We booked an all day tour through Viator.com with CoolTour Oporto. It was a really good tour and highly recommended.
Our guides name was Pedro and he was very knowledgeable and a great guy. Terry and I were the only ones on the tour so it was our very own private tour. It was rainy on and off but we set off to an area above our hotel near the
First stop the Church of our Lady Carmo
Church of Our Lady Carmo on the right is twined with the Church of the Carmelites on the left.
It was not permitted to build a wall between the two churches, so they built the skinniest house in between (note the small green door)
We were able to visit the Churh of the Carmelites
João Chagas Garden - popularly known as the Garden Cordoaria
Maple trees that suffered some sort of disease when they were young and disfigured their trunks
The old men laughing - there were a number of these in the park
Livaria Bello -
If you ever visit Porto in Portugal here’s a place you just can’t miss: Livraria Lello, one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, it was even named by Lonely Planet the “Third Best Bookshop in the World”.
We were not allowed to take pictures, but I found some on the internet
Livraria Lello is so astonishingly beautiful that even the wizards couldn’t resist. The bookstore was an important inspiration for JK Rowling on Harry Potter’s books. The now famous author JK Rowling had been living in Porto, Portugal teaching English in the early 1990s. As her marriage was falling apart in 1993 on the heels of her mother passing the year prior, she added the Dementors, and many of the series’ darker themes into the later books. Much of which Rowling is said to have scribbled on notes as she drank cup after cup of coffee at the Livraria Lello’s small cafe on the second floor. Apparently all the hype from the books brought so many people to the bookstore that they had to ban photos. The Clerigos Tower is one of the architectural landmarks of Porto. The structure is, in fact, part of the Clerigos Church, representing its bell tower. The church proper was built between 1732 and 1750, but the construction works at the Clerigos Tower started no sooner than 1754, only to be completed in 1763. It was designed by Nicolau Nasoni, the Italian architect who left a strong artistic print on Porto since he also contributed, at least in part, to the design of sundry other landmarks of the city, such as the Porto Cathedral, the Church of Mercy and the very Clerigos Church.
It is 76 metres in height and 240 steps to the top.
The Clerigos Church, just having finished a restoration. Even our guide was seeing for the first time since it re-opened.
Views from the top
It wasn't raining when we started the climb. By the time we got to the top it was raining and foggy.
By the time we got back down, it had quit raining again. We walked back up through Gomes Teixeira Square = popularly known as the Square of the Lions.
Then to pretty square and the parking lot where we parked the van
Down to the Ribeira District along the Douro River
He was a student of Eiffel - The Luis I Bridge - there is another bridge that was designed by Eiffel called the Ponte Dona Maria and is one of the several bridges the cross the River Douro
Climbing again at least another 240 steps. Pedro says he is showing us the real Porto.
to Church of Santa Clara - The façade is plain, but the interior of this 15th century church was transformed into one of Portugal's most exceptional examples of woodwork and gilding in the 17th century.
Baroque and Rococo
There is always a view when you climb
From here we took a ride out to the mouth of the River Douro where it meets the Atlantic and along the coast. It was beautiful but the waves were really crashing. Pedro did not give us a photo stop here. We circled back around and crossed a bridge into the Gaia District where we are having lunch, then a short cruise on the river and Port Wine tastings.
Lunch was a typical Portuguese - a huge platter of different types of meat, pork, beef and chicken with fries and rice. We had green wine. This semi-sparkling wine is called "green" not because of its color, but due to the fact that it is consumed while the wine is still young, preferably within a year or two after its release.Vinho Verde is unique to Portugal and is not produced anywhere else in the world.
A little stroll through shops with local products. The legend of the Rooster of Barcelos tells the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death.
According to the legend, silver had been stolen from a landowner in Barcelos, and the inhabitants of that city were looking for the criminal who had committed the crime. One day, a man from neighboring Galicia turned up and became suspect, despite his pleas of innocence. The Galician swore that he was merely passing through Barcelos on a Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to complete a promise.
Nevertheless, the authorities arrested the Galician and condemned him to hang. The man asked them to take him in front of the judge who had condemned him. The authorities honored his request and took him to the house of the magistrate, who was holding a banquet with some friends. Affirming his innocence, the Galician pointed to a roasted cock on top of the banquet table and exclaimed, "It is as certain that I am innocent as it is certain that this rooster will crow when they hang me." The judge pushed aside his plate because he decided to not eat the rooster. But still, the judge ignored the Galician's appeal.
