Porto

Waiters welcomed us in white jackets as we entered the cafe. We were in awe at the leather banquettes and studded antique wooden chairs that sat beneath chandeliers. The decor was reminiscent of my grandparents' generation.

Majestic Cafe opened in 1921 and has maintained the same aesthetic and atmosphere that it held back then. For breakfast, we tried the french toast as well as the traditional Portuguese sandwich, francesinha, with ham, Portuguese sausage, and steak, covered in melted cheese. Portuguese cuisine itself is enough to get me to return!

March was packed with travels. Following my trip to Morocco, my dad arrived in Madrid and we took off to Porto, Portugal. My dad was in town for a week and we were able to see Porto before being quarantined for the rest of his stay in Madrid.

Portugal is actually one of the oldest countries in the world! Porto, its second largest city, is charming with a family-friendly, vacation vibe. In its seaside suburbs you can find yourself climbing the steep cobbled streets, often on an incline (which is a great workout!), and browsing plenty of wine cellars, historic churches and tapas joints. Since Portugal is on the coast, fresh fish, particularly sardines, are a specialty.

We ate lunch at Voltaria, a restaurant that came recommended by a friend. There are only 5 tables, and we lucked out to sit at the one table outside. We tried sardines with cilantro and beans, croquetas, and jamón. It was all amazing! Other types of cuisine worth noting from the trip: garlic shrimp, huevos rotos, which are broken eggs over fries with ham, and pastéis de nata, a Portuguese custard tart.

Some other sights we saw were the city center and the Igreja de Santa Clara, a catholic church from the early 1400s, with blue mosaic tiles, or azulejos, displayed on the facade. We also climbed Clérigos Tower, which gave us a panoramic view of the city. From above we could see the tall and narrow buildings with orange tiled roofs. Portuguese jazz music floated up all the way from the street below. It was a beautiful day - blue skies, breezy and sunny. After the tower, we stopped for gelato and then headed to the São Bento train station to see its array of blue tiles inside. The architecture in Porto is just so unique. We were able to watch the sunset from our airbnb, which had a great view of the port.

Our weekend in Porto was short, but we had a great time enjoying the scenery and food! It was awesome to be reunited with my dad after six months apart, and share new travels with him. I definitely hope to go back to Portugal some day!