We spent a very short amount of time in Porto. It wasn't even in our itinerary originally, but we felt as though we couldn't live with ourselves if we passed up a glass of authentic port wine from the city of which it is reputed to be from. Unfortunately, we drove four hours only to arrive in the midst of a storm. It was raining heavily and the wind kept blowing my umbrella inside-out. We couldn't see much in such ghastly weather, so we hid away in a tearoom called the Majestic Cafe. It's one of Porto's oldest cafes, and the interior is even more beautiful than its art nouveau exterior. In the center of the cafe was a grand piano and an antique wooden bar. Not a bad place to hide away.
THE MAJESTIC CAFE
Rua Santa Catarina 112 4000-442 Oporto, Portugal
Glenalyn and I ordered the afternoon tea special.
It wasn't too special.
They gave us hand-sewn tea bags (+), but old-looking pastries and dry tea sandwiches (-).
Can't win 'em all.
The rain eventually stopped, but it was getting late by then and we didn't have much time to see anything else. The inclement weather seemed to suit the city by the river pretty well.
We drove across the river and decided to see some port wineries and cellars.
We stumbled upon Sandeman, who had a 5 Euro tour & tasting which was within our budget and time limit.
Verdict? Still don't like sweet dessert wines.
I could understand how this would be tolerable with a good dessert, however.
I had read online that the Francesinha was a popular dish originating from Porto, so we found a random restaurant to try it. We were literally the only ones in the restaurant and our waiter looked like one of the Jonas Brothers. Another interesting dining adventure. . .
Traditionally, the Francesinha is a sandwich filled with ham, sausage, steak, and covered in melted cheese, then doused with a tomato/beer sauce. I ordered the vegetarian version with an egg on top. Little did I know, vegetarian simply meant a soggy lettuce & tomato sandwich.
We were not pleased.
But at least we were being cultural. . .
One last photo of the city across the river.
The next day, we drove into Sintra. Tucked away in the mountains, Sintra is speckled with castles, mansions, and affluent estates. The one castle we decided to visit usually looks like this:
When we visited, it looked like this:
Moral of the story?
Inclement weather does not lend itself to successful or enjoyable sightseeing.
Guess we have to return someday!
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