Day 4 Sept 30 - Porto

Today we had a free day in Porto to explore the city on our own. We started out with breakfast at the hotel then grabbed a map and started to wander the city.  First we had a look at the Sao Bento railway station which became our landmark to find our way back to the hotel. We then wandered the maze of steep streets of Porto. We found our way to the lower deck of one of the main bridge to the south side of the river which is a different city called Gaia.  Gaia has a number of Port wine cellars and is the main docking port for the river cruise ships. We discovered that most of the port cellars and museums were closed until later in the afternoon... so we continued to explore around the narrow, steep streets until we reached the top of the main bridge.

We then walked across the top deck of the bridge which gave us a nice view of the Douro River and Porto. On the way down to the river we stopped off at a great little cafe where we had a bite to eat. It was a great find as the food was delicious.

After lunch we wandered to the riverside on the Porto side of the river which is known as the Ribeira area. This is quite a touristy area with a number of hotels and cafes which offer food at typical touristy prices (and quality we're sure). This area is made up of medieval streets and contains ancient and colourful homes.  It is considered the most picturesque spot in the city and was declared a Unesco world heritage site.

After having a look around we headed back up the hill towards our hotel and in search of the book store where JR Rawlings wrote some of the Harry Potter books. We finally found it after a bit of a search. It has a very interesting staircase. We were not allowed to take pictures in the bookstore however if you Google Harry Potter Porto Library there are lots of pictures.

After our walk around we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out for supper with Filipe.

Day 3 Sept 29 - Lisbon to Porto

This morning our guide/driver Filipe, picked us up at our hotel for the start of our tour. Our journey today is to the northern city of Porto.  On the way we stopped in Coimbra and Aveiro.

Our first stop on the tour was the roman ruins at Conimbriga. These are the ruins of an important Roman city which was inhabited between the 9th century BC and 8th century AD. Undaunted by the impending rain, and constant drizzle..we wandered about the ruins admiring the mosaic tile work that has remained intact after hundreds of years.  The site is surrounded by still largely intact original stone city walls. The museum located close by contained many of the artifacts that have been discovered at this site.

Our next stop was the city of Coimbra which along with it's beautiful architecture has the oldest University in Portugal which is also one of the oldest in the world. We toured the library, chapel and the prestigious auditorium where doctorates are presented. Several students were available to answer questions, all wearing their distinctive black pants, shirt and black cape (Randy thought they resembled batman..or Harry Potter).

After a stop for lunch (consisting of some local specialties like roast suckling pig and sparkling white wine) we traveled to Aveiro. Aveiro is sometimes called the Portuguese Venice because of it's canals and boats. It was a quiet little town with very picturesque buildings. We had a ride in a traditional boat along the canal. This moliceiros (boat) originally had a sail and carried seaweed for fertilizer from the ocean to the farmlands further inland. After our quick boat ride, we stopped at a local salt farm where we purchased some pure fleur de sel....for 1/100th of the price of our Canadian gourmet food stores!

We continued on to our final destination today of Porto. The hotel is again amazing....it was part of an old theater that has been refurbished into a small boutique hotel. The area around is packed with little restaurants and shops. After a light meal at one of the local establishments we enjoyed a relaxing evening sipping port wine with Filipe.

Day 2 Sept 28 - Arrive in Lisbon

We arrived this morning after a long bumpy flight - never experienced turbulence for that long before. We took today to get over the jetlag and explore the neighborhood on our own. We had a bit of rain today. Michelle and Randy managed to hit the gym for a run and a swim before supper.  The rooms are nice and quiet - should be a good rest tonight.

Day 1 Travel Day from Calgary to Lisbon

Day 1 Sept 27th - Today we are traveling from Calgary to Lisbon via Toronto.  We hope that Toronto doesn't live up to its reputation as a luggage filter.