The weather was beautiful! I did still wear my rain coat around because there was a pattern of sunshine followed by a sudden, albeit brief, downpour and it was very windy. We started the day with a breakfast of ham and cheese croissants. The croissants were very different from the ones that we've had in other European countries. They were yellowish and had a thin glaze of some kind. They tasted softer than other croissants, melt-in-your-mouth like other croissants, but with a hint of sweetness to it. This cafe on the river also had a white chocolate filled croissant that I had hoped to come back and get the next day, but we weren't ever able to come back to this specific place during our stay. If I ever make it back there, the first one my list of things to do will be to hunt down a white chocolate croissant.
The second thing will be to taste more kinds of Port. We went on two tours of Port Wine manufacturers, but there were many more that we could have done. The tours are some what repetitious because they have to tell you about Port and how it is made, etc. However, they have some differences in the history of each company an different capacities for production and storage, etc. At the end of each tour we got a full sampling of the three different kinds of Port wine, red, white, and rose'. I am pretty sure that I like them all.
We were on the other side of the river where the tours are and in between the two, we had lunch at a really good hole in the wall place. They were packed and we had to share a table with a man and his son. In Port, they just bring you an appetizer without you ordering it, but you can refuse it if you like. Usually the appetizer is olives and crusty bread slices and cheeses. I mistakenly ordered lasagna. I say mistakenly, not because it was bad (It was really delicious!) but because I should have chosen the local specialty, a crazy drunken sandwich called a Francesinha. Brian got it, but I was waiting to go to a restaurant that had been recommended to us as having the best Francesinha. However, we were sadly disappointed to find that the restaurant was closed when we got there for lunch the next day. The drunken sandwich I had at our last minute restaurant choice on Sunday was much more paprika-y than I prefer. I like the browner sauces are my favorite and that is what this restaurant had. I know because Brian got it and I was able to taste it.
 |
| I touched the hundred year aged Port. These bottles were severely dusty and give real meaning to the country song, Dust on the Bottle. |
We found the painted or textured tiles on the buildings to be a highlight of the city without a doubt. The blue and white is the most popular for a good reason. It is just stunning.
We found a church that was decorated in these blue and white painted tiles that we ended up going to the next morning.
We went to peak in the famous library that inspired JK Rowling for her Hogwart's library, but you have to pay to get in and its really only worth it if you plan to buy a book there because your ticket gets you the amount you paid for the ticket off of your book. I didn't plan to buy any books and just didn't think it was worth it. Not to far from there is a hopping place that we decided to check out. It turned out to be a decked out sardine store. Each tin of sardines had a year on it and had the famous people born during that year, as well as any well-known or not so well-known events.
Next door was drawing a lot of attention too. We went in and inquired what the lady in the window was making. It was a fried cod dumpling filled with sheep's cheese. They looked delicious, but I don't generally like fish or any seafood. I tasted Brian's and it was pretty awful. Brian liked it, but it was too fishy tasting for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment