Porto - Portugal
Lisbon To Porto train Journey on board the Alfa Pendular
Accommodation is centrally located, comfortable, with some city background noise. Click here for specific info. or search São Bento Apartment
Porto time lapse from Luís I Bridge
Porto Buskers
PORTO!!!! What an absolutely fantastic place to explore.. stunning scenery bursting with charm and lots of character at every turn. Our very first ‘walkabout’ after dropping off our bags at the apartment was a little adventure to see what lay on the other side of the iconic Luís I Bridge from where we were staying, as it seemed to lead away from the bustling city centre.
Jardim do Morro
The bridge was almost as busy as the Charles Bridge in Prague…but not quite bustling to that extent. We followed the cheerful sound of live music and stumbled upon a charming scene where people were simply relaxing, enjoying the tunes, and sipping a few bevvies together. It was quite an amazing sight to see folks casually selling alcohol from either portable eskies or just a small camping table set up randomly, adding to the laid-back, impromptu vibe of the whole experience.
Today we welcome Simon back to planet earth too. For our last 2 days in Lisbon itself he had picked up some sort of virus/bug that pretty much floored him. But after arriving in Porto and finally being able to eat something his brain started firing up again. Admittedly we did eat at a Maccas, but when you’ve been unwell you want to know what it is you’re getting. It was a rather posh Maccas though!!
The lift to our apartment was a bit dodgy!!! A remanent of the 50’s or possibly earlier? Getting into the apartment itself was a bit of a mission…bit like playing that ‘bop it’ game when you have to push it, pull it, twist it, bop it and voila! door unlocks!!
Porto is a very walkable city and as we did not venture to any beaches there was no need to decipher the public transport system. We enjoyed Porto immensely, wandering the many intricate streets and window shopping as we went. We enjoyed sampling the local cuisine and tried several different establishments!
An enjoyable evening was had at Calem, one of the Port houses along the river Duoro. A tour of the cellar and museum taught us about Port, its history and how it is made. This was followed with some sampling of a Tawny port and a white port whilst being entertained with a Fado which is a soulful melancholic form of Portuguese music. Two excellent guitarists and two talented singers were involved…..then Simon and I let them have the floor!!
Our final day was spent on a river cruise along the Duoro river/valley which is the main area for the vineyards for Port. We travelled from Porto as far as Pinhão. It was a long day which involved being on the boat for just over 8 hours, an hours stop at a vineyard to sample some Port and some snacks before a 2 hour drive back via bus along some pretty scary narrow roads! The scenery was simply stunning. Hues of green wove a tapestry along the hillsides which were in terraced rows. Earlier this year it had reached 54 degrees C apparently!!! Glad to report it was not that hot today! A gentle cooling breeze accompanied us for most of the 128km we were cruising and we were treated to brief spells of shade as we passed through 3 incredably high locks. Luckily there was plenty of room inside to sit in the cool air con to escape the heat!
The best bit was arriving at Quinta da Roeda wine estate for some delicious food and port tasting.
This may be just me, but I’ve been thinking there are literally thousands of acres of grapes dedicated to growing fruit that will be used mostly to make a sweet, slightly sickly fortified wine. In most cases, these grapes have been nurtured for 6 to 20 years, which is a lot of time and care, only to end up as something quite different from a really decent, rich red wine. WHY is that the case? Then, out of curiosity, I had a glass of this Port wine after a meal, and to my surprise, I really quite enjoyed it.
We do plan to return to Porto in the next 2 or 3 years. There is just so much more we would like to see and experience here.