Chapter Seventeen: Historic Porto Sites and Beautiful Porto Sights
March 21, 2023
Chapter Nineteen: O Sé Can You See & Farewell Portugal
April 10, 2023Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report
Chapter Eighteen: Seeing Red & Taking In More Of Porto’s Sights
Day Twenty: Hello Lello, The Broken Nose, Seeing Red, Two Churches Plus A Skinny House, Getting On BASE, Autumn Haze, Short Museum Stay, “That Ambulance Nearly Killed Me,” Where’s Buck Owens?, Pretty Park, Spill The Wine and We’re Number One!
We were up so early but only had time to partake in a quick coffee stop at In Porto Gallery Guesthouse. Why so early? … because we were off to see a bookstore … yes, a bookstore. We passed this sign on the way. I think it summed up my life.
Walking through a different part of Porto, we again were greeted with multihued buildings …
… and vibrant neighborhoods.
Our first stop of the morning was Livraria Lello, a bookstore CNN once dubbed, “The Most Beautiful Bookstore In The World.” It is also allegedly the “most Instagrammed bookstore” and so popular that you need to reserve a time slot and pay €5 just to enter. We picked the earliest entrance (9 a.m.), got there at 8:45 and saw there was already a line forming. By 9 a.m. there was an even longer line stretching behind us as we waited for the doors to open. And we waited … and waited … and waited.
Both the natives and tourists were getting restless, and with no sign the bookstore was opening, Tracy walked around to take a few photos. Nearby spouted the 19th century Fonte dos Leões, which is situated in the center of Praça Gomes Teixeira. Water gushes out of four winged lions. The beautifully tiled church behind it is Igreja do Carmo, which we check out after the bookstore, if we ever got in.
By now, the line for the bookstore was really long, and as you can see, these were not happy faces. One guy asked if we were in the 9:30 line, and we had to gently break it to him that we were all in the 9 o’clock time slot.
Speaking of faces, we happened to be looking at a nearby café, and watched in horror as a man tripped on a step, taking a nasty fall and face-planting into an outside table. When we saw his face, it looked like he had taken a punch from Mike Tyson as blood spurted from his nose and his broken glasses dangled from his ear. Doctor Mary (remember, she only plays one on vacation), was ready to spring into action, but restaurant personnel rushed to help the guy, and he was pointed to what we hoped was a nearby hospital.
Finally, at 9:35, the doors opened. What most people consider the highlight of Lello Bookshop is its red, art-nouveau, double helix staircase. Tracy had spied a young woman decked out in what Tracy called “Instagram Influencer clothes.” Somehow she made her way to the stairs first, and of course in true Instagram style, she sat on the stairs and posed for photos for a rather lengthy amount of time blocking people from entering. This did not make any of the people who had waited for the past 45-minutes happier.
Slowly, but surely, we made our way up the staircase. Meanwhile, I was doing my best Quasimodo impression as I ascended.
The bookshop is lovely, and the staircase lived up to expectations. The store was inaugurated in 1906 and according to one site, “an important social event for both Portuguese and Brazilian societies.”
People were catching the staircase from all angles and perspectives. We were no different.
Looking up at the gorgeous stained glass ceiling one sees the words “Decus in Labore” etched in the glass.
The woodwork is extraordinary, too. Oh wait, that is not wood, it is plaster, just like at the palace the previous day.
It is said that Lello Bookshop was one of the inspirations for the Harry Potter series, but I think every city in Europe now takes credit for something from that series.
Digression: Recently, I happened to see the hours of operation start at 9:30. Could Tracy’s notes be wrong about our 9 o’clock entry time? Knowing our illustrious scribe is rarely incorrect, I looked back at the e-mail voucher from them (I need to clear out my inbox). Once again, Tracy was correct.
Next, we took that short walk over to the azulejo-covered exterior of Igreja do Carmo.
Located next to Igreja do Carmo is Igreja das Carmelitas. Well, not quite next to it. In between is what most people believe is the “narrowest private residence in the country.” The three-story Casa Escondida (Hidden House) stands in between the two churches. Theories abound on why the residence of chaplains and church artists was built. They range from the archbishops of the churches not liking each other, to a law not permitting two churches to touch each other, to keeping the nuns and monks from perhaps breaking their vows.
