What a huge day!!!

We were up early, well before the sun. But, we made it to the Intermodal to catch our 7am ALSA bus to Madrid Airport. I had allowed extra time in case of delays. Our flight from the airport to Porto was not until 3.00pm

As we entered the now-familiar bus station in Bilbao, we spotted this little thing waiting to catch the bus with us. He was so well behaved. That was until someone he didn’t like walked passed him and then he turned into a snarling little ball of muscle.

There was some excitement on our trip, which did cause a 30 minute delay.

After a routine rest stop two hours in, just as Mick and I were about to reboard, a woman approached the driver, visibly distressed and struggling with Spanish—though, our own Spanish was no help either. We assumed she’d boarded the wrong bus, but things quickly escalated.

The driver made a number of phone calls, and to us it looked like he was trying to calm some of the passengers who were getting worried they’d miss their flights.

Next thing we knew the police arrived.

They questioned the woman, checked a few passengers’ bags, and we started to think that her wallet might have been stolen. After a 30-minute delay, we were back on the road, minus the woman, who remained with the police.

What actually happened remains a mystery, but it added some drama to our trip.

We made it to our flight with plenty of time and when we landed in Porto, our airport transfer was there waiting for us. I had decided to splurge on a transfer as I knew we would be tired from our long day – which included losing an hour with a time change from Spain to Portugal.

About 15 minutes driving with our Russian driver, we were met at our accommodation in central Porto by a beautiful young woman who explained everything, and took us on a tour of our apartment – in Thomaz Palace. I was so relieved that there was a lift. And so was Mick.

After settling into our apartment we went to the closest supermarket to buy some things for breakfast, and then headed to the main market – Mercado do Bolhão. It’s the city’s most iconic and historic market, dating back to 1837.

The nearby streets were filled with people – mostly tourists we thought. As we entered the Mercado do Bolhãowe we could see lots of undercover stalls, selling things from flowers to vegetables to beautiful fresh seafood including oysters.

In these markets, it is common for people to buy a glass of wine and then wander from stall to stall picking something they’d like to eat with their wine. That’s exactly what we did too.

I loved this stall with its tinned sardines and think I will buy some to take home with us. I have plenty of room in my checked luggage – so why not?

On our walk back to our apartment we passed by this church decorated with ceramic tiles.

I found out that this is the Capela das Almas, also known as the Chapel of Souls. Constructed in the 18th-century, it has over 15,000 blue-and-white azulejo tiles, depicting scenes from the lives of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine.

I think we are going to enjoy our time here in Porto.