The drive to Porto took three hours, and for the entire time, we struggled to sleep off the fever from the food poisoning. I slept literally the entire ride. Our friend who felt the least worst ended up driving the whole way. Poor guy.

Porto is a historic city located in the north of Portugal, on the banks of the Douro River. It is the second-largest city in the country after Lisbon and is known for its port wine.

Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco)

We started our walking tour along the riverbank, and then headed to the Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco).

Construction of the church began in the 14th century, and it was completed in the 15th century. The exterior of the church is notable for its Gothic design, with intricate stone carvings and a rose window above the main entrance. The interior is even more impressive, with an ornate Baroque decoration that covers almost every inch of the walls, pillars, and ceilings.

The interior of the church hosts a display of gilded woodcarvings and intricate plasterwork. The nave of the church is divided into three sections by rows of pillars, each of which is decorated with an array of sculptures and reliefs depicting biblical scenes and saints.

The catacombs, which can be found in the lower level of the church, are known as the Crypt of the Franciscan Order, and contains chambers that were used to bury the monks who lived and worked in the church.

Ribeira Square (Praça da Ribeira)

Ribeira Square is a picturesque area with colorful houses, narrow streets, and lively cafes and restaurants, and is a great place to walk. The square is also home to a number of restaurants and cafes, serving traditional Portuguese cuisine and drinks.

Cathedral of Porto (Sé do Porto)

Getting to the cathedral from the waterfront required navigating a series of stairs. A walking tour around Porto is no easy task for people getting over food poisoning.

Construction of the cathedral began in the 12th century. The exterior of the cathedral is characterized by its fortress-like appearance, with a large square tower and battlements along the roofline.

The interior features Portuguese tiles, also known as azulejos, a distinctive form of decorative tilework. The designs are known for their intricate patterns, vibrant colors, and the use of repeating motifs such as flowers, birds, and geometric shapes.

The inner cloisters consist of a square courtyard, surrounded by a covered walkway with arches supported by slender columns. The columns are decorated with intricate carvings.

The altar is surrounded by a profusion of ornate decoration, including twisted columns, garlands of flowers, and cherubs.

The roof offers a panoramic view of Porto and the surrounding landscape, including the Douro River.

São Bento Station

São Bento Station is a train station and is famous for its facade decorated with azulejo tiles. The 20,000 plus hand-painted tiles depict scenes from Portuguese history and everyday life. It’s still a fully functioning train station. As someone not really educated in the history of Portugal, I couldn’t really follow the story.

McDonald’s Imperial

The McDonald’s Imperial is still a McDonald’s but its uniqueness comes from the beautiful Art Deco building it’s housed in, which was originally built a coffeeshop.

In the 1990s, McDonald’s acquired the building, but retained some of its existing features. The inside mostly looks like a regular McDonald’s though.

In a weird way, eating McDonald’s was actually a break from the seafood that made us sick and while the food is not considered healthy, we felt safer eating it.

Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. It’s gotten so popular that entry into the bookstore costs money.

Though for the 5€ it costs, there’s not much to see except for the main atrium and the upper floor. However, the ticket price can be redeemed against any purchase.

Mercado do Bolhão (Bolhão Market)

Bolhão Market allows visitors the opportunity to see and purchase a wide variety of fresh and seasonal produce, including locally grown fruit and vegetables, fish caught locally, and various cuts of meat. In addition, there are also artisanal products, such as cheese, bread, and wine.

It’s really clean compared to other food markets (like the ones in Asia) despite them also handling produce and raw meat. We ended up buying some cans of sardines here too just to give them a try. We also got a complimentary sardine pate too. Though like I mentioned in the other post, I later found out that the sardines here weren’t as good as I expected.

Fado Music

Fado is a traditional form of Portuguese music that is characterized by its melancholic tone. The word “fado” comes from the Latin word “fatum,” which means fate, and the music is often associated with feelings of longing, saudade (a Portuguese word for a deep sense of yearning), and a sense of resigned acceptance of life’s ups and downs.

