Porto

We had checked in at our accommodation TPC-Dalliance Apts and everything was closed. We asked a friendly police officer on the street if he knew where to buy water. One of us followed him to the police office. We stood outside wondering what he was doing. Than a happy man came out with four small bottles of water in his arms. you don’t buy water from the police every day .

Portwine

Ruby, Tawny and Pink, I didn’t know much about port wine before I came to Porto. Now I can imagine the pleasant sweetness in my mouth when I think back to Porto, not too sweet but just soft and round. There is a lot of wine bars in Porto. There are plenty of cafes and some shops too. You can’t miss port wine. A small cake and a drinking glass of port wine in the morning is nothing I usually take home. At the wine bars and cafés, they are masters of combining pastry or chocolate with port wine. If you want to visit a wine cellar, you can go to the other side of the Douro River. There are all the great wine cellars in a row along the promenade.

You can do a day trip to the Douro Valley, where conditions are perfect for growing grapes for wine. I booked a tour with visits to severel vineyard. I booked it on Tripadvisor. Wine is really a craft and the owners are often passionated. As a visitor, you are guided into the entire wine process, from grapes to finished wine. You are surprised at how different wines smell and taste. I love to walk between the giant wine barrels and feel the very special scent of fermented grapes. The entire Douro valley is full of soft hills lined with vines and through the valley flows the Douro River. We enjoyed the wonderful view.

UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Porto is a nice ctown with several grand old buildings. Palacio da Bolsa, unfortunately was fully booked because there were very few guided tours in English. We visited at least the Gold Church and the catacombs that were next door. It is a very hilly city so there are plenty of nice viewing places and many restaurants and cafes have nice outdoor seating with views down to the Douro River. There are areas that are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and also an old bookstore, Livraria Lello. There was a long queue to the bookstore every time we passed. We felt satisfied with most strolling around in the town, enjoying outdoor cafés and watching all the beautiful houses with their tiled facades.