Alongside the palaces and historical sights, we decided to take it chill for our last day in Porto. We were fortunate to stay at an Airbnb that was close to the beach, so we packed lightly that morning with nothing more than sunglasses, bathing suits, and our towels. We spent some time in the ocean, captivated by the waves and perfect temperature of the water, and then relaxed for a bit laying on the beach.
On our way to the city center, we stopped by the coffee shop we had visited the previous day to touch base with Raphael. He had recommended a place to get a great Francesinha (Porto’s legendary sandwich) the day before and we had forgotten the location. Kez and I had wanted to make sure we got the insider scoop for each city, so we decided to meet up later and get the true local experience.
We headed south of the city towards Taylor’s, a port wine house, where we were surrounded by gardens, peacocks, vintage cars, and of course, port wine almost as old as we are. For me, drinking the port was reminiscent of my great grandmother, Grammie V, who even at 100 years old, always enjoyed her glass of port. We then walked on the Ponte Luis I Bridge over the Douro River and met up with Raphael who showed us the Casa de Musica, whose sharp lines and geometric architecure stood out amongst Portugal’s regular houses. He then took us to a local spot, Cufra to get a Francesinha sandwich. I’m pretty sure the photos can speak for themselves.
