Upon arriving in our hotel around noon, you would think that we’d drop everything and head out. We did the exact opposite. I jumped in the shower, changed, and went to bed. Maddie showered, changed, got ready, and then fell asleep, too. I woke her up past 3pm. We needed that long nap.
Sao Bento
We got out of the hotel and headed back to the train station – Estadio do Dragao station. We made our way to Sao Bento which required us to switch trains in Trindade. It took no more than 20 minutes, around 7 stops. Once we got out, we treated ourselves with some local pastries – my favorite, of course, Pastel De Nata, and another chantilly cake filled with cream covered in chocolate. That was a great way to kick off our late afternoon in Porto.
Walked along Ribeira
We headed down towards the Douro River and took pics of this very picturesque city. It was all beginning to come back to me.
The trams, the funiculars, the tiled walls – just beautiful Portugal. It was especially hot this afternoon.
We found ourselves having a late lunch near the river. I had Arroz de Polvo while Maddie had Pork Chops with rice and potatoes. The octopus was so tender, not chewy at all, while Maddie enjoyed her very tasty pork chops.
As we walked towards the water, we began to see more tourists. It was also a treat to see the locals play and jump in the river. However, we had our eyes on one thing – the bridge. We wanted to go up to Ponte Luis I Bridge cross over to the other side.
To get there, we took a ride on the funicular. It would’ve been taxing to climb the steps to the bridge. The funicular ride gave us a great appreciation of this side of town.
It took us about 5-10 minutes to walk down toward Ponte Luis I Bridge. This was a perfect place to observe all of wonderful things around – Douro River, Ribeira, Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, and Jardim do Morro. The bridge was just fascinating to see from below, but even more amazing when we walked across this bridge that connected Porto & Vila Nove de Gaia.
Not bad for spending our first few hours in Porto. We didn’t stay out too late. We wanted to make it back to our hotel to rest.