At a first look Porto is very likable city, built on the steep hills of the Douro River Valley, crisscrossed by interesting bridges, scenic viewpoints abound. It failed to charm me, though John liked it. Maybe there were too many visitors, many came from cruise ships. Maybe Porto's top two attractions, seafood and port, are completely orthogonal to us. Maybe the city's top bookstore charges a four-euro admission and there is always a line outside; this to an avid reader is a sacrilege against the intuition of bookstores!
The highlight of our Porto visit has to be the opportunity of meeting up with our friend Jinyi who lives in Beijing and is vacationing in Portugal and Spain. Glad to be living in this century when such a rendezvous is easily organized.
On the bus from Amarante to Porto.
Sao Bento Train Station, Porto. It's always full of photographers it seems. And rightly so; it's a beauty.
Porto has plenty of hills.
A busker on the waterfront.
No shortage of tables with a view.
View out the Douro River to the Atlantic Ocean.
Porto has a good number of city parks.
And there is a Modernist and an Art Deco, 1930's-ish, above ground parking garage. Wow!
Plus the Teatro Rivoli.
Not to mention the Louie Louie Record Shop.
Plenty of churches in Porto.
Santa Catarina shopping street.
There are some great views from the Dom Luis Bridge and surrounds.
The bridge at night.
Walking the narrow streets of the Old Town with a view to the Cathedral.
Our apartment overlooked Liberdade Plaza. And since it was the weekend of Liberty Day, a national holiday, there were concerts, fireworks, and parades there.
The old jail is now a photography museum.
Spy cameras on display.
Sun-Ling and Jinyi (left).
I was disappointed when I went back to Porto too, although that seems to be a minority opinion. And I very much enjoyed the port tastings I did and there weren't hordes of cruise ship passengers (2004).
ReplyDeleteKathy mentions port tastings but you don't. Is this the wrong season for Port? We like a port sold by T.J.'s, Morgado, comes in 6 and 10 years, we prefer the 10.
ReplyDeleteThere is no season for port. Aside from vintage port, it is ready to drink when you buy. Vintage port should be allowed to age, and it can last a long time.
ReplyDeleteI assume the Morgado is a tawny, although I have never heard of a six year tawny and suspect it is a T.J. special best avoided. You might look for a 20 year tawny in a wine shop if you like the ten year.
Kathy and Ed, Waiting to be invited over for a port tasting. ;-)
ReplyDelete