Traveling to Porto

Today I'm taking the train to Porto. I find train stations a little confusing (since I don't travel that way often) and the Uber took a bit of time to pick me up but luckily there were people around willing to direct me where to go. 

When I got to the right track, I checked in with a couple who were already there. Turned out they are from Indiana and are world travelers. We spent a few minutes chitchatting about our various travels until the train arrived and we needed to find our respective seats. I'm completely astonished at the volume of luggage that soke people carry! 😳 Way more than they can carry! The train is a fast train with only a few stops. We arrive in Porto Campanha station around 1p. An Uber takes me to my hotel which is right next door to Igreja Santo Ildefonso and in a busy square. 

The room isn't ready yet so I left my luggage and wandered out to find some food. I stopped at a small cafe up the street that had brunch dishes. I got the egg, sausage, fruit with what looks like a flatter wider English Muffin. Definitely hit the spot. 

After lunch I wandered a bit but felt super tired so sat near the church to people watch. After 2p, I got into my room. The hotel uses key codes for locks, the hallways are super moody dark and the room is small. If I'm going to be sharing starting tomorrow night, the beds are twins pushed next to each other. 

After getting a bit settled, I went back out once the church reopened. The entire front of the church is decorated with blue and white tiles, a very unique facade. It's 1€ to get in. There are niches with the usual statues, gilded altar and a nice stained glass at the front. In the back, are several rooms set up as museums with church artifacts like paintings, silver objects and the like. 

The street next to the church is a major shopping street which called for a bit of a wander. About 2 or 3 streets up and off to the left is a Mercado that reminds me of a smaller Grand Central market, with vendors selling souvenirs, crafts items, prepared foods and fresh foods. I got a fruit cup for later. 

I slowly made my way back to the hotel and found a lounge area to eat my fruit and do some research on dinner.

Turns out sandwiches are big in Porto. One that I find mentioned a lot is down the street. Tiny little place with barely room for the kitchen and a couple of counters. 

The waiter suggests a steak, ham and cheese sandwich with fries and Super Bock. I'm usually not a beer drinker but this one comes in a small glass and goes down very smoothly. It's brewed right outside Porto and only sold in Europe. The sandwich is the perfect size as well.

There's a lot of chatter in the small place but I can tell that Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" is playing and boy do I wish I could sing! Luckily there is someone behind me who does sing along at the chorus!! She also sings along to 4 Non Blondes "What's Up" that plays next. Love me some 80s/90s era music. After I finished my meal and paid up, I let the girl know that I appreciated her singing and she said it made her day. Which also made me happy. 

Back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the evening.