Porto, Portugal

September22, 2026

Breakfast was served at 8 am and what a great buffet!  Fruit, breads, yogurt, boiled eggs and scrambled, cheese, ham, jams, juice, coffee and hot chocolate.  It’s included with the room rate so that’s a bonus too.

Our first stop was back at the Cathedral.  It costs 4 euros to get in but if you go to mass it’s free.  The altar area looks like all the other altars I’ve seen over the years-

Beautiful live flowers-

The cloister-

More great tile work-

We climbed up the tower for the view-

Next we headed to the Santo Ildefonso but it was closed-

Nearby were craft booths with some great purses made from a variety of things-

We carried on walking-

A homeless person’s home-

Graffiti-

Our next stop was the Igreja dos Carmelitas which was built in the first half of the XVIIth century.  It’s a combination of the Classic style with Baroque influence-

The pipe organ-

We didn’t climb the Vitorio tower-

More views-

We walked along the Rua das Flores which opened in 1521.  The nobles and bourgeoisie built glorious homes here-

The Igresia da Misericórdia was also closed-

The last church of the day was Saint Nicolau-

More fresh flowers-

There are lots of tile shops-

This evening we crossed the bridge and tasted five different kinds of port: Tawny 10 year old, Tawny Founders Ruby, Tawny Fine Ruby, Fine Tawny and Fine White-

Supper was chicken with mushroom sauce, cooked green beans and potato croquettes-

We visited with a couple recently moved to the area.  He’s from Turkey and she’s from Ukraine. They were very interesting.

Tomorrow our Camino begins, just 16 km to start.  I’m looking forward to it and hope my backpack is not too heavy!

P.S.

For the cow people at home-

Porto, Portugal

What a marathon! I sat at the Saskatoon airport from 8:30 - 11:30, then flew Porter to Toronto.  The best thing about that flight was the free beer and wine!  I had a 9 hour layover in Toronto where a burger and beer cost $49!  I read a whole book too!

The flight with Air Transat left at midnight.  I hope I never fly with them again.  The aisles are so narrow you can’t walk down them without touching the shoulders of everyone sitting in the aisle.  And the food!  We got a very small dish of lasagna but it was more like hamburger helper with very little beef.  We also got mini pretzels and maple cookies.  All carbs and no fruit or vegetables.  Luckily I slept a lot of the way once the man of the couple I was sitting with swapped places with his wife.  We were squished and he moved constantly.

After arriving in Porto I got to customs at 11:50.  We went back and forth in a line until we got to a computer station that couldn’t read my finger prints nor anyone else’s so we ended up in another back and forth line until we met a human who took my photo and fingerprints in less than a minute.  The whole process took 1.5 hours to get through.  

Mirjanne met me at the airport-

so I didn’t have to think or figure out where to go.  After a 20 minute metro ride we walked past city hall-

stopped at the train station (it’s hard to say that without laughing and thinking about Rip) where there is lovely tile work-

and windows-

I checked in to the Central House Porto Ribeira Hostel-

and unfortunately got a top bunk but only for one night as the woman below me is leaving tomorrow.

We went exploring to the Sé do Porto-

and the passport office-

and I already have stamps-

We crossed the Ponte Luis I upper bridge-

for great views of the Douro River-

and Porto-

Supper was a salad - lettuce, tomato and onion plus two crab cakes $25

I am shocked by the number of tourists I saw today.  Just four years ago Porto seemed like a small quaint city and now it’s expensive, noisy and swarming with people just like me!

Tomorrow is a rest day with mass at the Cathedral - it’s the only way to get in for free - that’s my penance I guess 😇, then visits to a couple of churches and a port tasting.  Today was about 30 degrees but there was a nice breeze.  The first day of walking may be warm but it’s supposed to cool off.  Whatever….