A day in Porto

where the Douro meets the Atlantic

Porto is a great walking city since it's historic center is concentrated in a small area rising up from the Douro River.  While it's hilly, it is not difficult to walk around, though I would not recommend the spike heels I saw on one tourist attempting to navigate the cobblestones.

cathedral and bishop's palace

The city started where most European cities began, around the earliest church or cathedral.  In Porto's case, the first church was replaced by a large Romanesque cathedral.  People built houses wherever they found a plot of land, moving out from the cathedral, up and down the hills.  Consequently, the streets in this area of the city meander about because people created pathways and roads as they could between the existing houses and shops rather than in orderly lines.

Porto reflects the long economic stagnation of Portugal.  It has such beautiful old buildings, but thousands of them are abandoned and in varying stages of decay.  Some of them lack windows and doors while others have curtains billowing out of partially opened doorways.  The tiled exterior walls have missing and cracked tiles.


abandoned church on cliff above Douro

This would be a dream restoration project for someone with endless money and time. 

Since Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage site, these gracious old buildings must be maintained as originally built, at least on the exterior.  Many are being renovated and restored, but most are crumbling faster than anyone can repair them.  One problem is finding the owners who have vanished.  Ownership records are often missing, so it is difficult to establish ownership if you want to buy a vacant building.

blue-tied building

The blue and white tiles were inspired by Chinese porcelain, which made its way to Portugal during the height of the Silk Road trade.  They were made locally, in blue and white, green and white, yellow and brown, some red, but the inspiration was China.  They protected the outsides of the buildings against the harsh elements in this city on the Atlantic. 

We started our day where the Douro meets the Atlantic, choppy, with large swells breaking on the piers.  A few years ago, there was a big storm that produced waves 4 times the height of the small lighthouse marking the rocky shore.  Our guide showed us photos of huge waves crashing high above the lighthouse (http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/stormy-seas-portugal/.

lighthouse on calm day

Don and I climbed the beautiful tower attached to the Clerigos church for a spectacular view of the city.  There are 242 steps to the top of the tower, narrow and a bit claustrophobic, but well worth the effort for the views of the city.  The church itself is round, quite unusual.  We were there in time to enjoy an organ recital as we climbed the tower.

Clarigos tower

Nearby is the cathedral.  The best part of the cathedral is the beautiful cloister with medieval scenes in blue and white tile around its walls. 

Everyone goes to visit Lella's bookstore, housed for the last century in a perfectly restored old building.  The interior is of carved wood with a wooden stairway that curves in 2 directions up to the second floor, where light filters in through a stained glass skylight.  The place is packed with tourists and shoppers.  Upstairs is a coffee and wine bar which would be a nice place to relax and read.

Lella Bookstore

We spent part of the afternoon at Graham's port lodge, owned by the Symington family (originally British) which controls 70% of the port production in Portugal.  Graham's has won many awards for its excellent ports.  Interesting tour ending with a tasting of 3 different ports.

During our 2 nights here, we have really enjoyed the Portuguese wines, particularly those from the upper Douro Valley, where we are headed today.