One of Those Imperfectly Perfect Days
History, humor, a culinary miss, and a glorious stroll through Porto
Today we finally stepped inside one of Porto's most photographed landmarks: the Carmo and Carmelitas churches and the famous Hidden House (Heathen House) tucked between them.
The church was ornate and had intricately painted ceilings, but some of the rooms are filled with displays that seem to have been assembled by someone’s very enthusiastic great-aunt: slightly unsettling dolls, plastic flowers, mannequins dressed as monks, and enough religious knickknacks to make you wonder if you’ve wandered into the world’s holiest yard sale. We weren’t always sure what we were looking at, but we were thoroughly entertained.
The Hidden House was interesting. It’s hard to tell from the photos how small the furniture is, but Shawn looked like a giant going up and down the stairs.
Then we checked out the area where the clergy lived. They had it much better than the Heathens…
If I'm being honest, I think the real star is the outside of the Carmo Church. The iconic blue-and-white tile façade is breathtaking, and while I'm glad we explored the interior, I'm not sure I'd spend the €16 admission fee a second time, especially in a city that's overflowing with spectacular churches you can visit for little or no cost.
After all that sightseeing, our brains were full and our caffeine tanks were empty, so we ducked into So Coffee Roasters. Shawn ordered a pour-over, I went with a Dirty Chai, and within minutes we were ready to tackle the rest of the afternoon, aka lunch. Highly recommend this place if you need to get your caffeine fix.
On the walk to lunch, we spotted one of the most colorful tiled buildings we’d seen in Porto. We started guessing what was inside: a museum? An art gallery? Maybe a school?
Nope.
Taco Bell.
Only in Porto can a fast-food restaurant live in a building that's prettier than most city halls.
We’d been looking forward to trying a traditional Portuguese seafood rice, so we made our way to Uma Marisqueira, a spot that came highly recommended. The restaurant had a romantic atmosphere, the staff couldn’t have been friendlier, and things got off to a promising start with a glass of Vinho Verde that Shawn and I immediately declared the best we’d had so far.
Then the seafood rice arrived.
First, the portion. It came in a pot that looked like it had been prepared for the entire Portuguese fishing fleet. Unfortunately, bigger wasn’t better.
The prawns, mussels, and crab tasted like they may have spent some quality time in a freezer before meeting us. (Our confidence in that theory increased after we watched an employee walk in carrying what looked suspiciously like a grocery bag of frozen seafood.) The tomato broth was surprisingly bland, and every few bites required an unexpected shell-removal exercise, turning lunch into a bit of a treasure hunt.
It wasn’t terrible, but it was our first genuine culinary disappointment of the trip. Fortunately, one mediocre meal in Portugal is a pretty remarkable batting average.
One disappointing lunch wasn't about to derail an otherwise wonderful day. We wandered through a few shops, then made our way down to the Douro River. The weather was fantastic, with blue skies, a gentle breeze, and temperatures that reminded us why we wanted to spend a month in Porto in the first place. We strolled along the waterfront, watched the boats drift by, and agreed that sometimes the best part of travel isn't the churches or even the food, it's simply having nowhere to be except wherever your feet take you next.
