Rain, Rain Go Away (October 29, 2022)

Our luck finally ran out with the rain today.  That storm that hit us in Braga yesterday continued all through the night and we woke to a heavy rain with a forecast of more all day.  We decided not to go to Aveiro--since it is more of a beach town, it would've been a waste--and instead explored some of the places in our hotel's neighborhood.

We had a breakfast of coffee and croissants (brioche croissants to be precise) at a little place that has become a regular stop for us, Deu la Deu.  Then we walked down the street to Bolhão Market, a historic market that was recently renovated.

The Market Building

Produce

Fresh Fish

Fruits and Nuts

The sidewalk outside the market.

We spent a good bit of time here and soon we were hungry.  Back up the street to Deu la Deu for a Portuguese lunch staple--the francesinha.  

The francesinha--we split it.  It was invented in Porto.

Again, I'll talk about cost.  Shocking, I know.  For this lunch, we had the sandwich (shared), two drinks, two cappuccinos, and one desert (shared) for about $18.  Splitting a meal saves money of course (and no place has batted an eye at us for asking), but I still think that for $9 apiece it was an excellent value.  Plus, the dollar is at record highs against the euro.  Thank God we have the world's reserve currency.

Next we walked around the block to visit a mall, Via Caterina.  Now I'm not a big fan of malls, but Fe wanted a Portuguese charm from Pandora and this place had one of those stores.  It also had a pretty cool-looking food court where we had some gelato.  You can't let building facades fool you.  This place would've been easy to miss from the street--it was a smallish entrance--but was pretty big inside.  My American eyes are used to seeing huge buildings surrounded by parking lots.

The Food Court

The place also had a grocery store (Continente) on the bottom floor.  We never pass up a foreign grocery store and we did some price comparisons on things we would buy at home and what it would cost here to "set up house".  

Lastly, we went to Fábrica da Nata which had--you guessed it--cream custard tarts.  To me, this was the second-best one I had after Belém, but Fe thought these were better.  You will have to visit and decide.

Making the Tarts

We ate on the top floor.

Everything we saw and did today was within a five- or six-minute walk from our hotel.  Much of it was near the first thing we saw in Porto, the blue-tiled church.  I'm not eating the best, but I really think all the walking we've done in general has helped.

Sadly, this was our last full day in Portugal.  We headed back to the hotel to pack for the flight home on Sunday.  I'll post a final update as soon as I can.

Portuguese grocery tip: Suppose you want just one bottle of water but all you can find on the shelf are wrapped six-packs.  What to do?  Just break it open and take one!  I did this, but I'll admit it was a struggle to overcome a lifetime of cultural taboos about it.  

Braga Day Trip (October 28, 2022)

When planning this trip, I had set aside time for two daytrips.  The first one was today to Braga, a town about 42 km (26 miles) north of Porto.  We took a train--not an express--so it had a lot of stops and took about 1.5 hours from São Bento Station.  And it was just about $4 apiece!

The old Braga station.

The Braga was somewhat smaller, but they had a nice little cafe where we had some coffee and pastry.  Fe's was sweet, mine savory.

Braga Station

We caught a bus (with some local help) to the first place which was a bit out of town, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte.  The church was built in 1784 and you can climb a stairway with 17 landings to reach it.

View from the foot of the stairs.

Do you think we took the stairs?  Think again.  We took the funicular (incline) which gets you to the top in three minutes.  It was opened on March 25, 1882 and is the oldest funicular to use a water counterbalancing system.

At the top

Front view of the sanctuary

Cloudy, rainy view

A better view a bit later from another point

The altar.  Unusual to see Roman soldiers on one.

Ceiling with chandelier

It wouldn't be a Portuguese church without blue tiles.

Grotto (man-made)

As you may have noticed, it was pretty rainy.  We left here and went to lunch in the old town.  Portuguese (Europeans in general, really) don't rush lunch.  With it really pouring down we didn't either.

Menagem Tower.  This was right beside the restaurant.

We made it to the tourist information center to get our bearings a bit better.  Nice place and great staff.  The guy we talked to highlighted the Braga Cathedral, so we headed there next.

Braga Cathedral

Painting on the wooden ceiling.  Pictures don't do it justice.

The huge pipe organ (one side).

View of the ceiling with the organ pipes from both sides.  Didn't get to hear it play.

View of the nave

Arco da Porta Nova (Arch of the New Gate)

Campo das Hortas (Garden Fields Square)

It was really coming down now as we hurried back to the station to get back to Porto.  It was late afternoon so the train was much more crowded.  I had to stand a bit but eventually got a seat for the rest.  

We really liked Braga--small town vibes with easy access to Porto, good public transportation network, great little restaurants, and not too hilly!  We could live here.

Costs in Portugal:  you've read my comments about the low cost of public transport and Portugal does have one of the lowest costs of living in western Europe, but it's not like living cheaply in Mexico or the Philippines.  Gas is about $8/gal and you can spend a lot on food if you're not careful.  What we have found however, is that the food quality and portion size is somewhat better than the US.  At least for where we've gone to eat.  Produce seems lower, but household items are about the same.  It's all relative, I guess.

