Porto - First Impressions

As the train made its way to Porto I was greeted by the lovely Douro River with views of the city on the hillside and its many bridges. It was a beautiful, sunny, 29 degree day, with a nice breeze to keep you cool.

Porto is not a big city, about 200,000+, so it’s easy to navigate and see the sights...which is what I love! My final destination was the Sao Bento training station, a main entry point for people arriving by train. It is a charming station with impressive murals depicting Portuguese history using Portugal’s famous blue tiles (azulejos)....22,000 in total!!

My accommodations were right across the street, so there was no chance of getting lost. It's Tuesday evening, but it felt like Friday, with the city bustling with people and lots of tourists. Right around the corner from my place was the historic street, Rua da Floras, a pedestrian street full of souvenir shops, cafes, buskers and Portuguese homes with their beautiful balcony terraces.  

I took a stroll down the street, soaking in the sights and just enjoying being back on a travel adventure again. Needless to say, with the winding roads and only a tourist map to follow I got lost...the grocery store will need to wait for now. Instead, I found my way down to the waterfront full of people walking around, enjoying a drink and dinner, relaxing in the parks or water’s edge, sailing along the river or walking across the Don Luis I bridge.

I was planning to head to the bridge tomorrow, but since I was here, I took a walk across. It’s not long and with the amount of people crossing, it was clearly a tourist activity. From the bridge however, have a beautiful view of the waterfront and river activity, which is pretty impressive for this little city.

After checking out the bridge...I will be back tomorrow to check out the top level...I decided I needed to relax for a beverage. I found a spot on the deck of a restaurant right on the river side at the entrance of the bridge.  I can’t think of a better way to chill and enjoy my surroundings.

After a little break I headed back towards my apartment. My phone was almost out of power, I needed to find a grocery store and it was almost 8pm. The grocery store was tucked away in a small street I could not find...who knew something only 250 meters away from my place could be so hard to find!!

With food in hand, I headed back to my place to make some dinner, catch up on some well needed sleep and get ready for my full day touring around Porto tomorrow.

Until then....

Lisa