We first entered the 17th-century Igreja das Carmelitas.
It was constructed as part of a convent that is long gone.
There are six side chapels in Igreja das Carmelitas.
All of them …
… really pop out in this church.
It is here where my memory has gotten very fuzzy.
I have no idea of which church this room belongs to. Judging by the time stamp on the photos it has to be in Igreja das Carmelitas, but I could not find one picture of it on the internet.
It was quite an eye-opener, wherever we were.
It has a beautiful painted wooden (or is it?) ceiling, but what room it is has been lost to me. If anyone who reads this can tell me, shoot me an email, because it’s been driving me crazy.
We next entered the Igreja do Carmo where, with a cheap ticket, you can also tour the Casa Escondida and go up to the rooftop (church is free). The church dates to the mid-1700s but the outside tiles were put on in the early 20th century.
In the catacombs is the tomb of Sister Maria de Jesus, who was buried here in 1796. From the 18th-century best seller the Book of Graves, “When you open this grave, do it with caution.” I swear we didn’t even consider that.
Wandering through Casa Escondida we entered the Great Hall, where important meetings where held.
We also checked out the Hall of The Vestments and The Silverware of the Order of Carmo.
On the way to the roof were more of those blue tiles …
… and we checked out the view from above.
Watch your step.
Making it down safely, we stopped for a quick pastry and strolled by Jardím das Oliveiras in Porto, with its ancient 50 or so olive trees.
Standing nearby is the statue of António Ferreira Gomes, a prominent Portuguese Catholic bishop in Porto from 1952 until 1982.
In the park is a beer garden called BASE as well as other shopping and restaurants.
BASE is virtually across the street from Torre de Clérigos (taken earlier this morning while waiting at the bookshop) and Igreja dos Clérigos. We had wanted to climb the 240 steps to the top of the 18th-century tower, but the day was still very hazy, so we thought we could skip that. 
We did briefly take a glance at the interior of the church.
After having just visited two churches, I knew this would be a quick visit, checking out the altar …
… a chapel or two …
… and, of course, its ceiling.
Back out on the steep streets, the hills were alive with the sound of music.
Prior to leaving for Portugal, I had read about Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis. The reviews promised, “If you decide to visit just one museum in Porto, make sure it’s this one.” It also stated, “It was recently renovated.” So, after a 15-minute walk, we entered, only to learn that the art museum housed in an 18th-century palace was still “being renovated.”
Only two rooms were open for viewing, so we looked at some Portuguese art. These two are from the appropriately named António Silva Porto.
Tracy became this exhibit’s biggest fan.
I assumed this must be a plate on which to dine on a fish. It is an 18th-century piece from the Qing Dynasty.
A special exhibit celebrated explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It included the Bible of Jerónimos, a hand-written bible from the late 15th century.
António Soares dos Reis (the museum is named after him) sculpted Conde de Ferreira, who “left his enormous fortune to charities … and bequeathed the remainder of his inheritance in order to make it possible to build the Hospital Conde de Ferreira.” Little did we know that in another ten minutes a hospital location almost cost Tracy life and limb.
Speaking of limbs, there were old Camellia trees (and a glimpse of an old man) in its garden.
Back out front, we were ready to walk to our next destination when Mary spied a pharmacy across the street. Needing to bulk up on her medical supplies, she darted across the street while the rest of us waited. Tracy thought she was waiting in a safe spot until we heard the screaming sound of a siren. Then, from the underground garage of Hospital Geral de Santo António (which we didn’t know was there), an ambulance raced out on an emergency call. Unfortunately, Tracy was standing very near the exit she didn’t know was there and had to bolt quickly to avoid being run over by the ambulance.
Counting our blessings, we walked to the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal. The only Crystal Palace I had ever heard of was Buck Owens’ place in Bakersfield, California, but this one was originally a structure that had been removed in 1956. It was replaced with a domed pavilion.
Unfortunately, most of the gardens at this time were not in bloom and the peacocks were not in plume. But they were still colorful.
Views from the gardens out onto the River Douro were wonderful, albeit a little hazy.
At one point it looked like a dark cloud might swallow the sky.
We explored more of the park until we realized it was 1 p.m. and outside of a pastry, we hadn’t eaten a thing.
This guy looked good enough to eat, but we didn’t think that would be very nice.
