Friday afternoon, 9 September

The station concourse was decorated with iconic blue and white tiles

We are resting in our room after a morning spent exploring the old city, the Ribeira district north of the river. First we walked downhill and found the tourist office, where we asked about stamps and also booked a port tour for tomorrow afternoon. We called at the post office and managed to buy stamps without too long a wait.

Then in the main square we saw a statue of Pedro IV and went inside an ornate church, Igreja Congregados. We had a quick coffee at Cafe Brasil and visited the main hall of the station which was decorated in blue tiles.

The cathedral was lavishly decorated with gilding

Then we climbed up a wide road to the Se or Cathedral, where a fashion shoot was taking place, with models suspended from a crane. Inside, the nave was plain, in the Romanesque style. But the chancel and altars were rather ornate gold and silver. We also went out into the cloisters and climbed up to get a better view of the church and the city. There was also an exhibition of the cathedral's treasures.

Lunch at Cantinha do Avillez was delicious

Then we descended through some narrow back streets near the cathedral, but found a great lunch place in Rua Mouzinho da Silveira called Cantinha do Avillez. After a cold beer and an amuse bouche of breads, salmorejo and olives, I had green beans tempura with a tasty dip and Richard had scallops and avocado, both followed by a main course of cod with lightly cooked egg, savoy cabbage and beans, crispy breadcrumbs and olive pearls. Yummy! We shared a hazelnut cream dessert before walking back to our B and B in the afternoon sun.