Fado music is typically performed by a solo singer accompanied by a Portuguese guitar and a classical guitar. The singer sings songs that often tell stories of love, loss, and the struggles of everyday life. Fado music is usually performed in small venues, such as restaurants and cafes, and the intimate setting adds to the emotional impact of the music. I can’t say I enjoyed a lot, but I could definitely feel the emotion in the singing and it’s pretty consistent with the style.

Port Wine Tasting at the Vila Nova de Gaia

Across the Dom Luís I Bridge that spans the Douro River is the neighbouring district of the Vila Nova de Gaia, which hosts a number of port wine houses.

Kopke is one of the oldest Port wine houses in Portugal, and located in the district of Vila Nova de Gaia, across the Douro River from Porto. The Kopke family has been producing wine for over 400 years, and the winery is known for its exceptional vintage Ports and aged tawny Ports.

We got to take a tour of the Graham’s Winery. The guide explained to us the difference between tawny, ruby, white, and vintage Ports. Tawny Ports are aged in oak barrels and have a smooth, nutty flavor, while ruby Ports are younger and have a fruity, sweet taste. White Ports are less common but offer a refreshing, citrusy flavor. Vintage Ports are made from the best grapes from a single year and are aged for a long time, resulting in a rich, complex flavor.

As a part of the tour, we purchased three different tastings of port, a combination of tawny, vintage and ruby ports. My preference is definitely the aged tawnys, though I found it tough to distinguish between a 20 year, 30 year and a 40 year tawny – so I guess that means spending more on the extra years of age isn’t worth it for me. But at least I could tell between the tawny and the other ones and now I know what I like.

Bota & Bira

This definitely one of the best meals we had in Portugal. We ordered a 1.2 kg aged T-bone steak to share. Combined with the aging process and the seasonings they added, the meat had a rich, beefy, earthy flavour.

We felt bad that we made our friend drive the whole way from Lisbon to Porto while we just slept so we treated him to this meal.

Porto compared to Lisbon

Compared to Lisbon, Porto was a lot hillier. The whole city is built on hills, which made it challenging when recovering from being sick. Though the city itself was much more well maintained than Lisbon

It was a lot less grungier too, but there were still people in the street hustling their fake purses or selling marijuana (though to a lesser extent).

At one restaurant in particular, when the host led us to the table, mentioned that we were lucky to get a table as there was a reservation no-show, even though while we ate, there were several tables that never got filled. It just made them look dishonest.

Though on the whole, we definitely enjoyed Porto a lot more than Lisbon. The food was better, the sights were more interesting, and we felt safer.

See more photos of Porto here

A walking tour through Lisbon’s streets and squares offers a unique and intimate look at the city, allowing oneto soak up its history, culture, and atmosphere. In this post, I’ll take you through a walking tour of downtown Lisbon, highlighting some of the city’s sights.

Praça do Comércio

Praça do Comércio is one of the largest city squares., and is a popular destination for visitors. The square is surrounded by beautiful buildings, including the elegant Arco da Rua Augusta and the magnificent Palácio dos Condes de Calheta. There are also a variety of bustling cafes and restaurants that line the square

The Praça do Comércio also faces the Tagus river. The river is a key feature of the city’s landscape and has played a significant role in the city’s history and development. The 25 de Abril Bridge spans the river and is painted in the same orange colour as the Golden Gate Bridge, and has a similar design to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

Seafood culture

Portugal is proud of its seafood culture, with a long history of fishing and coastal communities that have helped shape the country’s culinary traditions. It is an integral part of daily life for many Portuguese people. Restaurants everywhere serve a variety of seafood dishes.

