mstravelicious

Creativity Inspired; first day in Porto

Europe 7:25 PM

Good 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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Rainy day in Chiado - A Portugal Adventure

Europe 6:53 PM

It’s been awhile since I got a chance to talk about my trip in Lisbon, Portugal. Reminiscing back at my last day in Lisbon, on this hot day, I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain right now to cool down.

My last day in Lisbon was a gloomy and rainy day. The gray clouds kind of just drifted into Lisbon, and the entire day just poured rain. While I was a little set back about the weather, it still didn’t stop me from going about in Chiado.

Before I go into the details of Chiado, let me describe to you the structure of downtown Lisbon. Downtown Lisbon, like most other centres / core in Europe is like a maze. It is like so because back in the day, if a war was to break out, the maze like roads of the city centre can become confusing for strangers/intruders, and gives the locals the advantage. Fast forward to the present, these maze like roads are a pain to go around in the rain. With your umbrellas, it is difficult to see where you are going. Traffic is also a stand still as cars are stuck on the road trying to get out of the city centre.

So while the rain was not the greatest, it allowed me to ‘get lost’ in the city and fully absorb the culture of Portugal… or at least tried to.

1. Arco da Rua Augusta

First stop, was at this beautiful landmark called, Arco da Rua Augusta, that goes to a giant plaza along Rua Augusta with lots of nice little cafes. But before i went through the Arco da Rua Augusta, I made a stop at MUDE – the museum of design, featuring various designs from fashion, interior, industrial, and much much more. The best part was that the admission was free!! What a good start to a rainy adventure?

Unfortunately, I did not go on Arco da Rua Augusta, as it was too windy and rainy. But it’s only 2.5 Euros to go up, on a good day that is. Because of the crazy rain, I made my way to the big square and chilled by a nearby cafe indoors before continuing my way to Chiado.

While it does look super gloomy with super dark clouds from afar, the yellow buildings and white-ish monument does make this a rare site!

Chiado is a great place to shop and eat. And I have the pleasure to introduce you to two places that are pretty historic in Lisbon.

2. Bertrand Books and Music

While I wouldn’t consider myself as a strong literature person, this bookstore was definitely a gem! The store front may not look impressive, but the book store goes on and on, like a tunnel!

And can I please share the wall of “The Little Prince” that I found in this bookstore? Except it’s in Portuguese.

So, what’s so special about this bookstore? Well, Bertrand Books and Music is the oldest book store in the world! They even have a certificate at the front of the store to prove it!

3. Arcadia Chocolate Boutique

Before I head back to the hotel because of the torrential rainfall, I made my way to the best chocolate store in town – Arcadia Chocolate Boutique. There’s only one store in Lisbon. Based out of Porto, these chocolates are pretty special as they have port wine in them. While there are more of these stores in Porto, if you don’t plan to go there, this place is a pretty good place to go if you are looking for some fancier souvenirs!