September 20- 23, 2017
Aside from our arrival day, the disaster day, and day trips we spent 3 days checking out various sights and enjoying a more languid visiting pace than in Britain. So what follows is more of a summary and collage of the sights and sounds of Porto…
Porto is almost 900 years old, and consequently, as an ancient city, it has many aging buildings. Portugal, and with it Porto, suffered considerably from the 2008 economic crisis. When walking on downtown streets we found many closed stores and buildings in very bad shape. It seems that restoration work is going on wherever you look >>> some of the wonderful churches and monuments are difficult to photograph as either cranes or netting on buildings often intrude. While a lot has been accomplished a lot remains to be done…..
Overall it is a nice town with loads of historic monuments and opportunities to do some day trips……our travels were on foot or by public transport, primarily by train. Definitely hilly ….wherever we went it was either up or down with few level sections, save along the Douro River…lots of tourists and in prime season it must be somewhat overwhelming. On the other hand without the restaurants, and nice walkways, attractions would very quickly cease to exist.
We stayed at an AIRBNB….the “Hazel” apartment on the 3rd floor > rua Formosa 102 on map above… a 5 minute walk from the Bolhao Metro Station…
.……a 1 b/r unit with a small kitchen and dining room: it was fine for the time we stayed, but would not have really been that functional for a longer stay, although certainly comfortable and very clean > very cool copula at the top:
The Mercado de Bolhao dating back to 1850 is a three-minute walk from the apartment with stalls featuring fish and meat sellers, fruit and veggies, plants/flowers, port tasting etc.
…also cork products ….
…..Annie bought a new purse but unfortunately can only put cash in it. Upstairs there are mainly vegetable stalls but look out for the ones with the old machinery where they chop the kale/spinach leaves finely as the ladies feed the leaves minus the stalks. All the produce looks amazing and fresh and the sellers are happy to sell you anything, even if you only want a bunch of grapes or a pear or two. It is however in dire need of renovation which is apparently to happen imminently…
The 18th century Igreja dos Clérigos constructed on the highest point in Porto, is one the finest examples of baroque architecture in Porto and its tall bell tower can be seen from various points of the city…..
…..views towards the ocean and on the far side Villa Nova de Gaia Porto….
Nova de Gaia Portois famed for Port, and this is still aged in the vast cellars that line the southern banks of the Douro River……the small boats moored along the shore once were used to transport barrels of port but now serve as tour boats…
Each of the major Port producers provides tours of their cellars, which are referred to as caves, and end with a Port tasting session. We took a self guided (audio provided) tour …we find these more fun as you have access to the info without being herded through the facility. The Taylor’s cellars and exhibits are very tastefully done with a rather sophisticated feel…and quite informative….
…afterwards we tasted 2 ports (included in the admission fee of 12 Euros (17 Cad) in the garden …..quietly enjoying the sun while sipping …
…back on the Porto side of the Douro River, the Ribeira is the oldest section of Porto and is a maze of narrow streets and ancient buildings that line the northern banks of the Douro, opposite the port cellars. This extremely pretty area of the city contains numerous family run shops, traditional restaurants and trendy bars, all of which overlook the river……unfortunately the funicular was not working:
Walking and gawking is part of the fun on the Ribiero and we certainly did our share had a few drinks and a rather uninspiring lunch at one of the riverside cafes…..
Of course Porto has an abundance of churches some rather humble and others truly inspired…The Se Cathedral is Porto’s most important religious building and is an elegant blend of Romanesque, Baroque and gothic architectural styles. The cloisters of the cathedral are lined with beautiful Azulejos (blue glazed) tiles and there is an impressive rose window…….
The Rococo styled Ildefonso church has one of the most decorative exteriors found in Porto, the entire building is adorned in Azulejos tiles that depict the life of Santo Ildefonso……
Connected to its twin church by a house, the Igreja de Carma a baroque church, has a well-known tiled side facade……
….and many others, one could make it the purpose of a trip to simply visit these churches which attest to the wealth and power that Portugal once possessed…
Regarded by many as the most beautiful bookshop in the world, the Lello Bookstore is reputedly the inspiration for the Hogwarts library in the Harry Potter films. It is easy to understand why this exquisite building left a permanent impression on J K Rowling (who lived in Porto during the early 1990s) as the interior is lined with wooden handcrafted panels, has a stained glass roof and a charismatic stairwell connecting the two levels….Annie couldn’t resist …..first time I have ever seen a bookshop entry fee (4 Euros) >>>> monetizing a bookshop where you get nothing in return ….what a deal, and there is a constant daily lineup !!!
As well, some images in disorder, from our meanderings around the town …
…hazing or praxes as it is known in Portugal….the black clad ones are the seniors…
….some really nice foodie stores..
….for all this running around you need to have a good storehouse of calories…..this is the ticket > a franchessina YUMMY !!!!
…..sidewalks and walkways are often laid in patterns as below (all done manually)
Although our visit to Porto did not start auspiciously, it was in the end a pleasant interlude and there is much to enjoy about this city …well worth visiting. For Canadians it is certainly a value destination and if you are prepared for a lot of hills (ladies do not bring your stiletto heels) you can have a very interesting and pleasing stay. The food scene is mixed, with so many tourists there are a lot of very mediocre restos, but if you have some insider info or learn on your own it can be great….the Raiz Restaurant……a lovely dinner.
Well tomorrow is another day and we are off to see Lisbon!! See you there…