Sept 11 2017, Porto Portugal

I know that this is going to sound hard to believe but Porto is actually the birth place of Port.  Like Champagne which is made only from grapes grown in Champagne France can Port which is a sweet fortified wine can only be called Port if the grapes are grown in the Douro Valley and the wine is produce there.    It comes in an amazing range of varieties however from white to red and sweet to dry.  

So we were up early and off down the freeway to Porto.  Liam and Suibhan dropped Agnes and I off at a mall which was on the outskirts of Porto and had a convenient metro.   Agnes and I jumped on the metro and were down town in a very short time.  Porto was founded in 1123 as a port on the Atlantic. In the intervening years it has grown to the second largest city in Portugal and has a population of 2.4 million.   The downtown core is a historic center and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Most of the cathedrals date back to the early 1300-1500’s although they all have had major rebuilding periods done in the 1800’s.  We were kind of disappointed as the majority of the cathedrals were closed today.   The city is situated on the Douro river and the hills rise very steeply from the river.  This leads to a lot of very narrow winding streets and in a lot of cases no street at all but steps.   At one point Agnes and I took a side street off the side of a cathedral and wound up walking down what seemed like an endless series of twisting stairs, most of which were very steep and quite high.  We finally came out on the riverside which at one point must have been a very busy harbour but today is a meca of side walk cafes and souvenir shops.    It is a very interesting place which is filled with imposing statues, beautiful fountains, breath taking views and fascinating architecture and history.  Everywhere you turn it is a beehive of activity.  There are hundreds of workman doing restoration work, bustling business people, frantic waiters trying to serve the endless crowds of hungry customers, and all of this activity brings a huge energy to the city.  

The rain and mist which had been threatening had burned off and it had turned into quite a nice day.  So rather than rushing around and taking a river cruise as we had been advised to do we took our time and just enjoyed the lovely atmosphere.   We stopped and had coffee and a Pastel De Nata which is a national favorite.  It is kind of a custard tart which is very nice.  

It was a long climb back up the hill to the metro so we took our time and wandered into a selection of souvenir shops.   Agnes found an apron which is very colourful and displays all the windows with the iron work balconies on it.  I found a very nice cycling jersey which proudly calls out Portugal on  it.  The only down side is that it is white.  How long I can keep it white is a totally different question.  Before you know it, this beautiful white jersey will be displaying a chain mark.

Liam and Suibhan picked us up and we drove out to our hotel in Pinhao. Liam and I are planning a few bike rides in the Douro valley as it is alleged to have the most beautiful cycling routes in the world.

Terry