Porto 3

The scene from the same window during the day.

I forgot to mention that there are two lifts in the building. Thank goodness, because we are on the 5th floor.

We have had unbelievable weather. According to the Portuguese, it should be raining in sheets with a much lower temperature.  Everyone has boots and raincoats that they have yet to wear. Let's hope it stays this way until the end of the week. 

One of the interesting things we saw was the fact that the Portuguese queue up for everything. I was surprised again. Yes, the British line up everywhere, even in the baggage claim to get a luggage trolley. However, in Germany, even the little old ladies get into the rush the bus or train act, poking you with the end of their umbrellas to push you out of the way. In Italy, the Italian government set up skinny long places so people were forced to line up for taxis at the airport. So it was quite refreshing to see the Portuguese use such polite ways to get around in the city. I know, Americans aren't great queuers. But then I haven't lived very long in the US. 

Shopping in Porto

Evening View from our Window

Like the Spaniards, the Portuguese eat at an ungodly late hour, around 9pm. So we decided to have lunch out and eat dinner in the apartment because Dick can't sleep on a full stomach. However I can. As a matter of fact, I sleep better.


We went to the central open market and there was a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables, and we spent an hour trying to decide what to buy. Afterwards we bought a couple of steaks and some pork chops at a local butcher. Despite the language difficulties, we've been pretty successful in finding what we want.


We went to a cafe and had lattes. The milk tasted really bad but familiar. I found out it was long life milk, a product which lasts for three months without being refrigerated. I remembered that we drank this once in Italy, when we lived in Florence.  I thought homogenized milk killed nutrients. What about irradiated milk used in Europe? Shocking. 


So out we went to find milk. No dice. The babies and toddlers drink only soy milk, if they drink milk at all. I was shocked again. From all the medical reports I've read this stuff is lethal unless it;s fermented. Even the Japanese eat soy fermented. Dick finally found little squares of cream to use in his coffee. That was imported from Germany.


We had lunch at the Le Corte Inglese  High Class Cafe and as we had discovered in other restaurants, they don't provide salt and pepper. When we asked for salt, they were terribly incensed, said it was already included in the olive oil on the salad and on the egg dish. I always wonder why people care if you want salt. I always test the food first. 


We went home exhausted from walking all morning and cooked our steak with a nice salad. It was a good day.

Porto 2

I arrived a day before Dick.  I took a taxi to the apartment, and arrived on what I thought was one half hour late and found out it was one half hour early.  Portugal is on English time rather than on continent time. Learn something new everyday.  I took a shower, washed clothes and settled in.


The apartment has one half bath and one full one, a bedroom, plenty of hanging space in the closets, a full kitchen, a dining area and a small seating area. There is a flat screen TV, washer and dryer. And there is a coffee maker, and a microwave. The nice thing about an apartment is you are forced to see the daily aspects of life in the country. You buy some food in various parts of the city, use the metro, become familiar with the bus system. When Dick comes we will do some shopping together.