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MIKE AND JESS' TRAVEL DIARY

Slovenia and Portugal Trip

Day 12 - May 15 2023

Today was a travel day from Lisbon to Porto. Our train departed at noon, so we packed up and hit a breakfast place, Neighborhood Cafe. We were hungry so we got a 3 cheese toastie, meaty breakfast burrito, and jalapeño avocado toast.

After the Uber ride to the train station and a 3 hour train ride to Porto, we walked our luggage (it seems to somehow be growing) to our room at Casa Dos Guindais, a small boutique hotel in an old building on the outskirts of the downtown area. The walk was short but gave us a glimpse of just how many visitors Porto sees. It was a bit overwhelming, as I was expecting there to be less than Lisbon.

We got an email from the hotel that they don’t have a reception desk. Here’s the address, go to the blue unmarked door with the 72 on the top, ring the doorbell, and the housekeeper will let you in and show you your room. Once she showed us everything she let us know the remainder of the room charge (minus a small percentage charged when we booked online) was due in cash today or tomorrow. We had heard Porto was largely cash-only, we didn’t realize this much! 

The view out our hotel door

We were starving (I was hangry), so we started looking at where to go to eat and found out that many restaurants are closed on Mondays. So, plan B, go to the busiest area and surely there are places to eat. Mike found a restaurant at the end of the (very) crowded river boardwalk, which was just tucked away enough to allow views, but not be quite as crazy. It was a tapas restaurant, so we got three to split. It was a bit fancy, so the portions were smaller than other tapas we have had on the trip, but they were very tasty.

Cauliflower soup and a cheese and tomato hot pocket
Pork with sauces I don't remember and am too tired to look up, under a warm cabbage blankie
The couple behind us has a bread plate and this seagull did a fly-by and grabbed a whole slice of bread off their plate! They had to chase it off for the rest of their meal. He looks so entitled. His bread.

After food, we explored a bit, leaving most of the sight-seeing to tomorrow morning. 

Finger shot!

Since dinner wasn’t huge, we wanted a bit more food before heading back and went to a Futbol club (now just a no-frills restaurant with a view) just a few steps from the hotel.

Given the level of crowds here, we decided we will wake up very early tomorrow to explore the town so we can hopefully get a better feel for it before everyone is out and about.

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