Exploring Portugal: Porto #2

November 2014 and I had just started the DELTA. In anticipation of the success of my first LSA (you'd think I'd wait till it was a given, wouldn't you?!), I decided to treat myself to a weekend away. My only provisos were that it was cheap and stress-free, and thus I hit on the idea of Portugal.

I hadn't been back to Portugal since I finished my contract there in June 2011. As it was easy to get from Madrid to Porto I figured that then was as good a time as any to go back. Finding a flight for €41 rtn (£32.50/US$52.50) was the icing on the cake. Sure, it was with Europe's "favourite" airline (can't you hear the sarcasm?) and the return flight was at stupid o'clock in the morning, but cheap is cheap and so I booked it.

Four weeks later, and safe in the knowledge that I'd passed my LSA (yay!), I landed in Aeroporto do Porto (also known as Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro). It was 09:40 and waaaaaay too early to check in at my hotel, so I got the metro into town. It was as easy as it had ever been, and just as cheap too!

I changed at Trindade for São Bento, from where it was a nice walk downhill towards the Ribeira. I wandered along the riverfront, drinking in the views and taking pictures, before grabbing a table at one of the cafés and treating myself to an Earl Grey tea and a tosta mista (ham and cheese toastie).


No place I'd rather be

Refreshed, I crossed the iconic Ponte Dom Luís I and focussed on getting some shots of the Ribeira. I could have stood there all day trying to capture what I was seeing...

The Ribeira in the sun



Boats on the Douro

The view from the bridge

I reluctantly pulled myself away from the view, crossed back over the bridge, walked uphill and headed for Avenida dos Aliados, which was where my hotel was. The Câmara Municipal (Town Hall) is still one of my favourite buildings. And it looked as gorgeous as ever against a backdrop of blue sky.

Still one of my favourite views

Having checked in and dumped my bag, which was growing increasingly heavy, I took one last look at the Town Hall, and then went to check out Torre dos Clérigos. But I got distracted by Casa Oriental, the most-photographed shop in Porto.


Trying to photograph the city's most-photographed shop

Close-up of the produce

Salt cod in bags

A stone's throw from Casa Oriental, sandwiched between Igreja dos Carmelitas and Igreja do Carmo is the narrowest house in Portugal. En-route, I caught sight of one of the trams, which was perfectly coordinated with the autumn leaves. I would later discover that this was one of the few trams not to have been defaced by modern-day advertising.

Old-fashioned tram and autumn colours

The narrowest house in Portugal between Igreja dos Carmelitas (left) and Igreja do Carmo

With the main sights checked off, I decided to head for Campanhã, the regional train station, and jump on a train to Braga, my old home. An hour later, I had arrived. I walked slowly through the streets, taking in the changes, smiling at the sameness. And then I swung a left and headed purposefully for my school...



Familiar platform at Porto Campanhã

I had almost reached the school when I realised I was walking alongside a former colleague. She turned and saw me at the exactly the same moment, screamed and hugged me, and then insisted on walking me into the school to 'show me off'. I spent a couple of hours catching up with my former colleagues. It was almost as though I'd never left. When they went to class, I headed home.

By the time I got back to Porto, darkness had fallen. Hungry now, I headed for the Ribeira, determined to have one riverside dinner. But I soon got distracted photographing the bridge and Vila Nova de Gaia, all lit up and casting light onto the river.

Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar all lit up



Lights reflected onto the Douro

Several hundred photos later, and I was ready for dinner. I chose one of the riverfront restaurants, ordered robalo grelhado (grilled rockbass, a former favourite) and ate overlooking the river.

Iconic view

The next day, the sun had been replaced by heavy rain. Despite this, the autumn colours shone through. And I realised that I haven't noticed autumn in Madrid. One day, the leaves are green, the next, they are brown. There's no change, and I miss that.


Autumn on Aliados



Cute shopfront

Having walked up to Rua Santa Catarina (one of the main shopping streets), I made my way back downhill, and then uphill to the cathedral. I mostly wanted to see the views, but once there, I couldn't resist going inside. And when I saw a sign for the cloisters, I handed over my €3 (£2.40/US$3.75) without hesitation. What can I say? I'm a sucker for cloisters!

View from the cathedral



The cathedral cloisters

Another view

Artistic arches

Keen to take a ride on one of the trams, just for old time's sake, I decided to go to Foz do Douro. By the time I reached the beach, the wind had risen and the skies had turned black. Nonetheless, I walked along the front taking in the stormy seas and the smelling the ocean air...

The lighthouse



Wild seas



Dark sands



Looking back towards the lighthouse

I walked along the seafront admiring the views. It was rainy and blustery, but I didn't want to go back, so I just kept on walking. Despite the greyness, the views were awesome. An hour or so later and I was done. I made my way back to the tram, stopping en-route to pet a friendly cat. Then it was back to the city for one last wander. Breaking with tradition, I walked down a street I'd never walked down before, and came across some scrappily but brightly-painted doors.


Doors to make you smile

Back in the centre and I decided to head out to the airport and find my hotel. It was too cold and wet to hang around, and I had an early flight the next morning. The weekend may have been brief, but I loved going back. Perhaps one day I'll go back permanently...