We were able to go to a nice seafood buffet at the Praça do Comércio at a placed called Baía do Peixe. One of the items on the seafood platter was a gooseneck barnacle (left hand side in the picture). We’d never seen that before and had to ask the owner how to peel them – the shell is soft enough to be separated from the meat with just the fingernails. The owner himself was super nice and chatted with us about how he used to work at a Cantonese restaurant and showed off a few phrases to us too.

A far far less spectacular meal, at a place I absolutely do not recommend is at Cervejaria Ramiro. We had a bout of food poisoning with a fever too. Two of our friends recommended this place to us too. While the place had a lot of good reviews, we found out later that a lot of recent reviews also talked about food poisoning. The oysters tasted salty as if from added salt as opposed to the natural ocean, and the shrimps were rubbery from being overcooked and only had very simple seasonings of butter and salt.

Despite the seafood culture, it’s too bad we had this experience. It’s been pretty rare for me to *not* like the food of a place I travel to. There’s a stereotype that British people have bad food, but maybe they’ve got competition now.

Castelo de São Jorge

Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle), is a castle situated on a hilltop overlooking the city. The castle dates back to the Moorish period and has played a key role in the city’s history, serving as a royal palace, a military stronghold, and a prison over the centuries.

The castle’s ramparts offer a perfect place to take in the panoramic views of Lisbon and its surroundings, including the River Tejo and the old city center. At the time, it looked like a fire was happening. We saw puffs of smoke coming out and heard sirens down below

We got to tour its museums and exhibitions, explore its ramparts and gardens, and admire its architecture. The gardens are also a habitant for peacocks, and can be seen around the premises. What I didn’t know is that they can fly a bit, and we saw several of them high up in the trees

Alfama District

One of the first things that visitors to Lisbon will notice is its hilly terrain, with narrow cobblestone streets and historic buildings that seem to spill down the hillsides, especially in the Alfama District. The district is also where the Castelo de Sao Jorge is located. Another neighbourhood to visit is also the Bairro Alto.

Time Out Market

The Time Out Market is where we went after waking up super late after a late night of New Year’s festivities. The Time Out Market is a bustling food hall featuring a diverse selection of local and international cuisine, from traditional Portuguese dishes including some fusion creations. Time Out Market offers visitors a taste of Lisbon’s food scene.

Like much of Lisbon, it’s pretty easy to find Pastéis de Natas. It’s a sweet, flaky pastry is filled with a creamy, egg-based custard that is lightly dusted with cinnamon and powered sugar. The one at the Time Out Market was pretty good, but the best one is still the one from Fábrica da Nata. We also tried a tasting of several different kinds of small plates, but they tasted OK and weren’t too memorable

LX Factory

LX Factory is kind of a hipster market. It offers a diverse range of Portuguese and international cuisine, and has a lively atmosphere, and has a range of stalls selling artisanal products, such as jewelry, clothing, and souvenirs. It’s a place to wander and soak up the atmosphere, as well as grab a bite to eat, though a lot of it is catered to tourists. In particular, there was a really good chocolate place there called Landeau Chocolate, and a health food chain called Oakberry that sold really delicious acai bowls/smoothies (they even have a presence in North America)

Rossio Square

Rossio Square is one of the city squares that are hard to miss when walking around Lisbon. It’s a historic square, that is surrounded by cafes, historic buildings, and tourist shops. The square is also home to the national theatre.

Sardines

Portuguese sardines are an iconic dish. These small, oily fish are usually grilled or fried and served as a snack, main course, or as part of a larger dish. They’re a staple at outdoor barbecues and markets. We got to try some of these in various foods while we were here, but I didn’t think they were that out of the ordinary. I actually really like sardines – especially the ones from Costco that are seasoned and canned in olive oil and I thought those were better than the ones I got to try here. It’s too bad they couldn’t even get sardines right…

Wonderland Lisboa

Wonderland Lisboa is the local Christmas market. We didn’t plan on going here, but rather we just stumbled upon it in our walk around town. Vendors set up stalls selling handcrafted gifts, seasonal foods, and hot spiced wine.

