Day 10: Porto & Hogwarts

Another walking tour including a stop at the Lello Bookstore which is considered one of the most beautiful in the world with its stunning Neo-Gothis and Art Nouveau interior.  It might have been the inspiration for J.K. Rowings' Howarts. We waited with our line tickets to enter a very crowded bookstore with waaay too many folks doing selfies instead of shopping.

The building: Livraria Lello officially opened on January 13, 1906, making it over 120 years old. While its root publishing history traces back even further to 1869 (when French publisher Ernesto Chardron founded an earlier bookstore business that the Lello brothers later bought), the physical building and its famous iconic interior date precisely to 1906.

The city of Ponto has so much vintage character. The cobblestone walks and streets are a bit challenging here and there but the attention to detail in an effort to preserve the old world feel is fascinating. I can only imagine the tourists from centuries ago appreciating nearly the same scenes.Read more