November 5, 2022

It was certainly a busy day exploring Porto. The weather was great and it was a perfect day to tour the city. We started off with a cruise on the Douro river which runs through the heart of Porto and its surrounding communities. However, we did not take the ‘normal’ river cruise on one of the big boats. Instead we opted for a cruise on a Beneteau 44 sailboat which was perfect for us. There were only 10 people on board in addition to the skipper and his mate. We motored the whole way but the engine was very quiet, the boat was very spacious, the weather was fantastic and it was a very relaxing way to see the city from the river. It was a great way to spend the morning.

When we returned to the hotel the next mission was to find the Hard Rock Cafe due to a request from Jordan, my daughter. It turns out the Hard Rock was not very far from the hotel so we just walked over there. However, once again what should have been a simple walk was a bit more challenging due to construction and the never ending winding streets. We got there – mission accomplished.

We strolled around a bit and found a place for lunch. The place was OK but not great. We have been doing a fantastic job on breakfasts and dinners but our lunch choices have been pretty mediocre! We need to up our game. During lunch we decided to take advantage of the good weather (it is supposed to rain tomorrow) and got tickets for the local hop on/hop off bus to do a quick tour of the city. We regrouped back at our hotel and jumped on the bus which very conveniently had a stop right across the street from our hotel.

The ride was nice. I don’t know how these bus drivers navigate these busses through the streets of Porto but for us, it was nice to not have to walk up and down hills and find our way through a labyrinth of winding streets. We had seen the city from the water in the morning and it was fun to drive through it in the afternoon.

When we returned to the stop near our hotel, it was still light out so we took off walking again. We found an area with all kinds of shops and restaurants and it was buzzing with people. We walked around a while and found a little restaurant to grab a light dinner. We had our jackets and it was still warm enough that we were able to sit outside and watch the parade of people go by. It was great fun.

The train station was on the way back to our hotel so we ducked in quickly to check it out. The artwork is beautiful. It’s one of the prettiest train stations I think I’ve seen.

Porto is a great city. We said several times during the day that given a choice between Porto and Lisbon, Porto would win hands down. It has a great vibe and all of the little alleyways and ups and downs just add to the charm. I’m sure in the summer, it is much more crowded due to the large number of tourists. However, right now, it has been a fantastic place to visit. We will see what tomorrow brings. We have rain coats so – let the adventure continue.