Our phones were switched to Airplane mode as soon as the flight crew directed us to do so. But before that, DW had the forethought to download some Google Maps directions in Lisbon and in Porto. She wanted to make sure that we knew how to get to a Vodafone store so that we could get SIM cards for use while we were in Portugal.
Smart.
When we arrived at the Oriente train station, in Lisbon's east end, she had directions to a Vodafone location. Except, on an early Saturday morning, it was closed.
Not to worry, we said. There are a couple in Porto and they would surely be open by the time we arrived, which was scheduled for 1:00 in the afternoon.
The first-class section of the high-speed intercity trains are really nice. Large, comfortable seats with plenty of leg room. The coach itself sways as it negotiates turns, making it relaxing for the occupants.
I probably slept for at least an hour during our trip, though DW and I would make sure that at least one of us was keeping an eye on our bags (DW had Apple tags in each of our suitcases but our backpacks were untraceable, should they go wandering without us). The train stopped at the Campanhã Station and we had to transfer to another train, which was a one-stop ride to São Bento Station, in the heart of the old city and a short walk to our hotel.
Before we arrived in Portugal, DW had contacted the hotel to see if we could check in early, but they were strict about a 3:00 check-in time. We could, however, leave our bags with them for safekeeping until check-in time.
On the way to our hotel, DW and I found the first Vodafone store closed. There was a second store that DW had saved, just in case, but we wanted to unburden ourselves first. We made our way to the hotel, a small inn at Praça de Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, but there didn't seem to be a clearly marked entrance. The address showed a locked door with buzzers for various apartments. There was no sign, nothing.
Without Internet, we could not reach out to the owners of the inn.
Time for drastic measures.
DW was tired and didn't want us to lug our gear to the next Vodafone shop, so she volunteered to sit in the plaza, under the shade of a tree, and watch our stuff while I went in search of data. She gave me her phone, with the downloaded maps, and I went on my way.
I found the second store about 10 minutes from our inn, but it's doors were locked up, too. I found a third store, indicated on her map, but it was a further 10 minutes away. Not to be disheartened, and also because we were sunk without data, I wandered the streets in search of this final store.
My spirits were lifted when I entered a large, air-conditioned shopping mall, and happened to spy the red Vodafone sign, three floors below me.
A woman in the store who spoke pretty good English talked me into a 15-day, unlimited-data plan, which cost 15 euros. I had her insert the new SIM card in each phone, restarted my smartphone, and I was in business.
By the time I returned to DW, it was just approaching 3:00. With DW's data turned on, she found a message from the inn that the registration desk was in a building a few doors down from the rooms. She went in while I watched our bags, and 10 minutes later, we were in our room.
Our first instinct was to flop on the bed, but we had plans. After all, we only had two days in Porto.
We freshened up and then rushed to city hall, just over five minutes away, and met up with our guide for the Take Porto city tour, a free service that takes you through the heart of the city.
Our guide was a woman named Susana and she was engaging and full of interesting knowledge. We got the feeling that at some times, her interpretation of various sites was based on her own take, but we felt we got an authentic look at the city.
Our only problem with the tour was that because we had yet been unable to get cash from a bank machine, we were without water on this two-and-a-half-hour tour, and the jet lag was also starting to have its effect. We finally stopped at a café and we were able to buy some food and drinks with our credit card, but by then our brains were barely functioning.
And while the tour is free, the guides live on the tips that they receive at the end. We explained to Susana that we wanted to pay her but that we had not had the time to get cash. We learned that she was going to lead a Spanish tour the next day, and we agreed to meet her before it started.
How did we end up getting cash? Tune in, tomorrow.
The tour ended a few blocks away from the Cais da Ribeira, a waterfront promenade along the Douro River, near the Luis I Bridge, and one of my goals of the trip was to take a sunset photo from the Gaia side of the river, above that famous bridge. Though DW and I were exhausted, we carried on.
We climbed countless flights of stairs to get from the river's banks to the top of the bridge, designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel, and reached a vista, near the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, a 16th-century monastery, and I was able to get my photos.
From there, DW and I made our way back down to the river's edge, but on the Gaia side, and sat on the patio of Sandeman's port winery, enjoying cod cakes and cocktails, but mostly resting until we had the energy to cross back into Porto.
We crossed the lower span of the Luis I Bridge, which is usually open to car traffic but is under construction and only allows for pedestrian crossings, and we ordered an Uber drive back to our inn. Uber is the way to go, as it is incredibly inexpensive (the ride from Cais da Ribeira to Praça de Guilherme Gomes Fernandes was only three euros!).
But we were still hungry when we arrived at our hotel (we had burned way more calories than we had consumed over the course of the day), so we sat at one of the restaurants in the plaza under our inn and shared a plate of sausage, fries, and salad, and I tried my first Portuguese beer, Super Bock lager, while we rested our feet and reflected on what was a very long day.
I don't remember falling asleep but it had to be fast. DW said I didn't even pull the sheets over myself.
For day two in Porto, tune in tomorrow.
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