Una mesa para seis - Table for Six: Portugal and Galicia Trip

January 4th, 2016 - Porto

Our last day in Porto was also a very rainy day. We returned our car to the airport, and then headed downtown by metro because we had a few hours to kill as our flight didn't leave until 6pm. Our first stop was World of Discoveries a new interactive museum that opened recently in Porto. I looked it up on the map before we left, and it was less than a kilometre from the metro station downtown. When we got out of the metro it was raining so hard, that we couldn't walk anywhere without getting soaked. I tried to read the map I brought, but the rain quickly made the map unreadable. We had no idea if we were walking in the right direction, so we gave up and took two taxis. We were so close, but getting lost in Porto in the pouring rain was not an option.

The World of Discoveries is part history museum and part theme park. I purchased our tickets online at a slightly discounted rate. The first exhibits tell the history of the great explorers of Portugal. All the explanations were available in English. The displays were interactive and very well done. The kids did not have the patience to read all the descriptions, but I think that they all learned something. The highlight of the tour is a boat trip that takes you to all the different places where the Portuguese explorers landed. It's kind of like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disney World.

Cole trying on a helmet

One of the exhibits, the characters look almost real!

Beginning our boat trip

Morocco

Jungles of India

China

Japan

Cool special effects

When we finished our tour of World of discoveries, it was still pouring rain outside so decided to have lunch at the restaurant there. We had a great lunch and it was very reasonable. It was a buffet that included dishes from all the different countries that the Portuguese explored.

We still had a bit of time to kill, so we decided to visit the Lello Bookstore. Built in 1906, according to some people it is the most beautiful bookstore in the world. It is also said to be the bookstore that inspired the library in Hogwarts. J.K. Rowlings lived in Porto for awhile. The kids were very excited to see the bookstore. It's incredible that even on a rainy Monday in January, there was a line-up to get in. Due to the popularity of the bookstore, they now sell entrance tickets at a booth across the street for 3€, but once inside, you can take as many pictures as you want. It was very crowded inside, but we were glad that we got in. I guess at busier times the line-ups outside the bookstore can be ridiculously long.

Still raining, we found our way to the main metro station and then back to the airport to catch our flight back to Barcelona.