However, while the pilgrim was being hanged, the roasted rooster stood up on the table and crowed as the Galician predicted. Understanding his error, the judge ran to the gallows, only to discover that the Galician had been saved from hanging thanks to a poorly made knot in the rope. The man was immediately freed and sent off in peace.
Some years later, the Galician returned to Barcelos to sculpt the Calvary (or Crucifix) to the Lord of the Rooster (Portuguese, "Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo") in praise to the Virgin Mary and to Saint James. The monument is located in the Archeological Museum of Barcelos.
Pedro told a slightly different story that included a woman scorned by the young man. She hid a silver spoon on him while he slept, then accused him of theft. They rest of the story is the same.
These chickens are everywhere
The boats that used to bring the port down the river to the Porto wine caves
This is not the boat we went on. Ours tied up next to the Sandeman and we had to cross it to get to ours..
Heading up the River Douro
Terry's practicing taking selfies
Back on land we joined up with Pedro again and headed to the Port wine cave that featured a Fado Singer. This is a place that Pedro likes to bring people mostly to hear the singers. Fado is very traditional portuguese music. Generally sad and melancholy in a vry throaty voice. It originated with the women sinnging there sadness and loneliness when their fishermen went to sea. It is quite beautiful.
We tasted 3 kinds here
The Fado singer sang to all of us
Some wines are aged aand some are not. The ones that are aged are brought to Porto to the caves because of the temperatures year round affecting the final product. Those that are not aged must be drunk fairly quickly.
The oldest vintag bottle in this cave is 1868 - worth a lot of money - he told of one bottle that had been auctioned at Christies for a whole bunch of Euros.
The tasting a deep ruby red (aged longer) - a lighter ruby red - and a tawny - all very good
The Douro Valley. The vines are planted in a shale like soil, on the ssteep hills. The shale holds the water deep down and allows the deep roots from the vines to get water during the hot summers. Looks like a beautiful countryside. Would like to do a tour of this valley if I ever get back to Portugal.
The view from the tasting room.
The store. This bottle of a vintage port sells for 5,500 Euro. They sold one of six bottles kept by the cave the day before we were here. Others of this same vintage were purchased world wide by wine purveyors to sell in their stores.
A superb view and end of a great tour.
Dinner at a restaurant Pedro recommended that is owned by a friend of his.
The next day (our last in Porto) we just walked around areas we hadn't been
The market Bohao - beautiful fruit here
colorful aprons
a cafe area
We walked on to a busy shopping street looking for the Majestic Cafe.
On the 17th December 1921, an establishment called Elite café opened for business in Porto. It was located in Santa Catarina street, a pedestrian walkway for shopping and for the finest members of society, then and now. The café enlightened the street with its Art Nouveau decoration, by architect João Queiroz.Inside, the scent of leather upholstery and varnished wood is joined by the magnificent vision of the plaster-decorated ceiling and of the endless Flemish mirrors, is an ensemble that marvels all senses. Add in the combination of marble and metal and it becomes truly exquisite. At the back of the café, nature rules in the conservatory, which connects Santa Catarina street to Passos Manuel street.
The opening day, which has become a distant memory, has always been remembered by the city. Many have flocked to this part of the city to learn about the new building that has become to define Porto's architectural landscape. Appealing to intellectuals, bohemians and to the ladies of high society, when on a walkabout, would sit to drink tea or eat an ice cream.
Although this was a successful opening, the name Elite carried a hint of monarchy that did not go well with the republican, bourgeois and chic atmosphere of Porto at the time.
The glamorous cultural elite from Paris was a reference for portuguese culture in those days. Hence the new name – Majestic – filled with all the charm of "La Belle Époque".
Soon the most influential figures of Porto became regular customers of the café. José Régio, Teixeira de Pascoaes and Leonardo Coimbra, among others, gave this establishment the necessary literary standing to foster vivid debates between public figures and soon-to-be-famous characters, on the most important political, social and philosophical issues of the time.
The outside of the building was being worked on and you could not see the facade. This is from the internet
A beautiful building - white coated waiters and a maitre de
Continued strolling - another church
we ended up back down at the waterfront Rebeira area
Had lunch a late lunch and then headed back up the hill toward the apartment. It was cold and misting rain.
This is a weird statue of St. John Patron Saint of Porto. Looks kind of like he is covered in spaghetti.
Went to dinner at the same restaurant we had lunch at on the first day. Then to bed as we have an early train back to Lisbon tomorrow.
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