Rick and Marie's Travels: Porto, Portugal—October 7, 2018 (a lazy Sunday)

Paula greeted us last night when we arrived at 9PM. She's gregarious and her English is excellent. Paula gave us a tour of her home and then pulled out a map and enthusiastically began suggesting all the places we should visit. And because we spent seven days in Porto last fall, we kept saying, "Been there. Ya, there too. Uh huh we loved that church." Right away she switched to little known favorites—a pastry shop locals adore, a garden outside of the city where Vino Verde originated, a book store we might enjoy.

This morning we re-familiarized ourselves with the center of Porto after coffee and croissants at Cristal Pasteleria across the street from Paula's. We strolled down Cedofeita Street (our street) past the Carmo Church with its azulejo tiled exterior wall, down to Livaria Lello Bookstore (famous for its Harry Potter staircase), and down past Clerigos Tower, Sao Bento train station, and across the Dom Luis Bridge to the little park overlooking the Douro River and the famous Wall of the Ribeira Shelters (now a UNESCO World Heritage site). We sat looking back at the Old Town of Porto enjoying the morning light.

When we returned from our stroll, taking a short cut past a little shop Marie purchased some earrings and a bracelet last fall and over to Cedofeita and back to Paula's. We had a lively visit with Paula, talking some more about the joys of travel and how much she enjoys being an Airbnb host (she's actually a Superhost) meeting and talking with people all over the world. We found out today that she purchased the building and rents the apartment downstairs and hopes to move in there once the lease for the tenants ends so she can dedicate all four of the rooms in this apartment to Airbnb guests. Currently, she rents three bedrooms, has a fourth for herself. This apartment has two bathrooms, one up and one down, a living/dining room combination, kitchen, and garden balcony. It's really comfortable and cute.