Portsmouth to Portugal 6: 19 September
A busker played Skyfall on sax as I walked through the main square. I was tourist shopping, wandering, buying postcards. I found a shop dedicated to fancy tinned fish and spent a ridiculous amount, and now I have to work out what to do with a small can of octopus (I regret nothing). Howard and I had a coffee near the apartment, then I sallied forth for an adventure on the Metro, looking for an aviation museum I’d found on Google Maps. (The Porto Metro is the kind where you have to buy a rechargeable card and add tickets to it, so now I had a bonus souvenir.)
I found the air museum in a suburb but it turned out to be very closed, and on the return trip the train doors wouldn’t open at my stop so I was carried on to Trindade station.
But it was a nice day, I had nowhere to rush to and everywhere was pretty. On my walk back I found first a secondhand book and comic shop with a window full of Tintin, then a shop selling old stamps and postcards. I browsed happily, coming away with a Portuguese edition of Octopussy and an Air Portugal matchbox.
Before dinner, Howard and I walked through the Crystal Palace Gardens, which feature beautiful views, peacocks, Muscovy ducks and chickens, the national bird and provider of opportunities for ‘massive cock’ jokes.
I was very keen to eat fish that evening, as I’m a great pescivore and the country is famous for it. I had my eye on a particular restaurant, but they were fully booked (we tried sitting at a table because nobody was coming to see if we needed seating; a waiter brought us bread and olives and then another one told us apologetically that we would have to leave, which I found so upsetting I cried).
I googled up an alternative fish place, cheaper and livelier, where we were served cod fritters followed by grilled sardines for me and sea bass for Howard.
Miles: nil by bike
I found the air museum in a suburb but it turned out to be very closed, and on the return trip the train doors wouldn’t open at my stop so I was carried on to Trindade station.
But it was a nice day, I had nowhere to rush to and everywhere was pretty. On my walk back I found first a secondhand book and comic shop with a window full of Tintin, then a shop selling old stamps and postcards. I browsed happily, coming away with a Portuguese edition of Octopussy and an Air Portugal matchbox.
Before dinner, Howard and I walked through the Crystal Palace Gardens, which feature beautiful views, peacocks, Muscovy ducks and chickens, the national bird and provider of opportunities for ‘massive cock’ jokes.
I was very keen to eat fish that evening, as I’m a great pescivore and the country is famous for it. I had my eye on a particular restaurant, but they were fully booked (we tried sitting at a table because nobody was coming to see if we needed seating; a waiter brought us bread and olives and then another one told us apologetically that we would have to leave, which I found so upsetting I cried).
I googled up an alternative fish place, cheaper and livelier, where we were served cod fritters followed by grilled sardines for me and sea bass for Howard.
Miles: nil by bike