Hopping in an Uber, we scurried back near our hotel to the restaurant Cátia had recommended on our first day. She had told us this restaurant is popular with Porto locals as it serves delicious and authentic Portuguese cuisine. Walking into the bar area, we thought that we might not be able to be seated, but after a 10-minute wait we were led to our table.
Antunes Restaurante (Rua do Bonjardim 525, 4000-124) was jam-packed and for one of the first times on the trip we did not hear any English being spoken. We started off with Bacalhau (four pieces for less than a Euro). Oh my, I think I could have eaten about 40 of them, but I knew we had a good dinner planned later.
Tracy and I ordered a half bottle of white wine, and after pouring Tracy a glass, he spilled the rest of the wine. Our waiter spoke little English, so I thought I would make it easy, and I told him, “No problem, I’ll just have a glass.” So he gave me a glass. Unfortunately, it was an empty glass. I didn’t even have time to say that I wanted a glass with wine in it.
He returned a few minutes later, and I smiled and said, “May I have a glass of wine?” He nodded yes and a few minutes returned with yet another empty glass. It was becoming an Abbott and Costello routine by this point. Trying not to laugh about our lost in translation moment, I finally did receive a full glass.
Lunch was terrific, including some salmon, veal and pork.
Afterward, the retired owner of Antunes (Dominick) started visiting with people at the tables. He stopped by to ask us if we had enjoyed our meal and thanked us for stopping in. It was, including the wine misadventure, a very fun meal.
By now it was after 3 p.m., so after a busy day we went back to the hotel to rest. Along the way we saw a little more handy work of Costah.
That was it for Kim and Mary, and they remained in their rooms for the remainder of the evening, as they were now both a little under the weather. I’m a tough taskmaster.
Sadly for Tracy, with me there is no rest for the weary. After one of our patented 30-minute naps, it was time to freshen up and hit the streets. We first stopped into the nearby Mercado do Bolhão, which was winding down for the day. Afterward we stopped around the corner for some late afternoon wine time. Judging by my eyes, I might have needed a little more than a half hour of shuteye.
I had read that Tasco (Rua do Almada 151 A) was the number one rated restaurant on Trip Advisor, so we thought we’d give it a whirl. The interior is quite modern, and the service throughout was very attentive.
Our dining experience started with an amuse bouche of clam fritters with spicy red pepper cheese sauce. The rolls with olive-thyme butter were terrific.
The menu is suggested to be shared, so we next tried the Tataki De Atum; braised tuna teriyaki, teriyaki sauce with ginger chimichurri, crispy rice leaf, sesame powder and coriander sprouts. Absolutely phenomenal!
If a restaurant’s menu shows steak tartare, it’s a safe bet I’ll order it. The Tártaro; beef loin, capers, shallot, horseradish, parmesan cheese, mustard and egg yolk was delicious.
Also great was the Costeinhas; Alenjejo black pork ribs cooked 12 hours at low temperature, barbecue sauce, pickled carrots, cucumber celery, purple onions and herbs.
We must been starving as we also ordered the Emparregado; spinach and cream infused with nutmeg, which was also good, but by now we were very, very full. Well, except for a few minutes later.
I somehow found room for a date cake with yogurt ice cream and honeycomb. Oh my, what a meal!
As we left, we saw this gentleman obviously enjoying his job. As enticing as that cocktail looked, we decided that might be a mistake.
We walked out happy.
Our last full day in Porto was on the horizon. 
We would visit Porto’s Cathedral, explore more of its alleyways and narrow streets, have lunch at a good pizza joint, make one last visit to Gaia, enjoy the marvelous views from the top of Dom Luís I Bridge while attempting not to get run over by a train, check out the tiled church by our lodging, purchase some Thanksgiving treats and cap it off with one last great Porto meal. What a marvelous city!
Chapter Nineteen: O Sé Can You See
Day Twenty-One: Up On The Hill, Porto’s Cathedral, Nap Time, Strolling Through Porto, Exceptional Views, Like “Little Cat Feet,” Train Coming Through, Anthony’s Azulejos, Ginjinha Treats and Buon Appetito
Day Twenty- Two: The Giant Pastry and Crazy Train To Lisbon
Day Twenty-Three: Tracy’s Airport Adventure and Smoking Pods
