Before we headed out to Braga, a town about an hour North, we stopped by one of the most famous bakeries called Manteigaria for our daily Pastel de Natas. These pastel de natas were very good compared to the ones you get at just any bakery. They were still warm and flaky. You could see in the window the lady making dozens and dozens of them. On our way back from the bakery, we discovered a fruit market. There were many colorful fruits, some of which I had never seen before.
The biggest attraction in Braga is the Bom Jesus do Monte. It sits high on a hill that you climb 577 steps to get to. We might have played the system since we parked at the top of the park and walked down a trail which led us to the church. Of course for the experience we later walked down the steps to see the view from the base of the steps since the stairs are constructed in a criss-cross manner.
We know the church based on the Basilica of Bom Jesu in Goa which I visited back in 2013. The basilica in Goa was the Portuguese capital of India when they first invaded in the 1500s. The church was smaller than I expected inside but still very ornate. The area outside was very well decorated making it look like a palace complex. There were a lot of flower pots that were neatly arranged in beautiful displays and fountains creating the sound of running water. Alex was not pleased when I tried to drink from one of the fountains.
Next, we ventured to the historic center of Braga. There stood the Palacio de Raio. It had bright blue doors with a facade made of blue tiles and ornate work. It was a mansion that once belonged to a powerful merchant. Inside, there was a small museum with religious artifacts and some medical tools. It was only 2 euros to enter the tiny museum but it really was not worth it. There was nothing really of note.
In the town center there was an enormous sign that said Braga and we picked up gelato from a nearby vendor. The Braga cathedral was right there as well and we heard the ringing of the bells which was so loud we couldn’t even talk over it. The cathedral was closed to visitors as Alex tried to abandon us by visiting it for a couple hours.
The Jardim de Santa Bárbara was a small flower garden situated in a medieval palace. You could not visit the palace but there were some remains of the columns present amidst the roses and rows of orange and yellow flowers.
Braga was an extremely small town with not much to do. Alex was extremely disappointed and kept trying to get us to leave. We have not been having success with the smaller towns so we decided tomorrow no more small towns for us.
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