Porto had been on my list for a while, so now, when I was already almost on the border of Spain and Portugal, I had to visit.
I stayed in Matosinhos, a city next (and very close) to Porto. It was lovely to spend a couple mornings beachside, work at a cosy cafeteria and walk along the promenade.
Matosinhos is just about 20 minutes by tram from the centre of Porto. It's mainly a beachside residential area. There's also a port and an industrial area.
On the first evening massive fog came out of nowhere and took over the beachside for a few hours until the sun pressed through and led to a beautiful sunset.
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, but it has a very different vibe. I enjoyed it a lot!
Mercado do Bolhão - the historic market. Markets are always nice, as is fresh fruit on a hot day!
Capela das Almas or Capela de Santa Catarina, a gorgeous 18th-century chapel covered with 15,947 tiles!!!
The Livraria Lello & Irmão, or the Lello Bookshop, named as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Also, it's claimed that it inspired J. K. Rowling on the descriptions of the Hogwarts library (although she has denied it). She lived in Porto working while as an English teacher in the early 1990s and used to drink a cup of coffee at the second floor of Lello’s bookstore. It is also rumoured that the Hogwarts’ students robes were inspired by the clothes of Portuguese college students, composed of a black suit and a black coat.
Naturally I wanted to go in, but unfortunately I did not do enough research beforehand this time. It is not expensive to go in (also, you can use the booking fee to buy a book), but you have to book a slot. They were sold out for this day and the next couple of days. I'm coming back Porto!
So, I opted for the next best option - the Hidden House between two churches.
There are two churches almost next to one another - the Church of Carmel and the Church of the Carmelites. By the legend, religious laws at the time forbade churches to be built next to one another. The architects got around this “rule” by inserting a tiny 1 metre wide house between the two churches. It was soon called Casa Escondida (The Hidden House). The complex can be visited inside and tickets can be bought right on spot. It is definitely worth it, as there's much to see including the interior of the house, the church, catacombs and a rooftop. The connection with Harry Potter obviously leads to the Order of the Phoenix, as 12 Grimmauld Place was also a hidden house that appeared between two buildings. Again, it is only rumoured.
Porto São Bento, a beautiful railway station.
The Sé Cathedral is the most important religious building in Porto, it's also built in the highest part of the city, so already from in front of the cathedral, the views are great!
It's one of the city’s oldest monuments, since construction began in the 12th century.
Across the river is already another city - Gaia.
It's different ways to get up and down, the stairs starting nearby the cathedral were quite enjoyable (views and scenery wise at least), even in the 35 degree heat it was that day.
The Luís I Bridge over the Douro river, linking Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia, a hub for Portugal’s famous port wine. The bridge has two levels which both are walkable as well.
Gaia!
A francesinha - toasted square white bread with steak inside (ideally cooked medium rare), slices of ham and two types of sausage. The sandwich is topped with thin layers of sliced cheese and a grilled egg. A secret sauce (usually made with unknown quantities of beer, port wine, brandy, tomato paste and stock) is poured over the dish, melting the cheese and making it quite delicious (and filling!).
I also went to a CouchSurfing meet-up at a local craft beer bar - Catraio Craft Beer Shop and Bar. It has been a while since I went to any CS events but it was lovely as always. A bunch of globetrotters from all over and quite interesting beers. Obviously, to demonstrate how small the world is, there was a Swiss-American guy who lives in Portugal and imports hand-made candles to Estonia.
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