Porto – Bring on the Port!

Possibly most well known for the Port it produces, Porto’s historic city center, Ribeira, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the center of this historic area is its Cathedral – another stop on the important Camino de Santiago which ends at Santiago de Compostela. The Cathedral sits high above the city giving it historically a safer place from invaders – and today beautiful views of the city.

Scenes from a rainy, foggy day around old town Porto.
Another important Cathedral on the Camino.
These markings are all over town to help pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago find their way.
Views of the River Douro from the Cathedral.

The production of Port is very important to the city, as it IS the major producer of this wine. The Douro river is littered with boats that bring the grapes in and then take the port out for distribution. From a distance these boats look very much like the gondolas in Venice;-)

Speaking of gondolas – there are those rising from the water up the hills of Porto. Just as there are funiculars to transport residents and tourists up those same hills.

Didn’t ride the funicular but thought it was a beautiful scene.

Public Art is everywhere in Porto. Since 2001, when Porto was declared a European City of Culture, many of the streets and squares have been reconstructed and buildings restored cleaning up some of the more ‘unartsy’ visions.

Tile art.
Wall art. The cats seemed unimpressed.
More narrow streets.
And small squares.

Finally – after walking a few miles through the city and across Porto’s famous bridges – our reward was waiting. PORT!

Port wine in process.

With a little extra time before returning to the ship, a brief respite along the Douro in its historic district was in order. Not sure which was stronger – the double espresso or the ‘thick’ hot chocolate;-)

Break time along the River.

This day in Porto had its challenges – especially with the continuing rain. BUT – wine can make anything tolerable!

E & G – Here’s to Port;-)

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