Last Stop: Porto.

Porto is where we planned to meet up with Jase and Chloe. Chloe and I had decided on an apartment found on airbnb, cheaper than a hotel but nicer than a hostel. It had to be the hardest place, out of all of Portugal, to find because of the multitude of one way streets. It took over an hour, and a couple of phone calls to Tomas the landlord, to get from the bridge into the city to the actual carpark. Then came the 81 stairs up to the apartment - thankfully I had Tony to carry my bag up for me.
Jase and Chloe caught the night train and weren't arriving til the next morning which gave us some time to unpack, stock the fridge, have a look around the neighbourhood and get our bearings. Tomas had met us when we arrived and gave us some suggestions for places to eat and visit, as well as a map.
Once our "engaged couple" arrived the next morning, with their own arrival tale to tell (You need to ask them) we headed out to return the car to Europcar. We had no need for it in Porto and the carpark was going to cost 15Euro a day. Jase proved to be a much more relaxed navigator than his mother, getting us to our destination without getting lost. Our next step was to locate the nearest Metro to get ourselves back to the old city and find the sightseeing bus. So much easier than driving!
Anyway, the next three days were spent on the bus, boat, gondola and wandering the streets of the old town. We even managed a couple of free port tastings. I'd never heard of white port before this trip, not a  bad drop at all. Afternoon siestas were a ritual, even if it meant only one or two slept while the others watched movies. As long as our feet were up and we were resting we were then able to go out to find a restaurant / cafe to eat. Portuguese Reds, Super Bock and Sagre beer were standard accompaniments to whatever we ate.
I'm sure the others will be able to add to our three days in Porto but I think a photo tells a story better than me babbling on. Here are a few I took over the three days ...

The gang's all here.

Not all of us wanted to be photographed.

The best way to see Porto is on a sightseeing bus (any colour). The drive out to the
beach is a bit too long  but it's worth it if you want to compare the new city with the old.

The "engaged couple".

I love this photo.

This bridge has two levels, one for the Metro and below is the road.

View from the top level of the bridge.

The gondola ride started at the bridge on the right, behind Jason...

... and ended at the riverside behind Jason's right shoulder.
How did Jason get in both photos you ask?  You probably
already know the answer.

The boat cruise gave us a totally different perspective.

There are 6 bridges in Porto.

Free port tastings at two different cellars. The first was close to the
riverside. They made a nice white port.

We decided to walk up a very steep hill, instead of
waiting for a bus, to get to the second.

Well deserved! Managed to buy a bottle
of Ruby Port to bring back to Egypt.

Climbed Clerigos Tower, just around the corner from
where we stayed. This is the view back towards the
apartment.

Tony & Chloe, taken from halfway up the tower.

Top of the tower. Didn't even build up a sweat.

Jase and Tony sharing a joke with some locals at the park.

I met this paperboy at the Main Square.

Chloe has a soft spot for puppies and gave a handful of coins
over to help support them.

View towards Clerigos Church, from our lounge window.
The tower is behind the church.

Pedestrian only street in the background. Loads of shops!

View towards the Main Square from our lounge window

The lobby to the Sao Bento Railway Station is tiled with Medieval
Scenes in traditional blue as well as colour.

Just in case you didn't believe me about the
stairs.

If you asked me which place I liked the most from this summer journey I would say Porto straight away. All the other places throughout Morocco and Portugal that we visited have been wonderful but the time we spent in Porto was quality time with family.

We return home to Cairo for a few days to rest up for our next trip ... time out with Raymond in Sri Lanka. Can't wait.