I don’t know how many of you remember the movie, but that was my first big impression of Porto. The River Douro separates the old town from the new.
There are six bridges spanning the river, and they dictate the historic feel of the city. There are several old boats permanently sitting at a favorite viewpoint that actually brought the barrels of Port wine into the city from the wine country in years past.
Porto has a wonderful combination of very old and new buildings. In the “old” section of the city, there are restrictions on the restorations. If you restore an old building, then you may modernize the inside, but the outer facade must be kept as before. One example of that is the Hospital of Santa Maria, which has been operating for over a century. From the outside, it looks centuries old, but we were told that it is one of the best and most modern on the inside.
Avenida Dos Aliados is the main avenue and city center of Porto. This avenue has some of the most iconic and unique buildings. On the nearby Rue Santa Catalina, you will find the beautiful Cafe Majestic and the Capela das Alma's (souls chapel), a church that is covered with more than 15,000 blue tiles. The Torre dos Clérigos (Clérigos Tower) was used as a lighthouse for the boats that used to come to Porto and is the tallest building in Porto. A visit to the chapel is worthwhile, and you can go to the top of the tower to enjoy the views of the city.
Another beautiful church to visit is the Church of San Francisco, which has an interior covered in gold. Our guide told us that he had been to a wedding the week before in that church, and with the massive organ playing and the people singing, it was truly beautiful. It’s amazing to me that they have been able to maintain those old pipe organs to this day.
As a National Monument, you will enjoy the beautiful church, Igreja do Carmo. The outer facade has panels of tiles, and inside are gilded carvings.
The part of Porto on the Atlantic offers several nice beaches, and the locals were taking advantage of the surfing there in unusually warm temperatures. We loved the Bolhao Market in the center of downtown. Such a mixture of all things Portuguese!
On the Gaia side of the Douro River are the wine cellars and the Morro Garden. This garden is a favorite spot to sit and take in the best views of the city and the river. The sunset views are the best here as well. Some of the wonderful Porto garden spots are the Palacio de Cristal and the Botanical Garden of Porto.
There are many tours of the Port Cellars. We opted for a visit to one of the smaller ones called Churchill’s during our city Tour. Included was a discussion on how the wine is treated once it arrives from the fields and, of course, a “tasting”. We chose “tawny” Port as our favorite.
For one of our evening meals, we visited the Marisquería do Porto, one of the oldest and more established seafood restaurants in the city. Pictures and a video are recorded on placespeoplepurpose.com. It was such a fun evening. Keep in mind that their dinner hour starts at 7:00 PM, but they don’t start eating until 8:00 or later. So different than in the States. Some small eating establishments and bars are open in the afternoon, so you won’t starve.
Our day trip to the Douro Valley was definitely a highlight for us. That is the Port Wine Country, and I was so pleased that we could see the countryside with row after row of vineyards, some on steep hillsides. They are everywhere and generally beautifully maintained. Some of the farms are owned by large companies, but many are just small farmers.
Of course, our tour included port wine tasting and a history of how the wine was and is produced. (Stomping the grapes by foot was mentioned)! A nice lunch on the patio of a medieval home was included, followed by a boat ride down that part of the Douro River.
The people from Porto are nicknamed Tripeiros. The story is that in the 15th century, all the meat from Porto was given to the armada of Infante Henrique, who was on his way to conquer Ceuta in northern Morocco. Tripe was the only thing left, so that is what they ate. The Tripeiros are very friendly and industrious people and very proud of their city.
Sadly, in both Lisbon and Porto, we witnessed unrest because of the affordable housing shortage. Several factors have contributed to that, especially a boom in tourism and concessions offered to foreigners, a market geared toward luxury, rising interest rates, and the effect of inflation. Currently, it dominates the political scene. Many young Portuguese we talked to have lost hope of ever being able to own a home, and the high rents are causing them to move back in with their parents or look to move out-of-country. That seems to be a broader problem than just Portugal.
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