Portuguese Voyage - Day Trip: Guimarães (Day 4) - Day trip from Porto

Before I start on my day trip to Guimarães, I realise I have not blogged much about some of the food I had in the past few days....

 1) Bolo de mel (Honey Cake). It is a speciality of Madeira, but I had it in Porto. It is usually made for Christmas. It tastes like Christmas - think fruit cake or mince pies - only more dense, more 'lard-y' (it is made with lard.)

2) Bolo de Arroz (literally means - rice cake). They eat so much rice, they made a cake made from rice flour! Not sweet at all... very yummy!

3) Of course, everyone knows the Portuguese egg tarts - but will tell you more about the best Pastel de Nata I had in Lisboa. And the other - Portuguese croissant, unlike the French cousin, it is not flaky. It is soft and 'stretchy'. A must try for sure!

Now, back to the first day-trip - Guimarães! 

Guimarães is considered the birthplace of Portugal because Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, was born here.

The historical centre is within the Guimarães city walls. It is associated with the formation and identity of Portugal and is classified a World Heritage site based on the originality and authenticity applied in its restoration.

Outside the city walls

Inside the walls

Largo da Oliveira

  

Rua de Santa Maria - oldest street in the city

View of the castle

View of Palace of the Dukes of Bragança from the castle

Oldest bakery in the city

Charming lanes

Platform of Arts and Creativity, International Centre for the Arts Jose de Guimarães

Roads within the walls

When in Guimarães, do try the Tortas de Guimarães (Guimarães' pies) made with pumpkin filling. This was apparently created from the influence of the feminine monastery in the city. Try it at Manjar dos Doces - made with the original recipe :)

If interested, you can take a cable car up to Monte da Penha to catch a view of northern Portugal. However, in my opinion, it can be missed to spend more time to discover the city.