Day 2 - Porto

After breakfast at the hotel buffet, we met in the lobby area of the hotel at 8:45 AM for a short walk to the Sao Bento Railway Station, where we admired the blue and white tile murals and historical ambiance inside of this beautiful monument. Then we walked up the street to meet our tuk-tuk drivers for a city tour. The tuk-tuk was a 3-wheeled electrically powered vehicle that held 4-6 people plus the driver. It comes with a cover that not only serves as a roof but also covers the sides, which was helpful because it started to rain. We stopped at the Lello Bookshop, regarded as one of the world's most beautiful bookstores. We had tickets so we didn't have to wait in line, there was a good-size line of people waiting to go in. They only let a certain amount of people in at a time, and it was very crowded. Included in the visit was a credit of 15 Euros to use towards a book. A small book was 15 Euros, they had classics like The Little Prince, Romeo and Juliet, The Art of War, Pinocchio and a few other classics. After the bookstore the rain had stopped we met back at the tuk-tuk's and drove to the church of Sao Francisco, the most prominent of Porto's Gothic structures that features a gorgeous Baroque interior. Then onto the Miradors of Porto's Cathedral and the Monastery Serra do Pilar, each located on high hills that offer stunning panoramas of the city below.

Lunch for the day was at Brasao Coliseu we tried the famous Francesinha sandwich. A Francesinha is a mixed sandwich that is made with a layer of bread, a steak, two different sausages, cheese, ham, bread, covered with chesses, and a fried egg on top and everything covered with a sauce that is usually made with onions, garlic, bay leaves, chopped tomatoes, and beer. It is a very large sandwich and out of the 26 of us I think only 2 people finished it. It was also served with french fries on the side and dessert.

After the meal there were two choices to adventure on. The climbing up the Ponte Arrabida bridge or the Teleferico de Gala gondola. The Porto Arrabida Bridge was a slow, calm climb, it is the only bridge climb of its kind in Europe, we had a spectacular bird eyes view of the entire city. Also, at the top after we took pictures, we were offered a small chocolate cup with some Port Wine in it. The people that did the gondola also said they had some great views.

We returned to the hotel for a 45-minute break before taking a bus across the river to the Cockburn for a wine tour, tasting, and dinner at Vinum in Graham's Port Lodge. The food was delicious.