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.