Pastel in Porto

​We started our day with coffee and pastries at a cafe in Porto, Portugal. We then walked to the Porto Cathedral where we listened to organ music in the sanctuary, climbed stairs to the top of the tower, and saw our first Camino trail marker out front. Afterwards we walked across a bridge to the other side of the river which was incredibly beautiful and gave us an amazing view of Porto. On the other side of the river we found a new cafe where we played cards and had some snacks before getting to our cooking class. 

For our cooking class we made pastel de nata which is the most famous dessert in Portugal. We’ve already had several on our trip so far, in fact, it was one of the first things we looked for once arriving in Lisbon. We were very excited to make our own and there were only three other participants, giving us lots of opportunities for involvement. We made the dough and custard from scratch and at them straight out of the oven. It was the best pastel de nata I’ve had and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the baking process and watching them come together. Our instructor was a polish woman, but her historic and culinary insights were very helpful. 

After our class we walked down toward the river to play more cards and try a local wine flight. 

I won our card game and then we walked back across the river for dinner (local dish Francesinha) on an outdoor patio that became far too cold. My dad, Adelaide, and Alastair went back to our Airbnb and Dagny, my mom, and I crossed the bridge and back one more time to watch the sunset over the river. We were joined by no less than 2,000 locals and tourists and even witnessed a marriage proposal! Many people watch the sunset from the very same park the night before they start the Camino so Dagny was very glad that we got to do the same. We walked back to our apartment and my sisters and I ended our night by playing our new favorite board game, “Betrayal at House on the Hill.”

Magnolia