Yesterday we did Rick Steve’s’ tour of the upper part of Porto. This morning we started our day with a tour of the lower part of town, down to the riverbank quays. First we were at the train station in town, a beautiful building with a lobby full of tile painting of Portugal history. Down the street across the main thoroughfare past shops to an open square, then down to the stock exchange building. We were disappointed to find it was closed for an entire week. will miss going inside. Bummer. But, we did scope out the area for a place to hide something for the Morgan’s to find when they come here in May. Oh well, down to the river front.
A 6 bridges tour boat was leaving in 15 minutes, so we paid the entrance fee and got a seat out on the deck. The boat goes upstream under three of the bridge until you can see two more, then downstream past the starting point to the last bridge before returning to the starting point. Nice to get out on the river and see the town from that vantage point. It is a cool looking city.
We Aleks across Gustaf Eiffel’s protégé’s bridge to the other side of the river, signed up for a Port Wine tasting and Fado music session (killing two unpleasant birds with one stone), strolled the waterfront gawking at tourists and tourists shops then wound up the steep embankment on stairs and roads to the upper bridge deck. Here I had my first roasted chestnuts (12/€3) and toured the church plaza above the bridge, then walked across the upper deck of the bridge dodging the passing trolley to visit the church plaza on the other side. Here we saw the starting point of the Porto to Santiago Camino.
We wound our way back to our apartment. Having the Clerigo Tower right outside our door, which is visible from just about anywhere, makes it easy to find our place. We rested for an hour or so and cooked dinner, spaghetti noodle and vegetable laden tomato sauce to top it. After dinner we went back on the streets to enjoy the city after dark and get a few more miles of walking in. With the big dig of extending the subway right in the middle of the main square we have to work around it or we get dead ended at construction fencing. Out for about an hour, then back inside and to bed. Great first full day in Porto.
Blue tile mural in train station in Porto
Henry the Navigator statue in the plaza named for him
Sally on our boat tour of the six bridges of Porto
Porto from the river. Cool city!
Gaia side of the river where are the distilleries of port wine are. Anchored boats are the style that carried barrels of port down the river from the Douro Valley in the old days. Now they just carry tourists or are anchored for show.
Bridge over the river with pedestrians and trolley
Mile zero of Porto to Santiago Camino
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