

GASPS OF AWE: And after our lunch we took a tour of the "Livaria Lello". This was the library where J.K. Rowling spent time writing her infamous "Harry Potter" series of books!! It was simply indescribable!! The wood ... the stairs ... the stained glass!!! Spectacular! I'm hoping the pictures do it justice. 

GRATITUDES: And then we finished up our day by going for a cruise on the Douro River. And then hiked home ... took us an hour on foot to get back but we're happy to have our own little happy hour and tuck into bed early.

GROANS: We have not slept well here in Porto. Our room has been so darn hot (forgot to make sure our booking had a/c). We can open the patio doors but then we get all the traffic noise, the light ... and ... just enough mosquitoes to make it miserable. 

GRIMACES: So, I'm going to have to slather up with bug spray before bed tonight so we can keep the windows open. We are here for two more sleeps ... and ... we need some good sleep!! 😬

Keep your fingers crossed for us okay ... k&jRead more