I knew the next 2 days would be the last good ones of my stay so today seemed like a great time to check out my new surroundings. First up, I had to have the local staple – francesinha – and Mico insisted I had to try it at his favorite spot O Alfonso.

From the twin shrines to Anthony Bourdain (who filmed his show there once) and racing legend Senna to the walls filled with all kinds of awards and portraits, this place was a trip. They also had 6 different types of the ubiquitous Super Bock beer so I tried their sweet stout. Nice and refreshing after my hike up the hill to get there.

There were several options for the francesinha but Mico had suggested the pork version. I had purposefully not looked up what it was so it would be a surprise. And soon… surprise!

The best way I could describe it is a Croque Monsieur on steroids – pork loin, ham, mortadella, sausage open face with two types of local cheese and pan sauce. This thing was ridiculous but oh so tasty. It was a good thing I planned to go on a long walk after this.

I started walking with the goal of reaching the river, passing through a couple of different neighborhoods until I got to the Crystal Garden park.

It was slightly surreal hearing roosters crow loudly and a couple of peacocks wandering around the gardens. I walked over to a terrace with another garden and thought it had a path out to the street but it was blocked.

I finally found the exit and kept walking down the cobbled streets, taking in views of the river along the way as I kept going down increasingly steeper pathways.

Finally, I found the main drag along the river and eventually a throng of people enjoying the weather and getting on various boats for a river cruise.

I kept walking towards the bridge to Gaia (which would be my focus on Thursday) and eventually came across a funicular which would spare me of a truly steep climb back up to the center of Porto. Note: no pics of the funicular as it arrived right after I got there so had to hurry to catch it in time.

I was pleasantly surprised how far up the hill it went and appreciated the break on knees for a bit. I was now in the center of the city and only a mere few blocks from my place.

Looking at the map, I veered a bit off course so I would have a slightly more gradual climb and finally made it back to my place. According to Apple Health I had climbed 15 stories – sounds about right.

Exhausted and knowing I had an early day tomorrow, I walked up a block to an old school-looking restaurant called O Manheiro. I ordered a glass of the house white and looked at the nice assortment of seafood options – from grilled squid to salt cod in 3 different preparations. Knowing it was squid season thanks to my meal at 100 Maneiros, I asked my server if she preferred that or a preparation of bachalau I hadn’t seen yet. She quickly said the squid so that was done.

My attitude towards squid had fundamentally changed when I had it in Croatia, and this version was just as good – firm but not too chewy, perfectly seasoned. The simple sides of boiled potatoes and oil & vinegar dressed salad paired nicely too.

After my first dessert choice was sold out (milk and coconut cake), I ordered my server’s favorite. It was basically a dulce de leche custard with some cookie crumbles mixed in. Simple but delicious.

It was still a bit early so I walked across the street to the FE Wine & Bar I had passed a few times already. It was empty but that was fine as I only intended to have one glass. My friendly server explained they had several Douro reds and after telling him I’m not a big fan of dry reds, he returned with 2 ones to sample. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too crazy about either one so he pivoted and poured me one from Dao.

This was a winner. Full bodied, bursting with flavor and not dry at all. Not bad for 6 Euros. Knowing the very long day of touring I had tomorrow, I finished up my glass and made the short trip back to my pad to get some rest.