Strike!
Travel day. Going from Lisbon to Porto on the train. We had a driver lined up to take us to the train station an hour before the train in case of traffic and/or dissorientation at the station. We arrive, in the rain, and the station is very quiet. OK. We check the board and our train is listed still for 11:30. I had tickets I had bought online and printed at home. Since I have learned zero Portuguese while here I am not sure what the ticket (what means car # which is platform # or seat number?) meanings are so I go up and the very short line to the window. The English speaking guy tells me there will be no train to Porto today. There is a strike! And now I realize that everyone else around is dealing with the same problems. We go sit in the waiting area where there is free wifi. Ken goes to Europcar to inquire about a car while I am trying to check the buses on my phone. I go back on the ticket line to ask if they have any news. I am told there is a slight possibility the 2:00 train will go.
Long story short–the 2:00 train went, quite full but we had seats and we arrived in Porto, took a NY style cab ride to our place “Old Stone Flats” and are settled in. Sofia greeted us and showed us interest points on the map.
We went for an early dinner to the Mercadores Cafe. A pretty stack of grilled vegetables topped with melted cheese and peanuts (?) on the sides. A small bowl of the sandiest clams ever–but the broth was great with the bread. We shared a duck breast entree and it was excellent. We drank house wines and took 2 desserts to go. Tab was just about €50, which seemed very reasonable in this touristy area.
So, I have no pictures. Rain all day and predicted for most of our stay in Porto.
The place is great though!
Travel snafu’s must be so much more aggravating when it’s in a foreign language, but it happens even here. My brother’s Amtrack reservation for his car and for him & wife was cancelled at the last minute, & he had to drive back to CT from Sarasota. I see on the map that Porto is a 3 hour drive from Lisbon. It looks like another colorful coastal town with the buildings crowding down toward the water, hopefully the inclines are not as steep & the port is yummy. Enjoying your daily blogs. LUL
I’m so glad you were able to get on a train eventually. Sounds like you handled it well, as the seasoned travelers you are!
Oh the dreaded strikes! I actually had a wonderful morning in Rome explaining to non-Italian English speakers why they could not buy train tickets for anyplace. Martin rented a car with the husband of the couple we were on a business trip,with, and we drove to Milano.
The food sounds so interesting and yummy.