Porto, Portugal March 2019

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We have been in our 'new' home for a few months now and since the actual move had meant we had cancelled our winter sun plans, things were now much calmer ? I was spending less time at the hospital and in general things were quiet. Andrew had some annual leave to use up before the end of March so a quick search on the Ryanair website and Porto was booked ☀️✈️ Neither of us had been to Portugal for quite a few years, we figured the weather wouldn't be too bad and the flights were cheap and convenient so whats not to love ❤️ . In the weeks preceeding however we had managed to find a house to buy and James had dropped out of school so things were not so calm on the home front but a break still sounded a good plan so off we went.



We had flights out of Edinburgh, a place, Andrew had always wanted to fly out of and the journey only took us an hour from home. We had booked cheap and cheerful parking with Premi-air which to an amazement was a breeze and it wasn't long before we were sitting in the lounge waiting for our flight. The airport was nice and quiet making the whole experience stress free. Our flight departed on time and we were certainly glad of the extra leg more seats. Despite the extra cost, we will certainly book them again as it made a big difference to the overall comfort of the flight ❤️



We soon landed in Porto and was greeted by our taxi driver ?. It was a nice night and the roads were clear and we soon arrived at our apartment - The Old City Design Apartments in the centre of Porto. Sadly all that greeted us was a key meter and no clear instructions as what to do next ?. Luckily the taxi driver was very helpful and he managed to talk to the manager ? and obtain instructions for entry. As it happened an email had landed 30mins before with instructions but of course with the flight mode on etc we hadn't bothered to check ?. Anyhow all was well and we were soon in our 'apartment'. The apartment consisted of 3 areas - Sleeping/living, kitchen and bathroom. Both the kitchen and bathroom were a good size but it was apparent that using the shower was going to be problematic as you couldn't get to the taps unless you were already in the shower! ? which was over the bath. The main issue however was in the sleeping / living area. The bed was a sofa bed pulled out and the design meant you had to cross an obstacle course to actually get in and out of bed ?. It was also very small and cramped meaning it was a hazard to move around especially in the dark. We both tried to sleep but had thoughts of booking into another hotel first thing in the morning ?



Thankfully the actual bed was quite comfy but the noise levels and other issues meant only one thing, it was time to speak to the manager for a change of apartment. Annoyingly the reception wasn't open until after 11am so we decided to make the most of the sunshine and go exploring. First stop was breakfast, a little cafe near the Sao Bento station and for under 10euros we were nicely full up with fresh orange juice and crossiants ?. Next on the list was a tram ride ? Porto had mostly got rid of their trams in favour of the Metro but a couple of 'tourist trams' remained. The ticket lasted for 2 days and they were surprisingly busy for the low season. At the end of the line, we decided to walk down the hill towards the Riverside and go on one of the boat trips . Sadly not enough people had signed up for the boat trip so back to the drawing board ?. As we caught glance of the cable cars over the river, a new plan was emerging. Porto is very hilly ⛰, much like Galashiels but at least the local council had the good sense to install a funicular ? which was a god send to getting back upto bridge level in order to cross over for the cable cars ? . The views from the cable cars were stunning but sadly the mood was ruined by Andrew's mortgage talk ? and I literally wanted to throttle him by the time we got off. Next best thing - alcohol! ? So off to test some Port which was included in the price of the cable cars. It was soon lunch time and where better to go - Pizza hut! ?



A nice lunch later and all was calm again, it was time to tackle the hotel issue. Sadly the hotel couldn't offer us an alternative apartment so the search was on for a nice hotel ?. Most of the central ones seemed to be apartments and we didn't want to risk that again so we opted for the 5* Palacio Congress Hotel which was on the outskirts towards the airport ? . Andrew, by this time had been eyeing up the old taxi's ? at the Railway station so in we jumped off to our new hotel. The new hotel seemed to tick all the boxes, it was very posh and spacious with lovely views. After unpacking, we headed to the rooftop bar for some cocktails before heading out for dinner ?. The hotel was approx a 15min walk to the nearest metro and a couple of stops later we were back in the centre of town. We were getting quite hungry by this point and it wasn't long before we stumbled into a cafe type restaurant, the clientele did make it look like some kind of gangster haunt but thankfully the food was fine with an even better bill ? . Then back to the hotel for some much needed sleep ?



