Bye bye seaside, hello Porto, aka The sun will come out tomorrow

Reluctant as we were to leave Liliana's, I have a feeling we would never have seen much of Porto itself if we'd been able to stay, as we were just too comfortable. So here we are now in the heart of the city, at the Pensao do Norto. A little bit of a culture shock. My single room on the 3rd floor is one of the smallest rooms I've ever stayed in (bathroom even more so), but it's comfy and clean, and quiet considering how central we are. E's room a floor below is bigger (it has a chair!) and is near enough to the bar that we can tap into the wifi network. We are right opposite the Capella des Almas, the outside of which is completely covered in blue and white azujelos (painted tiles - a Porto speciality). We are also very near shops including SHOE shops so be warned, the blog may get retail-obsessed from here on in.

The stunning chapel

I can't help but feel at home in this city. (Here are some clues: football, rain, chips, surly Northern attitudes. Ringing any bells?) You can actually get a good cup of tea here, and you can get vegetables too so both of us are pleased. (I'd like to add here that it's perfectly appropriate for me to drink tea in Portugal – the Lonely Planet tells me our tea addiction is all the fault of Portuguese explorers who discovered it and brought it back to Europe.)

Tea Street

Even in this part of town you can tell it's an old city. I think that must be what makes it so utterly different from any other European city either of us have visited - the oldest parts are medieval and the houses are piled higgledy piggledy on top of each other. A glimpse of the market today was amazing, there are flashes of beaux arts architecture here and there, and of course the colourful tiles. The Sao Bento station is a really good example and well worth a visit even if you're not catching a train. They also sell cheap scarves if, like us, you're cold!

Sao Bento Station

Needless to say it poured with rain again today, and Papa Bento is on his way for a visit, so we're making plans for both staying dry and having a day out of the city. We noticed that Annie is on at a local theatre, and we were even treated to a blast of 'Tomorrow', which we felt was kind of appropriate given the lashing rain, and we hope, prophetic.

Just for E - I know how much she loves musicals