We had a lazy morning. Unfortunately Phil developed a tummy upset in the night. It could have been yesterday’s riverside steak (and “flies”) or it might have been the pork at dinner. He was really not well so we fed him lots of Imodium to enable him to drive us from Douro to Porto Airport, to drop back the hire car (about a 2 hour drive). We were supposed to be meeting our driver at the Sixt depot but the representative misunderstood and was waiting in the Airport terminal. This meant we were hanging around for about an hour.
The driver took us into the heart of Porto and pointed out some of the key sites. He then took us to the wrong hotel (which was where we had booked for dinner that night so at least it wasn’t a complete waste of time - so we now know the route to get there!). When we finally reached the M Maison Particulière, Phil had some work to do and he wasn’t feeling great so Tarina and I went off to explore Porto alone, leaving Phil to work and nap.
We did a bit of shopping and then slowly walked back to the hotel stopping at little bars along the way to sample local sparkling wines, olives and nuts.
In the evening we went to dinner at Le Monument (one Michelin Star). Phil attempted to join us but, due to his continuing illness, he had to leave after the second course. Lucky, he did because not even Tarina and I enjoyed the course of turbot, mushroom and coffee. The meal was a ten course tasting menu, prepared by French chef Julien Montbabut (who we met before being seated), taking guests on a gastronomic journey through the different regions of Portugal. Some of the courses were lovely but some were just too weird to be tasty e.g. the fish and coffee! Tarina and I enjoyed a final lychee cocktail in the bar before heading back to the hotel.