Sadly the 5* hotel didn't meet expectations as the bed was quite uncomfortable but nevertheless we were determined to make the best of it. First stop was to treat ourselves to the buffet breakfast. It wasn't cheap but thankfully it didn't disappoint and the maitre dee was very efficient with keeping us filled up with pancakes ?. As we waddled down the street to the metro, it was decided that a day on the trams was the way forward since our passes were still valid ?. So off to the beach and a round of mini golf was in order ⛳️. The whole area was very quiet despite the sunny weather and we enjoyed a game of mini golf where (un)surprisingly I won! There were a few shops and cafes in the area where we managed to get drinks but sadly no ice cream so it was back to the riverfront for that. At the riverfront we managed to have ice cream ? and book ourselves on one of the tourist boats to take in the 6 bridges of Porto ?. The trip was lovely and relaxing and before long the day had flown and it was time for dinner. Sadly the search for dinner took longer than expected but we found a nice little cafe in the main shopping area. Dinner, again was very reasonable and we did some souvenir shopping before heading back to the hotel ?



The next day we decided to go on a train ride ? down the Douro Valley ?. The original plan was to go to Braga which was on the 'pretty town' list but Andrew had particular engines in mind and obviously we couldn't come to Porto without seeing the Douro Valley so that was that. Breakfast was at the 'best crossiant'?shop in town next to the Metro where we enjoyed about 1000 calories for less than 10euros before making our way to the station.



The railway towards the Douro Valley is being electrified and new track laid so part of our journey was by bus ?. The trains which are running beyond the end of the works are some of the oldest you will find on any railway system in the world in regular service ? So the locomotive was a 50+ year old English Electric 1400 number 1407, repainted into the original livery of dark blue with contrasting white 'whiskers' on the nose ends. The coaches where at least ten years older, of open design with tremendous opening windows that drop down to allow a proper good look outside if the desire takes you, although it must be added that this comes with the risk of losing your head or any other limbs you chose to hang out of it! As the weather was lovely and warm, the sun was out and the speed of the train was not excessive, it wasn't just me who relished the chance to have the window dropped to its full extent the entire journey! The cost of several hours of fun getting from Porto to Regua was around 35 Euros return for both of us. Most excellent value for money ?. We had a few hours to kill in the little town of Regua which we spent eating, shopping and sight seeing ??. The train back to Porto was a little less comfortable due to it being full up and only having two coaches instead of three and seemed generally busier in all respects. The loco hauling was of the class number 1415. There were several steam locomotives 'littered' around as a reminder of the past and how differently things are viewed in Portugal, it wouldn't take that much to breathe life into them again and who knows, one day, steam may once again return to the Douro Valley ?

By the time we got back to our hotel it was quite late so we opted for dinner at the rooftop bar before heading to bed. As we hadn't booked it was bar stools at the bar, which was actually brilliant ?

It was soon Saturday and our day of departure ?. The flight wasn't until teatime so we had the chance to do a few bits beforehand. First stop was naturally the breakfast shop before heading back to the Riverside to return a teeshirt Andrew had bought a couple of days earlier. Thankfully that wasn't an issue and we managed to get a larger size!! The next plan was to have a trip over the Sao Joao bridge by rail. Porto is famous for its spectacular bridges so it was an opportunity not to be missed ?. The train was annoyingly busy but we still managed to get a good view across Porto. We got off at Espinho, where we enjoyed a quick walk to the seafront before getting the train back. Time, of course had flown by so it was time to head back to the hotel to collect our stuff. We did have a lucky escape on the Metro when a ticket inspector revealed that we had actually been riding around all week on the wrong ticket..doh!? Due to his obsession with old taxi's? Andrew had booked one to take us to to the airport but strangely it had decided to wait for us at the taxi rank over the road which we never noticed until it was too late ? . Luckily there were other taxis at the rank so all was not lost and we arrived at the airport in good time. Porto airport was totally relaxed and we had a reasonable wait before getting our flight home✈️

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