C and I had been to Porto before and loved it. Of course, this time we did different things. Only a few of us wanted to go to the famous bookstore Livraria Lello where supposedly J.K. Rowling found inspiration when creating some of the Hogwarts scenery. The picture is of the magical staircase leading to the 2nd floor. It was pretty magnificent in there.

And who doesn’t love a hot dog inside a pastry with oozy cheese? This we found at a place called Gazela. We washed it down with a dark Super Bock and we were on our way for the day!

When the Maren, Busaba and I were at the bookstore, Cathy, Al and Carnet headed to the Mercado where you can purchase wine and then shop. I don’t even need to say how brilliant that idea is. Drinking wine while food shopping – yes, please! Finally, happy faces in the train station after a day of running around town.

We went back to our brilliant Airbnb. I have to say it was the nicest Airbnb I’ve stayed at anywhere. Fernando, the owner/designer, was an architect and his sister is an artist. So, the 4 bedroom place was super stylish and the art on the walls painted by her was extraordinary. None of us doh-doh-brains took any pictures worth posting so you’ll just have to go and experience it. It’s called Casa do Duque. It’s also on a quiet street in a great neighborhood within 25 minutes walking distance of most of the major site you want to see in Porto.

By accident I found one of the best seafood restaurants I’ve eaten at so far in Portugal. It’s called Gruta. It’s off one of the main walking-only streets in Porto. It is owned by a woman, Raphaela, and she staffed it with all women in the kitchen and dining room. The only man was the person who greeted us at the front when we walked in. I spoke with Raphaela for a bit and she is a force! We talked about being the only woman in kitchens in many places in the world and how hard it is for her to open a restaurant and be a mom at the same time. Here we are, along with some of her inventive dishes. My favorite bites of the night were the mushroom dish and the Moqueca de Peixe, a dish inspired by her native Brazil called.

I plan to eat there every time we’re in Porto – and to go to Porto just to eat there.