Porto, day 1 And 2 travel

Flying out mid morning March 22nd from the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus ended up being great timing for us. We were able to get from Athens to the airport, park, get through security and find our gate with roughly 2 hours to spare. Conveniently located next to Land Grant Brewing we bellied up to the bar and started our vacation with a drink….or two. The months of planning and anticipation finally paid off and we could both finally relax!

Happily boarding the plain, Erin my traveling companion for the next 8 days and I, had a brief layover at JFK (NYC skyline pictured from the window) followed by a rather uneventful flight across the pond to the Adolfo Suárez Madrid -Barajas Airport in Spain.

Arriving at some ungodly hour in the morning and being a little tired from the trip, we had our first duh moment, glancing at the ticket, it looked like our flight was 20 minutes- guess what? Portugal and Spain do daylight savings time and are in different time zones! Not knowing this commonality, we both found humor in the faux pas and boarded the 1 hour and 20 minute flight to our final destination.

The train from the Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport on the outskirts of the little city of Porto was very easy to find and navigate. Metro line E took us right to the middle of town landing us within blocks of our future home for the next 8 days. For 2 Euros, we bought a Zone 4 ticket, validated it and hopped onboard.

Conveniently located across from the train station, we found a place to stash our luggage so we could explore the city unencumbered before we checked in. Now our first priority was finding caffeine. I opted for Americano which had some milk in it.

Fair warning, a regular coffee in Portugal is essentially a shot of espresso and taken quite seriously in Portugal. It will surely get you going btw!

Not far from our luggage or the coffee shop, we stumbled upon city hall. If you are staying in the historic city center, it’s an easy landmark to use when walking about.

We meandered the streets for a few hours taking in the beautiful architecture, attention to detail, craftsmanship and just allowed ourselves to be in the moment. I highly recommend taking this approach to travel- you never get that or any other moment back so do enjoy it!

I thought the sights, sounds and smells were welcoming and not overwhelming. Porto is also a place that would be easy to navigate with the help of Google and feel at ease if you have not travelled abroad much. Being there in the off season helped miss the crowds found later in the summer as well. Following are just of a few of the many sights we enjoyed before our orientation tour.

I booked a two hour tour of the city and surrounding areas with Eco Local Tours (ecolocaltours.pt)and Ricardo. I highly recommend him. Not only did we get to see a ton, our guide was a well informed local and very proud of the area he was sharing.

We met him at the Sé do Porto- (the main Catholic Church up on the hill) which is not overwhelming on the outside but the inside is a must to go visit. It dates back to the 12th century and has been added onto over the years, but non the less worth a visit. This is a good landmark to use when walking around the city. More about that later. And we were off!

Erin is getting a nice view of the Douro River and the famous Ponte Dom Luis I. This bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel‘s partner Theophil Seyreg. This is by far one of Porto’s most famous landmarks and can be seen from many many parts of the area. Next you can see it from one of my favorite viewing spots in front of the old monastery.

A view looking back at the city from Villa Nova de Gaia (the city across the river from Porto). To the right of the bridge you can see the 11th century wall then below, the modern funicular that transports you up the hill - there’s a lot of steps - so well worth the 7 euros at the end of a long day.

Above, this church referenced earlier- a former monastery (Mosteirio da Serra do Pilar) sits empty except for Sunday mornings. As with many old buildings in the region, they are expensive to maintain and keep up to date. Unfortunately the structure is slowly deteriorating.

The view from in front of the monastery was stunning, so much so we re-visited the area later in our stay. I’m not sure how to support preserving this local treasure, but I do hope an attempt is being made. If I find out, I will be sure to share with you.

Due to its walkability, most of the areas he recommended to us we were later able to visit by foot with the exception of the Foz do Douro area right on the sea and at the mouth of the Douro River. It would have been about an 1 1/2 walk one way. Later in our stay, we opted to board the local bus on the way out and the tram to get us back.

Essentially ending the tour at the beach, we were able to experience the power of the ocean as the waves were crashing on the rocks and tide was moving in with the impending storm behind it.

The natural drama was intensely beautiful.

Ricardo, like many locals we encountered he was very proud of their port. We were able to enjoy our first tasting as the wind and ocean mist rolled in from the ocean before us.

Being the wonderful host he was, Ricardo dropped us off right in front of the luggage storage area and wished us a wonderful time. We picked up our luggage and much to our surprise were only about five minutes from the train station.

Finding the place and checking in was a fairly easy process- stopping for groceries on the way there made for an easy end to the day.

We were lucky to be able to enjoy the terrace on top of the building to end our day! Here is a panoramic view with Clerigos Tower in the distance - the tallest building in Porto.