Creativity Inspired; first day in Porto
7:25 PMGood afternoon readers! Hope everyone is having an amazing weekend so far. It has been a crazy few weeks, and today, I finally got time to rest and catch up on writing my blog.
Recently, I received a Harry Potter book set from the mail, and it brought back memories of the trip that I had in April when I went to Porto, Portugal and visited where it all happened at Livraria Lello & Irmao. This place is apparently where J.K. Rowling was inspired to write Harry Potter. Join me as I show you glimpse of this magical place!
The above is the entrance to the small bookstore, Livraria Lello & Irmao. Maybe because it rained that day, so other buildings looked kind of dull, but this bookstore definitely stood out. Please note that all visitors now have to pay a 3-Euro entrance free to enter this bookstore. But trust me, it’s a 3-Euro worth fee to get in there.
Upon stepping into this enchanted bookstore, you will see stunning decor and a beautiful stain glass window ceiling. Rows and rows of books lined up on both sides of the store, and this amazing red staircase that leads you to the upper floor of the bookstore.
The one set of stairs breaks off to two staircase, reminds me of the Harry Potter movies where the stairs moved around leading the Hogwarts students to their dormitories. Maybe that’s where the idea of moving staircases sparked?
Taking a birds eye view photo of the bookstore below, reminds me of some fantasy book’s library where books are found all the way to the ceiling and you will need to climb on a ladder to get to your favourite book!
And this upstairs part of the bookstore just looks so stunning. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just so beautiful, that words cannot describe how amazing this bookstore is.
And since I was here anyways, why don’t I just sit down a little while to read a book or two and enjoy some caffeine from the cafe upstairs?
Porto is not just famous for this bookstore, there’s much more than that. On the same day I was at Porto, I saw so many stunning churches with amazing exterior designs that is only to be seen in Portugal! Some of the churches I visited include: Igreja do Carmo, Igreja dos Carmelitas, Capela das Almas, Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, and so on.
Igreja do Carmo and Igreja dos Carmelitas are shown below. While they look like they are adjoining from the outside, they are actually two separate churches! Surprise, surprise!
I stumbled upon this church, Capela das Almas, as I was shopping in the area. The exterior is like an masterpiece on its own, made out of blue and white tiles that creates this stunning artwork in the middle of a busy shopping street.
Finally, as I was getting lost and hungry, I saw Igreja de Santo Ildefonso. Not sure why, but it gave me a familiar feeling of Macau, like how there’s many steps leading towards it? Maybe I was too hungry by then to think straight. Who knows?
And while I was out and about already, I had to visit these places as they were essentially walking distance from each other.
Torre dos Clerigos, the tallest tower in Porto, Portugal, that gives tourists the highest point of view of the entire Porto area!
But to be quite honest, Torre dos Clerigos wasn’t quite tall, as you can see…
The second attraction was the Sao Bento station where there you can see a mural made of the famous Portuguese blue and white tiles. And of course, people are there running to catch their trains.
Av. Dos Aliados, the ‘shopping street’. I put it in quotations, because it’s not really a shopping street. This is more like a street where you can stroll along and enjoy the chilled and relaxed European lifestyle.
It is here where the famous cafe, Guarany, is situated and it’s where people enjoy each other’s company as they chill over a glass of wine or a nice cup of coffee.
If only everyday was as chilled and relaxed, and magical as this one.
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