Perambulating in Porto.

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Here we go again or more correctly here I go again as today I ‘tourist’ solo. Tagging on with random English speaking tour groups doesn’t really count as ‘doing a tour’ although I do pick up random facts and details that add to the experience.
Had brekkie (you should know what that means) and even bypassed my favourite cafe (excellent espresso and nata that are just as good) and went to the ‘House of Horticulture’ it sing better known as the farmers market here in Porto. It’s just been redeveloped and only opened a week or so ago but it has a good atmosphere and was quite an experience. The proportion of tourists is pretty high and how the sellers sell so many mushrooms, stacks of salted cod or even meats and vegetables defeats me. Flowers, meats, fish, pot plants, fruits and vegetables, nuts and sweets as well as restaurants and cafes were all well represented and the place was bustling and busy.

Home again with a couple of emergency fruit salads for Lee and then book online for the ‘Harry Potter Bookshop’. I haven’t tried googling that phrase but I would think it would direct you to the Lellò Bookstore here in Porto. Booking on line saves €1 and maybe 20 minutes in the queue but you are still there with about 200 new friends! Inside, when you do get there, is cramped, crowded and claustrophobic but it is beautiful. A mix of Art Deco and neo gothic the place is quite stunning. There are even little railway tracks in the floor (should be in one or two of the photos) not for the Hogwarts Express but for little trolley carts of books. Not that any trolley cart could navigate through the crowds! The staircase is a show stealer but the stained glass ceiling and Art Deco works are not far behind. The shot of George Orwell I love and Jack Karouac in the ‘could have’ section should see the shop permanently excluded from calling themselves a ‘bookshop’. But downsides aside it was worth it. Called at the 2 churches first. What looks like a church is in fact 2 churches, same faith different orders. There was/is a house between the 2. Now it’s a museum but once upon a time it was the skinniest house in Porto.

Home again to check some details then off to buy high speed rail tickets back to Lisbon for our flight to Athens. Originally I assumed we were flying from the airport here in Porto but no such luck. No big deal, the high speed train takes under 3 hours and should be comfortable. But lucky I checked.

Had my espresso and nata fix at my favourite spot now ready to get Lee moving for a short while.

See you soonish, caio for now.

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