Porto--Day Two (October 27, 2022)

Started sightseeing early today starting on the Porto side of the Douro River.  

View of the Monastery Serra do Pilar

Looking down the Douro River (on the Luis I Bridge)

I had actually woken up before Fe--it was early-- to take these first few shots.  Walked across the bridge to the Gaia side of the river.  Unlike Pittsburgh which spans three rivers, Gaia is a separate municipality in the Porto District.

View of Luis I Bridge from the Gaia side.

View of Porto over the rooftops of Gaia

Display Boats in the river.  They are advertising brands of port wine.

Some street sculpture with a tiled chapel in the background.

Gaia was originally the Roman city of Cale and in the 8th Century was the de facto border between Christian and Islamic territory.  Most of the port wine cellars are on this side of the river since the winemakers were trying to avoid the taxes levied on the Porto side.  

I was pushing it exploring so much by myself, so I hurried back to the hotel.  Just in time, too--Fe was just finishing getting ready to go.  She knows I always get up earlier on vacations to get good photos, so she wasn't surprised.  Ha ha.

We then headed out together to see the Porto Cathedral (Se de Porto).  This impressive structure is a mixture of Romanesque and Baroque styles.  There has been a religious presence at this site since the 5th and 6th Centuries.

View of the courtyard.  The Baroque pillory symbolizing justice is in the foreground.

Tiles

Tiles

View of Porto from the top of the bell tower.

Ceiling Detail

The Altar

Next was Fe's first time to see Gaia and I could play the tour guide--ha ha.  We did ride the cable car which was closed when I visited earlier.

The Gaia Instagram sign

If you look closely, you'll see this rabbit is made of trash.

This is the inside of Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau.  Bacalhau is the Portuguese word for cod and it's everywhere.  These pastels are very good.

This is what we had.  Some port and a couple of codfish croquettes which have some goat cheese inside.  

A Citröen Ami

Finally, we went to see Bolsa Palace, which is not actually a royal palace but was a (very ornate) stock exchange built in the 19th Century.  We were pressed for time so we took the very next tour--in Spanish.  ¡Ay coramba!

Bolsa Palace

Atrium

Hallway Ceiling

Moorish Revival Room

Whew!  I'm glad I had five espressos and a cappuccino today.  Tomorrow is a day trip for us.

Portugal travel hints/tips:  

    1. Not every bathroom has toilet paper.  Be prepared!

    2. Your credit card will be honored at most places but it's not universal--especially in market stalls or for small purchases.

    3. Wear comfortable shoes with good soles.  All sidewalks we've seen are made of cobblestones which can be hard on your feet and also slippery if it rains. 

    4. Traveling in October means the crowds are a bit thinner, but it also means the weather is more unpredictable.  Bring a raincoat and an umbrella.

    

 

Porto--Full Day--One (October 26, 2022)

Another catch-up post since it was pretty busy yesterday.  Started off early with a trip down the street to the Capela das Almas (Chapel of Souls).  Covered in 15,947 tiles that depict scenes from the lives of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine, the chapel's construction began in the 18th Century.  The tiles were added in 1929.

View of the Church

Front Entrance

Tile Detail

Next we walked over to Porto City Hall.  

View and Reflection

The obligatory city-name selfie.

I had heard about this McDonald's and I'm glad we saw eat.  Didn't eat anything though.

Fan-cee

Running into a lot of churches on this trip--here is the interior of Santo Antonio dos Congregados, built in 1703.

View of the church

We're also seeing a lot of beautiful train stations.  This is São Bento Station.

Two Pics of Wall Tiles

More walking, more churches.

Clérigos Church

Clérigos Tower.  This is an icon of Porto.  We did not climb this one.

Inside the Church

This next church--I should sat two churches--was like nothing something I've never seen before.  The Igreja do Carmo and the Igreja dos Carmelitos are two churches with a one-meter wide house built between them.  It was inhabited until the 1980s.

The Churches

Blue tiles on the side.

Inside the Church

The dining room in the narrow house.

In case you're wondering, not everything we see is old.  We took a bus ride around town and came across the Casa da Música.  It was designed by architect Rem Koolhas and was designed to host all kinds of music--from classical to electronic.  The surrounding area also appeared designed to allow skateboarding and bicycles.

View of the Casa Música

Did I mention we had a busy day?  We finally made it to the riverfront of Porto--arguably the most famous part of town.  A lot to see and do here.

View of the Douro River and the Dom Luis I Bridge

View of Praça de Ribeira

We stayed here a good bit.  It's a good place to see the sunset but since it was cloudy that was a bust.  We had dinner there too--which was not a bust--and then saw the place lit up at night.

The Dom Luis I Bridge and the Serra do Pilar Monastery on the hill.

Close-up of the monastery.

More exploring tomorrow.

I mentioned a lot of blue tiles this entry.  These are called azulejos and are used in both Portugal and Spain not only as ornamentation, but also to help with temperature control.