Susie and I took the day as a rest day – which started at 8:30 am, incredibly late for both of us!
The only activity available from the hostel was a free walking tour of Porto. That appealed to us both – so we signed up.
I thought I had time to run an errand beforehand to the post office to ship our things ahead that we didn’t want to carry. The pack was ready to go, I made my way to the post office, walked up to the first available teller and she asked it’ll I had a ticket. Ticket? Yes, like the kind at the deli that often just gets ignored – except this place they took it very seriously. Found the machine, got my ticket, waited my turn, then went through the arduous process of filling out paperwork that would accompany the shipment. Then, when everything was tallied – she asked for cash – even though the card machine was in the counter and she’d made no mention of cash before we started. Apparently dealing with foreigners shipping internationally is considered a bad risk .. so this office requires cash. It was more than I had on me. So I had to take everything back and deal I’m with it later.
Off to the walking tour.
It was awesome! Our guide – João – has been in Porto his whole life and spoke perfect English. He learned English in school but also from watching classic English and American films.
João was a wealth of knowledge about the history of Porto – going back to the Roman times. We saw vintage, historical buildings and learned the history of the struggle between church and kings that contributed to shaping Porto through the years. And, about the alliance between Portugal and England. And why there’s the fanciest McDonalds in the world in Porto. Its front patio is, by the way, guarded from pigeons and seagulls by a Harris Hawk*, who was there with its handler.
* Susie is an avid birder and knew the hawk type right away.
We stopped at a cafe midway through the tour and I had a coffee and tried a meringue pastry called a Jesuita … developed by the Jesuits. We walked up and down the city’s hills for almost three hours. The tour was the perfect way to get to know the city and was a great value for the tip.
. Afterwards we went back to deal with the post office. The ticket process had turned into something like the DMV where there are five types of transactions, designated by the letter, and then the number of tickets associated with that transaction type. My ‘A’ type – general postage – wasn’t moving for ages. Then the crew must have returned from their breaks and the numbers started clicking through faster. When I walked out of there – I felt much lighter literally and figuratively. Another weight I didn’t have to carry and another task completed.
Susie and I met back up at the gorgeous local Market Bolhao. Mercado do Bolhão | Mercado Histórico do Porto | Portugal The sort with truly useful things like fruits, veggies, prepared dishes, oils, honey, and flowers. As such, it was also filled with locals. It was the cleanest market I’ve ever seen! Highly recommend it!
We stopped into a couple churches that our tour guide had recommended. The church of St Francis and the main cathedral. The restoration and maintenance efforts at both churches are impressive.
And the views from the tower at the cathedral – the highest point in the city – were spectacular.
A salad with pasta and protein for dinner – then back to get ready for our first day of hiking.
We’re ready.
More later…
https://www.charitywater.org/marilyn-peterson/marilyn-s-camino-for-water-2025
Porto is a great city. Glad you got to enjoy it