Breakfast
Started the day with breakfast at the LOOK.Sharp Cafe. They have three Look breakfast combinations: Naughty, Good, and Best. Naughty containing bacon and Best containing tofu and nooch (nutritional yeast), tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, beans, and toast. I tried the Best and enjoyed it.
Dom Luis I Bridge
When you see pictures of Porto, this is the iconic bridge that is always featured. The upper level is used for the metro and pedestrians. The lower level is for buses and bikes. I walked from one end to the other.
Escada Guindais
This is the walkway from the top of the bridge down to the shoreline. I seemed to find another walkway west of the Escada Guindais and took that down and then back up. Definitely a nice workout for the calf muscles!
Porto Cathedral
Stunning Roman Catholic church started in the second half of the 12th century. Admission is €3 and is well worth it. Includes a walk to the top of the bell tower.
Okay, I am going to geek out for a bit here on this picture. You have two separate wires connected to two separated metal rods, so that if something touches the two metal pieces at the same time, it would complete the circuit. I’ve not seen any pigeons around. Could this be a pigeon surprise?
Major Construction Projects
See a lot of old run down structures being gutted around the city. I wonder if they are being converted into housing?
São Bento Railway Station
Beautiful railway station!
There is a market place attached the entire length of the railway station with a variety of food options. There’s also a free WC with private stalls, not like the ones in America with huge gaps in the doors and walls, but your own private room! Great for a mid-day pit stop.
Porto – Santo Ildefonso
Livraria Lello
Apparently J. K. Rowling lived in Porto for a spell (pun intended) and this bookstore was the inspiration for the Harry Potter series of books. It’s one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal. After the bookstore got popular, they came up with a great idea to charge admission of €8 to go inside, since nobody was buying books, but just taking pictures. But your €8 can go towards the purchase of a book.
The Church of the Clerics
The Wrap
To wrap up this post, what was my impression of the Selina Porto hostel?
PROS: The rooms were very clean and thought out. For example, the sink area was outside of the shower and toilet area. Shower pressure was really good. Above the foot of the bed area there was a cabinet that could fit a backpack, was lockable and had a power outlet with USB-A outlets. There also was a small shelf above your head with a power outlet where you can place your phone. Also a light and curtains for privacy.
CONS: I thought the staff lacked any personality. They didn’t feel very welcoming. On the plus side they did host a reception for new people arriving, which included a free drink and provided an opportunity to meet some of your fellow travelers. Most of the travelers were groups of friends or couples. Outside in the common area they played really bad rap music with lots of naughty words. Don’t get me wrong, there is rap music that is creative and can be good, but this music was just low-grade. Just made me want to go elsewhere at the end of the day to hang out, like at the Thailander – the Thai restaurant next door. Here I could order some food and work on my blog. Like all restaurants in Europe, they don’t give you the bill until you are ready to leave.
What did I think about Porto overall? I think it’s an interesting city with a lot to offer. I saw a lot of the touristy areas and a lot of tourists, so I didn’t get the local feeling. I think more time is needed for further exploring. English is not common for the locals to use, so learning some Portuguese would go a long way here.
Goodnight…