My train to Porto wasn’t until 4pm so I lounged in bed and then eventually headed down to the hotel restaurant where I still had some credit left. I had read they featured an “anytime Eggs Benedict” so seemed like it was indeed time for that.

Of course, no eggs Benedict is complete without a mimosa.

One curious thing about this version was lack of ham. Still, the hollandaise and the poached eggs were pretty much perfect so I didn’t mind. The hash browns were also exceptional and the perfect vessel to sop up the yolk and sauce that spilled over. A very proper way to finish this sprint of my trip.

I took my last Uber to the Santo Apolonia train station, the oldest in Lisbon, and located the 3rd platform where it indicated my train was now coming about 10 minutes late. I went to the shop, got some water for the trip and sat down at a bench. Something felt off so I walked up to a worker and asked in Portuguese where I should be for the front car. She looked at my ticket and said my train was actually over there. Mierda.

I took off running as fast I could dragging my bags behind me. I could hear the train starting up but fortunately, the conductor saw me and told them to stop. Whew that was close!

Panting heavily, I took my seat in the first class cabin and tried to calm down. We took off shortly thereafter and on route to Porto with a few stops along the way. The seat was fairly comfortable and just enough legroom so I relaxed and watched the scenery go by in the rain flecked window.

This was also a great time to finally have the creme caramel tart I had been toting around with me. It was worth it as the rich creamy filing paired beautifully with the slightly burnt caramel and the flaky crust.

We arrived at the main train station in Porto, but I decided to abandon my original plan of transferring to the metro to get to my Airbnb in favor of just taking an Uber directly there. I had dinner plans with a local friend so only had time to dump off my luggage and briefly check out my home for the week. More on that tomorrow.

My friend Ray, who has lived in Porto for almost six years, suggested we meet up a local tapas spot called Popina, which was only a few blocks from my place. By this time, I should have known better that meant uphill. I hiked up and entered the restaurant to find Ray already there with a table. He suggested we share a few plates and I told him to go ahead and pick.

We ended up with some local sliced tomatoes, some really good cod fritters, braised beef cheeks with potatoes and some herbed fries. Ray also picked out a bottle of white from Douro which was perfectly chilled.

We ate, drank and reminisced about days of yore. It was interesting speaking so much English for the first time in a few days but a welcomed change of pace.

We decided to split a dessert and settled in on the cheesecake, which as shown above was definitely not typical. Dare I say though almost superior this way – almost like a soft serve cheesecake and absolutely delicious.

We heard a gasp from a neighboring table and saw it was now pouring outside. Well, we still had some wine to finish along with the cheesecake so we continued to chat until about 30 minutes later it stopped. Using that as our cue to say goodbye, we left and went our separate ways until Thursday, when we would meet up across the river for some port tasting. Tomorrow had the best weather of the week so I planned to explore the city and indulge in a local delicacy.