It's another travel day, as I make my way up north to Braga, located about 2.5 hrs away from Coimbra, and further up north from Porto.
After checking in to the hostel InBraga, I headed out to look for a place to eat - I was hungry, but not hungry enough for a meal, and so found a shop that sold pastries nearby, named Tibias de Braga.
I later read that Tibias are one of Braga’s regional sweets, and they’re named after the tibia bone, which they’re designed to look like.
And so I ordered a Tibias and an Almond Croissant. On the first bite of the Tibias, I thought it tastes very much like Beard Papa's cream puff with custard filling.
I then tried the Almond Croissant and was pleasantly surprised that it had a custard filling in it. This was amazingly good, even better than Tibias in my opinion, and especially with the caramelised almonds on the top!
One of the main reasons I came to Braga was to visit the Bom Jesus do Monte. It's name means Good Jesus of the Mount, and located 5 km east from the center of Braga, and about a 20 mins bus ride from the centre, I took the bus #2 after my snack.
577 steps lead up to the grounds which make this a popular pilgrimage site, finishing at the church at the top. In the past, Pilgrims were encouraged to make the ascent to the Bom Jesus do Monte Basilica at the top of the hill on their knees, thus experiencing the pain of Christ on his way to his death.
Along the path, there are small chapels decorated with terracotta figures depicting the Passion of Christ (the final period of Christ's life from his entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion).
What makes this such a popular visit site is the zig zag stairways to the top, and the views.
There are also fountains at each level of the zig zag section, and at first I found it odd that some of the fountains had the tap positioned very badly eg. In the eyes or the nose.
I later found out they are specifically positioned this way to denote the usage of all our 5 senses when climbing the steps!
I later found out they are specifically positioned this way to denote the usage of all our 5 senses when climbing the steps!
For those who don't wish to climb, there is also the option of taking the funicular. But the climb is very much worth the effort!
It was also very peaceful here as there is alot of nature surrounding the cathedral. I easily spent about 2 hours here just appreciating the tranquility the place has to offer, and the constant sound of water flowing.
Having been in Portugal for more than 2 weeks, I have yet to had a famed Francesinha - a Portuguese sandwich originally from Porto, made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat, and covered with melted cheese and a hot and thick spiced tomato and beer sauce.
I've held off on eating it, because I was told it is very heavy and that I should come on an empty stomach. Seeing that I haven't really had much the whole of today, I decided today shall be the day!
Based on reviews, the one at Taberna Belga seemed to rank very highly and some even rate it better than the ones in Porto. It's located outside the city, and because I was already on a bus back from Bom Jesus, I had a 1hr validity from time of boarding to do transfers too. And so I changed to another bus to head towards Taberna Belga.
Their kitchen was closed briefly while I was there (between 6.30pm and 7pm), and so I had a beer while waiting.
This 1927 Weiss beer from Super Bock is really nice! For someone who isn't a big fan of beer, that's a big compliment.
I didn't have to wait too long to get my Francesinha. It was good, but can be very heavy. I don't know how people can eat this AND fries - I was already struggling to finish the last couple mouthfuls, although I had to ask for extra sauce as the bread absorbs the sauce very well.
I then took a 25 mins walk back to the city centre, and I was shocked to see everything is shut! I thought Coimbra was bad, but this town is even more dead!
On a separate note, I've noticed my shoe seams were starting to tear on the outer edge of each side of the shoe when I was in Madeirã, however it seemed to be getting worse on the right pair of the shoe.
It was also very peaceful here as there is alot of nature surrounding the cathedral. I easily spent about 2 hours here just appreciating the tranquility the place has to offer, and the constant sound of water flowing.
Having been in Portugal for more than 2 weeks, I have yet to had a famed Francesinha - a Portuguese sandwich originally from Porto, made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat, and covered with melted cheese and a hot and thick spiced tomato and beer sauce.
I've held off on eating it, because I was told it is very heavy and that I should come on an empty stomach. Seeing that I haven't really had much the whole of today, I decided today shall be the day!
Based on reviews, the one at Taberna Belga seemed to rank very highly and some even rate it better than the ones in Porto. It's located outside the city, and because I was already on a bus back from Bom Jesus, I had a 1hr validity from time of boarding to do transfers too. And so I changed to another bus to head towards Taberna Belga.
Their kitchen was closed briefly while I was there (between 6.30pm and 7pm), and so I had a beer while waiting.
This 1927 Weiss beer from Super Bock is really nice! For someone who isn't a big fan of beer, that's a big compliment.
I didn't have to wait too long to get my Francesinha. It was good, but can be very heavy. I don't know how people can eat this AND fries - I was already struggling to finish the last couple mouthfuls, although I had to ask for extra sauce as the bread absorbs the sauce very well.
I then took a 25 mins walk back to the city centre, and I was shocked to see everything is shut! I thought Coimbra was bad, but this town is even more dead!
On a separate note, I've noticed my shoe seams were starting to tear on the outer edge of each side of the shoe when I was in Madeirã, however it seemed to be getting worse on the right pair of the shoe.
Not sure when I will be able to do shoe shopping, but I was told duct tape does wonders, so let's see!
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