Porto, Day 2: Breakfast at Floresta Cafe, Walking Across the Ponte Luiz I Bridge, Tour and Tasting at Taylor’s Port Lodge, Unexpected Liminal Space, Riding the Gaia Cable Car, Dinner at Tapabento.
Our first breakfast in Porto, at Floresta Cafe – a spot very close to our apartment.
This was late morning, and there were already people waiting outside the entrance… so we got added to the queue. Surprisingly, despite how busy it looked, we were told about 15 minutes. Before we knew it, we were taken to the back, to a small table for two.
The breakfast was amazing – portions were huge, and there was a small yogurt cup that came with the meal (with fruit, honey, granola, pomegranate). It was delicious.
A brief stop inside São Bento station.
Joining the tourists, to admire the tile walls.
Once again, we found a Piña Colada stand… and thought of Audrey.
Our day today was fairly relaxed – just a tour in the late afternoon at Taylor’s Port Lodge.
We had a slow walk across the Ponte Luiz I bridge. This is right before we hit the bridge, looking out over the houses and river.
I’m… not quite sure why I had this on the itinerary. We walked across the top of the bridge, and for someone who doesn’t like hikes… I didn’t realize this was a bad, bad idea.
I mostly just kept moving and tried not to stop. There are some photos from the walk back, but I wasn’t really able to take any.
It was a gorgeous view though. In theory.
Across the river, we got some bottled water and found a shaded area to rest (the day, like all the subsequent days, was quite hot).
Liz, interviewing one of the locals.
As we were sitting, we could hear the distant yelling of the construction workers, who were out on the scaffolding at a nearby church.
We had a long, winding path down from the bridge, to the area where all the port distilleries were located.
En route, we spotted a photographer, taking some wedding photos.
Looking back across all the rooftops.
This was on Liz’s itinerary. Because of course it was.
The sculpture is built into the side of the building, and there were lots of folks nearby taking photos.
One of the small side streets we had to walk up. Impossibly narrow, and somehow both pedestrians and vehicles navigated the same space.
As we were walking up, we’d listen for the sound of tires… and scrambled to find a spot where we could move out of the way of the oncoming vehicles.
On the self-guided tour at Taylor’s Port Lodge.
Some of the many barrels in the warehouse.
With the tour, we also got a small tasting. I’m not a big fan of Port, but I do have to say… it grew on me, the longer we were in Portugal.
On our way out, we were debating how to return to the bridge. Liz spotted this odd path, but I was a little hesitant to go.
As we were talking, another couple walked by and told us this was the way they came in. We followed them in, and had a bit of an adventure.
After walking past some doors, we entered into this vast, empty, impossible surreal liminal space.
It was unclear of this was actually a public area, that just happened to be closed down. Or not yet open? It was super weird.
But air conditioned, and felt amazing. Creepy and amazing.
Down one of the random corridors, a small fountain area. Again – just a weird mixture of old and new.
We eventually found our way back up to the street. And exited out near this town square area.
On our way back to the bridge, we opted to take the Gaia Cable Car.
Again, I was a little concerned given my fear of heights. But it ended up being pretty ok.
It was fun just to watch these cars coming and going.
In our car, on the way to the bridge.
Unfortunate reflections, but it was a great view.
Heading towards our drop-off. Interesting thing – there were some employees nearby, but we more or less fended for ourselves getting on/off the thing.
At the top of the bridge, making our way back. Note the tracks in the middle, as there are trams that also move along the middle of the bridge.
We were on one of several bridges that crossed the Douro river.
Looking out over some of the houses, we spotted this amazing rail car thing (on the left). I guess that’s one way to avoid the stairs.
For dinner, that was a fun excursion. I let Claude AI do a lot of the itinerary suggestions, and for dinner we had reservations at Tapabento.
The thing was – the restaurant was situated inside a spot we had visited earlier in the day – São Bento. On hearing this, Liz asked “We’re going to dinner at a train station?”
Getting in was tricky, as the map instructions we had led us down a road that was semi-closed, under construction. We saw a few workers taking a cigarette break, but couldn’t find a door to actually go into the restaurant.
Eventually, we made our way back to the main station entrance. On walking by the train tracks, we found the entrance to the restaurant.
Inside, it was packed and bustling. Super glad we got reservations, as we were seated fairly quickly (a couple who arrived at the same time as us ended up waiting for around 30+ minutes, without reservations).
I regret not taking any photos – I think we were both just tired from a long day of walking and exploring.
The meal was delicious, and our server was great (I said as much, to the main manager on the floor). My main regret is that we didn’t have enough time to come back for a second meal.
This Post Has 0 Comments