Yesterday we caught the high speed train from Lisbon to Porto. The train ride was only 3 hours and our hotel is only 300 meters from the San Bento station which is in the heart of the old city.

By 1:45p we were seated at Pastel de Bacalhau with a half dozen Serra di Estrella cheese filled salt cod fritters, beer and a glass of port. Miss M didn’t love the stinky cheese that they’ve been making for 1300 years. 

We spent the rest of the day sightseeing:

First, the Porto Cathedral which took six hundred years to build and in the 1700s blue marble murals were added to the cloisters.

Next we visited the stunning Igreja de Santa Clara. As described on its website: the church of Santa Clara was part of the former female monastic complex of the Order of the Poor Clares, founded in 1416 and dissolved in 1900. It is a landmark of the Portuguese Baroque and one of the finest examples of gilded woodwork in Portugal and the world.

Then we made our way down to the waterfront where we enjoyed some red, white and sparkling sangrias and a jamon and cheese platter.

We wrapped up the afternoon of site seeing visiting the Sao Francisco Church where we all agreed the tree of descendants was unique.

And finally, the Porto Sao Bento train station.

During the evening, Paul continued to walk around the city while Miss M and I relaxed at the hotel.