They even set up a skating rink, but since it’s Portugal, people didn’t really know how to skate and it was funny watching them struggle.

The worst thing about Lisbon

Petty theft, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, is unfortunately an issue in tourist areas of Lisbon, like any other major city. We happened to stay near the neighbourhood of Martim Moniz and in the city square we a lot of people just hanging out on the side of the street not really doing much, which didn’t give us a good feeling. It’s too bad that the story of Martim Moniz is that he’s legendary knight, who is said to have defended the city during the Siege of Lisbon in 1147. I feel like what it looks like today ruins that legacy.

The streets in Lisbon unfortunately are also not well maintained, with cobblestones frequently falling out of the sidewalk. Ina lot places, the streets in general look grungy. Probably years ago when Lisbon was less popular as a tourist city, it wasn’t like that, but now it’s also attracted a lot of foreigners who are here pushing their gimmicky trinkets or fake designer bags. A guy even tried to sell me marijuana *while* I was at the ATM. First of all, it’s super not cool to talk to anybody while they’re actively using the ATM. I was totally on edge expecting a thief or something. And then when I finished and starting walking away, he tried to hassle me again.

This and getting sick from the food definitely made Lisbon a worse experience than it should have been. But still between that and the things we did, we still got to experience it.

See more photos of Lisbon here

As the final day of 2022 came to a close, we took a trip to Portugal. We found ourselves in the heart of Lisbon, looking to experience the local New Year’s Eve festivities. The city was alive with excitement and anticipation, as locals and visitors alike gathered to ring in the new year.

We started our evening at Rossio Square, where large crowds had already begun to gather. We meandered through the city streets, eating Pastéis de Natas, a sweet, flaky pastry is filled with a creamy, egg-based custard that is lightly dusted with cinnamon and powered sugar. I can still feel that crunch in my head when I think about it. The best one we had was from here

We also got to try Pastel de Bacalhau, a dish that combines the salty flavor of bacalhau with a crispy, flaky pastry crust. It is typically made with shredded salted cod, onions, and potatoes, and is often served as a snack or appetizer.

Along the walk, we encountered a café with a sign that probably would have gotten a lot of angry complaints where I live. Or maybe I’m just “woke”

The shop itself actually sells coffee beans and tea leaves in additional to other local souvenirs. Nothing wrong with that – it’s just the sign.

Lisbon was quite alive with twinkling lights and festive decorations. The streets and squares are lit up with colorful displays. In addition to the lights and fireworks, Lisbon during New Year’s Eve is also a time for celebration, with parties and events taking place all across the city.

To add onto the New Year’s festivities, the city set up stands where people could just buy a beer and drink it as they walked around. If people in North America were more responsible with their alcohol, this could work too

For dinner, we ate at a place serving paellas, both in the Portuguese and Spanish style (with port wine of course). Paella has a rich and savory flavor that is characterized by the seafood, meats, and vegetables that bring depth and richness to the dish. The perfectly cooked rice, which should be tender yet not mushy, adds a creamy texture to the dish.

As we waited, a gentleman working there chatted with us to help us pass the time as we waited. One thing we immediately noticed is that a lot of the restaurants in the area were purely there to serve tourists. The restaurant itself was run by Nepali immigrants (they couldn’t even tell us how to say “happy new year” in Portuguese). Still, the food was pretty good – there was even another couple who came back the next day.

Eventually we reached the Praça do Comércio. The crowds were so large it became impossible to actually get into the plaza. Not wanting to fight the crowd, we turned back. It was ripe for pickpockets to do their work. Instead we walked around the town looking for a good angle to see the New Year’s fireworks

The streets were filled with the sounds of music, and laughter, as revelers counted down to the new year. At midnight, the sky exploded with a dazzling display of lights and color, as the city celebrated the arrival of the new year. The sky lit up and and the air was filled with cheers and applause.

More photos of Portugal