Alright, as I said, our first day re-entering the travel universe was hell. Our kids were a mess, we were exhausted, our food choices seemed to go wrong etc. Luckily the city itself was easy to navigate, the people were friendly and easy going and no one other than us seemed to be bothered by our kids tantrums. We all slept in and we were hopeful that a solid 11 hours of sleep would improve everyone’s mood and outlook on life.
We started our day at the World of Discoveries – an interactive museum about the “Age of Discovery” in Portugal when they were the experts and innovators of all things seafaring, exploring and colonization. The museum was very well done and perfect for kids where they could touch things, try on armor and battle with swords to their hearts content. There is a boat ride at the end that takes you through the history you’ve learned about “It’s a small world” style with less kitschy songs and way more surprise cannon fire. They take a photo of you during the ride but oddly NOT at the terrifying moment a cannon ball fires and splashes right in front of you. It was a lively start to our day and left us ready for lunch.
We found a little spot close by that had outdoor grilling – we soon learned that on weekends especially a tiny leg-less grill was the de facto method of preparing fish, meat etc for any small restaurant. We got to try the Francesinha (a mixed meat sandwich covered in cheese, sauce and topped with a fried egg) while the kids took a bit longer to warm up to Portuguese food and stuck with “steak” and fries.
Post lunch was hot and sunny so we sought some reprieve at the Palacio da Bolsa – which turned out to not be a palace at all but is the working chambers of commerce, essentially the capital building of Porto. Afterwards we were ready to brave the sunny weather again, admired the many many buildings covered in azulejos tiles, and convinced ourselves to stop for some sangria and wine tasting as we meandered home.
