We flew to Porto Portugal with Janice and Scott to spend a few days exploring this great city.

On our first day in Porto decided to explore the old centre of the city.  We took the tram system and got off at one of the stops near the centre. When we came up the stairs we were surprised to be  right by city hall.

We walked the streets checking out the local shops and taking in the beautiful of the old buildings and architecture.

We walked for a while and then we spotted a TukTuk parked along the road. We decided to give one a try, and we couldn’t have made a better choice.

Our driver and guide, Mariana was absolutely awesome. She wasn’t just driving us around, she was a wealth of knowledge and information about the places we were seeing. we went to places most tourist may not see including the Maria Pia railway bridge built in 1877. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel. The same Gustave Eiffel who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

We stopped at the base of the bridge to get a closer look.

Mariana pointed out the engraved section of the bridge with his name.

The crescent arch bridge is made of wrought iron and spans 353 m, 60 m over the Douro River. At the time of its construction, it was the longest single-arch span in the world.

 One of the best things about the tour was that Mariana didn’t rush us. Whenever we saw something we wanted to photograph or an area we wanted to explore, she was happy to stop and let us take our time.

We saw many of the landmarks and tourist attractions along our tour. Below are only a few of them.

As we continued around the city, Mariana shared more stories and pointed out things we probably would have walked right past if we had been exploring on our own. One in particular was the twin churches with the hidden house.

The 3-storey house Casa Escondida Known as the “Hidden House” was, according to legend, built so that the two churches would not share a common wall and to prevent any relations between the nuns of Igreja dos Carmelitas and the monks of Igreja do Carmo.

After our Tuk Tuk Tour, we went to the main market to spent some time walking through the stalls and shops.

There were colourful displays everywhere, along with spices, local products and plenty of things that caught our attention.

Of course, no good market visit is complete without stopping for a little snack and a drink. Janice tried a Piña Colada in a real a Pineapple.

We were more than happy to join her with a refreshment of our own.

There were two floors to the market and we explored the entire market, spending time looking at hand crafted items and relaxing along the way enjoying the atmosphere of the market.

We had a full day exploring the city and it turned out great with a combination of a little exploring, a little history, some good food and drink. Not a bad way to start our Porto adventure!

“Leva apenas memórias e só deixa pegadas”