May 24: Portugal: 3-7 Porto to Amarante

Friday 3 May 

Slept with the window blinds open - only a couple of tents in front of us. 

Lovely morning sky - but just too chilly to walk the 50 yds past the hedge to the sea.. 🤣 .. plus the complication of finding the card to get through the turnstile 🙄

Decided to breakfast in the sunshine in Peniche as rain was forecast around Porto.

Porto

170 miles 

The sun disappeared and the rain started as we got nearer to Porto. 

The flat was small but very well positioned very near the river.

.. and the famous bridge. Good old Mr Eiffel (or his assistant).

Quite a grey day with a few sharp showers but we still had a nice walk along the river.

We're not actually staying in Porto - we're across the river Douro in the city of Gaia which looks across to Porto. I didn't know that - bit like Buda and Pest. Think we got the best of it though with beautiful views across the river.

.. and apparently that's what the people of Porto say too - the only good thing in Gaia is the view across to Porto.. 😁🤣

Rivalry apparently started in the 12th century when the bishop and Catholic church in Porto decided to add a tax to all goods coming into the city. To get round this port wine merchants opened their wine cellars in Gaia - the bishop was not happy 😁

Also water supply, humidity etc (north facing) was better for storage etc so win, win.

Saturday 4 May

Porto

Grey, showery day but not cold. Set off on a walk across the bridge to Porto.

Found probably the steepest way to get up to the cathedral..😅

Cathedral - and various other churches en route..

The Maccy D inspiration for Harry Potter.

Huge queues to get in to the Leilo bookshop - another HP inspiration - so didn't see it (stock pic).

Tiles at Sao Bento railway station.

As we walked down the Rua das Flores a girl pointed an old fashioned camera at us and then pressed something on an equally old looking machine at her side and by the time we were parallel to her she was brandishing a sheet of paper at us.

This was it☝️she just said 'it's free' as she handed it to us and we walked on. Not our best pic lol.

Think it was probably some sort of tourist ploy but we didn't break stride and she didn't insist so.. 

More churches including the Carmo and Carmelita churches - with just 3 feet between them - which was made into a very narrow house to stop all contact between the monks and nuns!

.. and a fountain.

Back over the river to Gaia.

Port wine tasting.

.. in the winery bar right underneath our accommodation so not far to walk back.. 🤣🤣🤣

Over 6 miles walked.

Sunday 5 May

Porto

Still waiting for the sun to come out - tomorrow apparently lol. 

Booked tickets for port tour and tasting tomorrow - think the rain sent everyone inside 😁 and the tours for the day were all booked up.

Got tickets for the Livrario Lello for 1.30. Saw the funicular when we got over the bridge so took it up to the top - saved a long, wet walk! Very heavy rain.

Our time for the Lello was 1.30pm but there were huge queues again and they were running nearly an hour late so we went off for some lunch. The lady advised us to come back about 2pm.

Thought we'd try a francesinha - a dish from Porto. Sort of a meat sandwich with cheese on top. The cheese is then melted by pouring a hot tomato based sauce over it. It was.. ok. Different.. 🤷

We had the special version - with a fried egg on top - and a random olive.. 🤣

By then it was after 2pm so we strolled back to the bookshop, past the 2 o'clock queue (much to the annoyance of those at the head of it) and tagged on to the end of the stragglers in the 1.30 queue. Perfect timing in the rain.

Tickets were checked and they put the wet brollies into plastic bags for us as we went in.

So. Many. People. 

A lovely building with the most beautiful, sinuous staircase! 

But hard to see things properly with so many damp bodies crammed in together - most of them trying to take photos, some wandering around aimlessly - and others trying to actually look at the books. 

You couldn't move for people taking pictures and selfies - so we joined them.

The books too were just exquisite - they seem to concentrate their display on a small selection of rotating choices, many with gilt edged pages and the most amazing and vibrant covers.

 

.. and of course lots of Harry Potter.

.. and a sorting hat.

When we came out the rain had stopped and there was a little bit of sunshine between the grey clouds. 

A quick face time with the boys who were too busy running round to chat. 

Then back over the river for another port tasting.. 😁

Then chorizo, cheese and Douro wine.

Monday 6 May 

Porto

An early(ish) start to walk up to Gaia Alto. We debated taking the cable car but decided against it - good decision for two reasons..

.. firstly I would have had to do it with my eyes shut anyway (even though it's not very high) and secondly it wasn't actually running until later.. 😁

Walked up to the monument view point in Gaia Alto. 

Fab views of the bridge and Porto. 

Then I walked across the bridge. On the high bit. With trams going past.

Shielding my eye like a blinkered horse and looking only at the yellow line. 

Going from bollard to bollard and holding everyone up when I had to stop because someone was in my path and I couldn't go round them (also whimpering 'move' when someone was in my way trying to take a photo 🤣)

Never again.

Had some breakfast, calmed down and set off again. Just wandering in the sunshine.

Everything looked so much brighter in the beautiful light.

Went on the 6 bridge cruise.

Then another walk along the river.

Lunch. Mike got his baby squid at last. Happy man. We didn't have francesinhas.. 😁

We had a voucher from the boat trip for a glass of port - which just happened to be from the bar next door to our accommodation - so we popped in there for a quick drink.

Out later for a port tour and tasting.

Then another little walk and more wine.

Tuesday 7 May 

Little trip to the seaside for breakfast. Miramar.

Tiny little chapel built on a rock on the beach. Capela do Senhor da Pedra. 

Beautiful boardwalks along the shore - and loads of preservation areas for grasses and flowers.

Like everything else the chapel was being renovated with the usual Portuguese disregard for elf n safety.. 🤣🤣🤣

Amarante

We arrived at our accommodation and left the car parked there while we went for a wander.

Lovely meal at a small bar by a church.

Another wander in the evening - couple of beers and a walk by the river.

The plug saga continued - I left the new plug (all of one week old 🤣) in the accommodation in Porto 🙄 Unplugged the travel kettle and left the adaptor in the socket - just as we said we probably would as it was a flush to the wall one. Back to one adaptor again.. 😁