By Andrew, Mason, Luke
We started off the day with breakfast at the hotel. At 9 a.m., we boarded the bus to go to the center of Porto. Our first stop was the Crystal Palace Gardens. The park had many statues and fountains representing different historical figures and Roman gods. At the center of the park was an arena used for hosting events. There were also peacocks, chickens, and ducks running free in the Crystal Palace Gardens. While at the park, we held a brief Meeting for Worship to settle ourselves and look back on the past few days.
We then walked to Livraria Lello, one of the oldest continuously operating bookstores in the world. We spent an hour of free time around the area getting lunch. People got breakfast items, pizza, sandwiches, chocolate, and gelato. We later met up back at Livraria Lello to go inside and browse the books. We learned that J.K. Rowling was inspired by the bookstore and modeled the Hogwarts library after it. The elegant interior reminded many of us of the library that appeared in the Harry Potter films and books. Many of us bought books there.
At 2 p.m., we met up with a local tour guide to take a two-hour walking tour of Porto. We explored the University of Porto and learned about Portuguese student traditions such as freshmen hazing and graduation rituals. We went up Torre dos Clérigos, a famous church bell tower, and enjoyed the views 75 meters above the streets. After the tower, we went to Porto’s oldest train station to gaze at the magnificent tile murals that adorned all the walls. Each mural told a piece of history such as the unification between Portugal and England, the Liberal Revolution, and the defeat of Napoleon. We made our way to Rio Douro to end our walking tour at 4:15 p.m..
We were given free time to wander around Porto until 5:50. Some people went to shop at markets and streets. Some went to cafes and restaurants to relax. Others took their time walking along the banks of Rio Douro and enjoying the views. At 5:50 we boarded our bus to go to the hotel to freshen up. We went to a local restaurant for dinner at around 7:15. We met back at the hotel at 8:30 for our final meeting. Everyone shared their high point and a cultural difference they noticed in Portugal. We then celebrated our amazing guide Guillermo, before packing for our early 3:30 a.m. departure the next morning!