Exploring Portugal: Valença do Minho

Following a brief exploration of Viana do Castelo, I caught a train to the second and final stop on my itinerary, Valença do Minho. A walled town located on the bank of the Minho river, which establishes the border with Spain, Valença do Minho has a population of around 14,000 and was officially recognised as a city in June 2009.

The city's origins date back to Roman times, reminders of which can be found in two of the roads. There is also a 1st century Roman milestone inside the fortified walls marking the 42 mile distance on the road connecting Braga, then known as Bracara Augusta, to Tui in Spain, which the Romans called Tude. However, the city as we know it was founded in the 12th century by King Sancho I, the second king of Portugal (r. 1185-1212). At the time it was called Contrasta, which means "village opposed to another", in this case Tui in the Spanish province of Galicia. The name was changed to Valença in the 13th century by Sancho's grandson, King Afonso III (r. 1248-1279).

I'm afraid I don't know very much more about the city's history. So instead of prattling on about things I'm not qualified to talk about, I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

A section of the well-preserved fortified walls

The main street inside the walls

  

The archway joining the two halves of the walled town



Another look at the fortifications

Iglesia de Santa María dos Anjos



Capela da Misericórdia

Yet another glimpse of the fortifications



Capela de São Sebastião

View across the Minho to Tui in Spain

The old International Bridge connects Portugal to Spain

Inspired by the work of Gustave Eiffel, the bridge was completed in 1884



From the bridge, it's a short walk into Tui in Spain

The Minho acts as the border between Spain (on the left) and Portugal

Exploring Portugal: Viana do Castelo

In June 2011, with my contract almost at an end, I treated myself to one final trip. With Saturday classes finished, for my last weekend, I visited two towns I'd long wanted to see, the first of which was Viana do Castelo.

I had attempted to visit Viana do Castelo some seven months earlier. My efforts were thwarted by the hideous weather, and I got no further than the shopping centre above the bus station. This time I am happy to say, I was far more successful. I caught the 08:10 train from Braga (who knew that existed?!) to Nine, and then changed for Viana do Castelo, arriving at 09:30.

My first dilemma was how to get out of the train station! Seriously. Somehow I had missed the big footbridge! Some fifteen minutes later, I figured it out and my sightseeing could truly begin... but first I had to locate the funicular to Santa Luzia do Monte. This time it was not my failing, but Rough Guide's. They had marked the start point for the funicular in completely the wrong place on the map! I eventually located the funicular, only to find it was closed. According to Rough Guide it opened at 08:00 daily. According to itself, it opened at 10:00... Rough Guide fail! To cut a long story short, I managed to get to the top, where I passed a happy half hour or so taking photos and ascending the building to get the best views.

La Basílica de Santa Luzía



The rose window

View across the River Lima

View of the Atlantic

Back on the ground it was time to explore the town. The only drawback was the temperature – 30°C (86°F)and rising. It was NOT good sightseeing weather! My first port of call (pun intended) was the Gil Eannes, a former Portuguese hospital ship now permanently moored in the fishing harbour.

Commissioned by Grémio dos Armadores de Navios da Pesca do Bacalhau (the Portuguese guild of codfish fishing ship owners), the Gil Eannes was built in 1955 at the naval shipyards in Viana do Castelo. The ship served as a hospital ship in the Newfoundland and Greenland seas. In 1973, following its last trip, the Gil Eannes was abandoned in the port of Lisbon pending demolition.

Almost 25 years later, TV presenter José Hermano Saraiva, the sponsor of the ship's last trip, launched a campaign to save the Gil Eannes, and it worked. The following year, the ship was restored, part of it was transformed into a 60-bed youth hostel while the rest was turned into a museum.


Crossing the bridge to get to the Gil Eannes



Boarding the ship



View from the cabin

The entrance to the museum

Having seen the ship, I made my way back into town, but it was just too hot too sightsee. So, I located a nice park, and sat in the shade watching the world go by. When hunger forced to me leave, I made my way slowly up the hill to the air-conditioned haven that was Viana Shopping. After a quick lunch, it was back to the park for an hour of shadiness, before catching the 14:12 train to Valença do Minho, the last place I would visit in Portugal.

Exploring Portugal: Póvoa de Varzim

When I came to Portugal, I made it my goal to see as many places as possible. From February onwards I was working six days a week, which meant that I was restricted to places within easy reach of Porto.

By June, with my time in Portugal fast running out, there were very few easy-to-reach places that I hadn't been to. However, there was a beach I hadn't yet visited and that was Póvoa de Varzim. So one Sunday in the middle of the month, I caught the 10:34 train to Porto. From there I got the metro to Póvoa de Varzim, where I spent a pleasant few hours.

Though much bigger than I had imagined, Póvoa de Varzim was quite a nice town, with pretty streets and of course, the beach. I probably took the long way to the beach, walking almost to Vila do Conde before I realised I was walking in the wrong direction! Doh!


Halfway to... the wrong place!

Having found the beach I was somewhat disappointed to find that the sand was very gritty, and underfoot it hurt! So my beach adventure was fairly short-lived. It was pretty though, and surprisingly empty for a warm June weekend.


The view to the right

The view to the left



Watchful seagull



Walking along the shore where the sand was less gritty