Aggie Wang

When in Porto, you would never miss this hulking fortress like cathedral which sits on a hilltop. The alter is lavish baroque style gilded with gold leaf. The granite stonework and the high ceilings provide a solemn vibe. I was surprised to see painted ceiling like the ones I saw in Rome, which is not very common in Portugal. The cloister was the most impressive with walls that were fully decorated with brilliant blue and white tiles illustrating biblical stories. Climbing to the tower, again, more tiles, more stories. But makes the climbing more worthwhile it’s the view of the riverfront and the old town. The Porto Cathedral is a must visit when in Porto. With Porto Card, you can save €1.

On my way to Porto Cathedral, I stopped by this little church because it was on the attractions list of Porto Card which I had. From the exterior, it was underwhelmed. But when I went in, I was mesmerized by its peculiarly ornate interior. The whole interior was wood carved and gold leaf gilded. The craftsmanship was so delicate and elegant. The background music made this place even more serene and divine. There was a historian on site to tell about the history about this church. His name is Mio, forgive me if I misspelled his name. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. I was lucky I was the only one in the church at that moment and Mio explained some details of the design and decorations which made the visit more enjoyable. I highly recommend to pay a visit to this beautiful church. With Porto Card, you can save €1.

The small church is on a little hilltop. It was built in early 18 century on the site of a medieval hermitage. Although the church itself was old, the exterior blue and white tiles were painted in 1932. It has beautiful interior as well. The entrance is €1. Google says it’s free which is incorrect.

We meant to another Italian restaurant nearby but without a reservation we were turned down. Then we stumbled to here as it looked like a very popular place. We waited about 10 minutes then we were seated. The service was a bit slow as it was crowded that night. The two dishes of pasta we ordered felt undercooked. The texture was crunchy and hard. It was quite a disappointment although we liked the sauce very much. Given its slow service, we did not ask for redo of the pasta. The tiramisu was delicious though.

Very nice store offers high quality knives and cookwares. The B grade products are at a large discount. The store is clean and well organized. The stuff are very friendly and willing to help. If you are a visitor from outside of EU countries, do not forget to ask for duty tax free form to claim VAT refund when you leave Germany or other EU countries.