If I had to choose one place to come back to again in Portugal, it would be Porto. We arrived yesterday afternoon and went out for a 45-minute boat ride on the Douro River, with cool, breezy winds brushing our faces and seeing picturesque buildings which could be reflected in the water, a gorgeous day, just perfect! Being out on the boat made everyone very happy!

After the boat ride we walked to a nearby restaurant on the shoreline, called “Chez Lapin,” and while some people had rabbit, the specialty of the house, I chose salmon. The dinner started with a salad, and local sausage which was flame broiled at the table. I swear, I’ve turned into a blimp on this trip! Night after night banquets, and huge breakfast buffets every morning—we have been treated to the finest food. In the slideshow below, you can see two pictures of our group.

Our first stop this morning was at the Porto Stock Exchange (also called the Palacio de Bolsa), and lucky for us, we were able to gain entrance before the building opened to the public and therefore had the whole place to ourselves! Obviously, it’s no longer a stock exchange. I took so many photos in this building which was formerly a monastery located next to the St. Francis Church of Porto. The architecture and tile work were all amazing. Every room, every ceiling, and every floor was a visual delight. See if you don’t agree.

We next toured the Sandeman port winery and of course got a sample at the end of the tour—a white port and a tawny port. Even though I’m not an alcohol drinker, I had to admit the port wine was delicious!

In the afternoon we drove to Braga to ride a funicular powered by water. I don’t understand exactly how it works, but water displacement is used to power the cable cars up the mountain. At the top of the mountain was the beautiful Bom Jesus church and — they had a pipe organ!

Tomorrow we’re on the move again, and will be our last hotel stop. All in all, on this Portugal trip we will have stayed at SEVEN different hotels, for one or two nights each. Add in three more hotels I stayed in during my time in England—that’s a lot of packing and unpacking! It means I don’t dig down very far in my suitcase because like tomorrow, we have to put our suitcases outside our rooms at 7:00 am for the porters to pickup and take to the bus. It means that I have to decide every night what I’ll be wearing the next day. I’ll be looking forward to going home, because I’ve used up nearly all the clothes I brought with me.