The Train ride to Porto felt as if it had gone past quickly (this might have been because I was studying on the train) and we arrived at a small station outside of Porto. We promplty crossed the tracks and grabbed the bus to the hotel: The Yeatman.The Yeatman has a more classical feel to it. You feel as if you are surrounded by opulence, and that any person that stays there feels like royalty. The views from the room are spectacular (especially in the evenings when Porto lights up across the river).
Once we were settled we were treated to a ride along the Douro river which provided great picture opportunities of the 6 bridges, after which dinner was to be had at Graham's Distillery. The food was divine (slightly salty, but that is my preferred taste). I also had my first taste of a Port and tonic cocktail (again, not my taste as I don't like tonic water.)
The next day we once again had a choice of activities, of which I decided to try the tuk-tuk, tram, and bike tour. Our tuk-tuk driver was fantastically friendly, giving us a good run down of the history of the different sites we visited. The tour took us through most of Porto town as well as some of Villa Nova de Gaia. Once we were done there we stopped of at Calem Distillery for a Port tasting. Whist these were nice, they were hardly the best ports I've had.
The next part was the bike tour. Now I haven't ridden a bike in almost 15 years, so this was quite the scary part for me. We rode all along the river and stopped off only to hear the leader give some history on the town, river and bridges. At the turn-around point the organisers decided it would be best if I took a lift with the car back to the tram station. The Tram was old, but fun to ride.
After a quick eye opening lunch (We are not quite used to being able to see topless sunbathers where we are from), we had the rest of the afternoon off to explore. We decided to stop in at the Lello Library, a magnificent bookstore that had us hooked the moment we walked through the doors, as well as the Clerigos Tower and some of the churches.
After that it was back to the hotel for a dinner and a rest. The following morning we decided to head to the beach and were greeted with really dull weather. We opted to have cocktails at a small beach bar where none of the staff spoke a word of English. I have never seen a waiter that looked so terrified as they had no idea how to handle the situation. The afternoon was spent exploring more of Porto's city, churches and shopping areas. I ended up buying a new shirt for our Final dinner that night and had lunch at the legendary restaurant: The Majestic
For our final dinner we could not have asked for a more awe-inspiring venue. We were treated to a live show by one of Portugal's top performers in the Arabian room at the Royal Stock Exchange Palace. The room was gold plated with lighting that made the venue absolutely magical. Not a single person that walked into that room did not first have to stop and "wow". I would love to include a picture but not one of my photos give the room justice. After a wonderful dinner we had a chance to take photos outside on the balcony and finally dance the night away in the entrance hall. We finished this off with a nightcap at the Yeatman.
On the final morning, my partner was stricken ill, so I had to do the last minute shopping alone and rushed back to pack. Once this was all done it was back on the plane home.
A wonderful trip that will never be forgotten
