And what a wonderful city is Porto. It’s a city full of character, hills, very steep walks and friendly people. Porto was a small settlement occupied by celts until the Romans moved in 2000 years ago and established a trading post. After the Romans came the Visi-goths and then the Moors – and around 900 AD the Moors were finally kicked out and the kingdom of Portugal was established.
Although Porto has always been a place of trade, it’s also seen its fair amount of ups and downs over the millennia, and the hanging post outside the cathedral is a sad testament to that. But whereas Porto is fiercely independent, Porto is also fiercely loyal to Portugal itself and is very proud of its history.
Yesterday I did a walking tour of the city, which seemed like a good idea when I booked it, but my poor feet didn’t agree with me once it finished – but – I did get to see lots of things I would have missed otherwise – like the history behind some of the main buildings, and the different influences on the architecture, such as French and Italian styles.
After that I visited the Cathedral and the Bishops house, and if you ever visit Porto please go to see the Bishops Palace. It’s worth it just to see the 18th century ceiling in the entrance, with its glorious neoclassical style.
Also, as a great lover of Port, especially Taylor’s Port – which is the oldest of Port producers, dating back to 1692 – I took the opportunity to visit their winery and take a tour. When you finish you get to taste two of their port’s, and with my taste buds on high alert, I indulged in a glass of Vintage Port and a glass of 20 year-old Tawny – which made my taste buds dance with delight. I almost floated out of the winery. The biggest shock was seeing a single wine barrel – the biggest in the world – which can hold enough maturing port for over 30,000 bottles.
I’ve had two great days in Porto. The busses are cheap, and they have one universal fee and you can travel anywhere for a single price. Superb…! There was a bus stop about five minutes-walk from the hostel and the busses to the city centre come every 20 minutes. Brilliant. I’ve spent two days here and seen lots of the city, and as much as I would like to stay longer I’ve decided to head north to Santander as according to the weather forecast, the next few days are going to be grim in terms of wet weather and high winds.
Time to leave and head north. Sadly…
