On the morning of March 2 we crossed Porto's iconic Ponte Luis I bridge and zig-zagged our way to the Avenida de Diogo Leite that runs along the opposite bank of the Douro River and is home to a string of "Caves" - or wine cellars - for many of the famous and not so famous Port wine makers. It was way too early for port tasting, but the good news was that there was a string of street vendors with local crafts and other wares along the river bank. 

For Nancy, shoes are a passion; so it was easy to say yes to a pair of naturally waterproof sandals, hand-crafted from cork - a Portuguese specialty crop.