Porto 3

This will be the last post on Porto. To do the city justice, it was better to split the post into parts, as otherwise, it would just turn into one large photo dump. I'm not sure about you, but after five or six photos, I start to lose interest.   The day in Porto started off lovely.  The sun was shining.  It was neither too hot nor too cold.  As baby bear said, "It was just right."  We ate a lovely breakfast at the hotel.  Oh, by the way, we're staying at the Sheraton Hotel.  Although not directly in the city center, we were able to walk two blocks and catch the subway or train into the heart of the city, which was no more than 10-15 minutes away. Porto, like Lisbon, is extremely hilly, and you will definitely get a workout.  Before going to the bookstore, we made our way to Igreja dos Carmelitas Descalços. Igreja do Carmo was built in 1628 and 1756-1768, and if you didn't know, they appear to be one church.  The blue-tiled facade is hard to miss and is very striking.  The scenes depict the founding of the Carmelite Order of nuns and the origins of Mount Carmel.

Sadly, I cannot attest to the inside as we did not go inside the chapel.  After leaving the church, we walked just across the street and visited the bookstore, which I mentioned in a previous post.  Then it was on to Igreja de Santo Ildefons, another church located near the shopping district.  This lovely tiled chapel was built in 1739, and the tiles were added in 1932, depicting Saint Ildefonso and scenes from the Gospel.  The chapel is covered in over 11,000 tiles.  It was my favorite of the chapels we visited.  We visited many souvenir shops along the way as my friend Buffi was on the hunt for the perfect gifts to bring home to her children.  In the end, she purchased a couple of Cork Bags.  These can be found all over Portugal.  They have various patterns and designs, and their prices can also vary depending on the quality.  A good cork bag should be pliable, soft, and waterproof.  I purchased a small makeup bag.

Did you know that Portugal is the second-largest producer of cork?  At least this is what all the clerks told us, but I haven't verified this information.  Our last stop before lunch was at the São Bento City Train Station.  Just inside the doors, you will be greeted by tiled walls designed by Jorge Colaco.  The wall encompasses over 22,000 tiles and depicts some of the most relevant periods in Portuguese history.  It is one of the prettiest train stations in the world, and what I thought was particularly unique is that the outside walls are open, allowing passengers to see the city's surroundings.   I loved Porto, and if you have a chance to visit Portugal, I would highly recommend visiting this city.