Porto to Guimarães

I was sad to leave Sandeman this morning, but little did I know that I would be delighted with my next stop, Guimaraes.

Firstly, a few words about last night’s dinner. I enjoyed  Fish Soup (Italian style) followed by an old favourite: Tiramisu:

I’ve eaten three nights in a row at this restaurant, San Martino, so it must be good! And only three minutes walk from my accommodation.

This morning I took a taxi to the bus station, Terminal Intermodal Campanha to catch the 9.45 am bus to Guimaraes. It was late arriving and the driver was at pains to make up time, speeding along and tailgating the drivers of slow little cars. Interesting to me was that it stopped at the Airport after 15 minutes. I will need to be here in 2 days to fly to Madeira.

My bed for 2 nights is at Hotel do Oliveira, in the centre of the old town:

It was not easy to find, even for the local taxi driver, because of the narrow streets and pedestrian areas. It seems quite exclusive and not many people are staying here. 

After a trip to a nearby supermarket and a short siesta, I was ready to start exploring. On a warm sunny afternoon, everyone who wasn’t working was sitting in outdoor cafes drinking beer. Not many tourists, as far as I could determine. Then I saw a crowd of people with red hats and discovered they were all tourists from Madeira. I tried to talk to one of them, but he didn’t speak any English.

I’m getting hungry, but nowhere seems to be serving dinner till 7.00 pm.