After such a long day in the Douro Valley yesterday, we had a slow start and left around 10am for our last full day in Portugal. First stop, pastéis de nata from Manteigaria. They are just so good, warm and fresh. I am going to miss these when we leave!
We went back to Bolhão Market for more serious shopping. This time we got some picnic lunch goodies like smoked Portuguese ham, tomato, a roll stuff with chorizo, and dark broa bread (made with rye and corn). We also got some fresh squid to cook at home later since we have leftover rice that needs something to go with it.
We popped over to the Chapel of Souls after the market. The exterior is very beautiful with lots of blue tiles. There was a service going on inside so we didn’t stay long.
Then we found a small park to sit on some benches and enjoy our picnic lunch along with some port. Yum! The ham was flavorful but tough to bite. It would be better with a knife at home. I really liked the roll with chorizo inside. The broa bread was very dense and slightly sweet. I liked it combined with the salty ham.
I stopped by the apartment to drop some things in the refrigerator and met Janet and her mom at Clérigos Church and Tower. We planned to go up the tower but there was an hour wait. Ugh. Saturdays are so busy! We decided to save our time and money and just check out the church. It was quite pretty and unusual with an oval shaped nave.
Our next stop, Lello & Irmão Bookstore, was also derailed by a long line and cost. It would’ve be fun to see the bookstore that inspired the world of Harry Potter! Instead, I ate a delicious new pastry, crispy and sweet, like a flaky cookie.
We checked out Fonte dos Leões while I shared some Rick Steve’s walking tour history highlights. Then we proceeded to Ingreja do Carmo and checked out the side by side churches.
Our major sightseeing was complete and we had most of the afternoon left. We walked over to Garden of the Crystal Palace. It is a little bit of a detour from the major sights, but well worth it in my opinion. The gardens themselves are beautiful, well maintained, and had many flowers blooming in late April. The park also offers amazing views of the city and the Douro River. It is free and not packed with tourists, my favorite!
At last it was time for a mid afternoon lunch. We picked up a few more grocery items and I sampled another pastry. No idea what it was, but it looked good, tasted good, and only cost €0,70. Why can’t American pastries be this tasty and cheap?!
We had lunch at Leirera. We tried the green soup with cabbage that is a local specialty, pretty good! I really liked the cold octopus salad doused with olive oil, onion, and fresh parsley. So tender and tasty! We also had sausage and beef in a special sauce that was a bit too tangy, vinegar heavy for our taste. Last was fried cod fritters with beans, also sort of uninspiring. Cod seems to be a big deal here but I don’t get the hype.
From lunch we meandered home for some downtime. We snacked on some dark chocolate with the port while reading and writing. The internet is down which is frustrating for blog updates. Being unplugged is ok though!
We had dinner at home, squid, broccoli and leftover rice. It was filling and nice to eat some vegetables. The squid tasted fresh and good. The rest of the evening we played cards and read.
Laura Bergman 