A day in Braga

When I was researching my trip to Portugal, I had hi-lighted some day trips of interest. Braga, the capital of the Minho province of Portugal caught my eye. The town was founded by the Romans and has long been the centre of commerce and ecclesiastical importance. The town is full of baroque-style buildings and also contains the pilgrimage site of Bom Jesus do Monte which lies on the Portuguese road to Santiago. I decided after wandering around Porto that I wanted to take a day trip to get out of the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Braga is about an hour's train ride north of Porto, and the train costs €6.85 return. The countryside through which the train travels is lovely, and it's the home of vinho verde (green wine) - my wine of choice on hot summer evenings. Vineyards and scrubby pines dot the landscape.

To get to the old centre of town, you have to walk through a light industrial area and a huge roundabout. You know you've reached the place when you come upon the gate that leads you down the pedestrian area of Rua do Souto:

Below: a typical street in Braga's old pedestrian area. 

Below: My previous superviser, Robyn, suggested that I go to the Café Brasileria (a place also recommended in my guide book for its 19th century salon interior). It's a gorgeous café with green, gold, and white decor that really stands out. I felt transported back in time to a more elegant epoch. I had a fortifying and delicious lunch there before heading off to wander about the town.

After locating the tourist office, I inquired about how to get to Bom Jesus do Monte, the cathedral complex that I most wanted to see while in Braga. After a 20 minute bus ride (€1.65 each way), I arrived at Bom Jesus. The site is located atop a huge forested hill, and you have the choice to either climb up the switch-backing forest path or you can take the hydraulic funicular railway up the hill for €1.20 one way. I took the railcar up the slope, as I was feeling that I was beginning to catch a cold, and preferred to walk down afterwards.

Below: The furnicular railway car takes about three minutes to climb the hill, and was built in 1882. 

Once atop the hill, I was greeted by manicured lawns and gardens, a man-made grotto, cafés, as well as the sight of the cathedral itself:

The cathedral and escadaria (stairway) of Bom Jesus do Monte was originally was devised by the Archbishop of Braga in 1722, and was completed in 1811. The site is in the baroque style, and each level of stairs has a water fountain, and side-chapels depicting the 14 stations of the cross. 

 

Above: a man-made grotto at the top if the hill that I fell in love with. So idyllic. Somewhere I'd love to come back to have a photoshoot if I ever get the chance.

Below: a selfie taken in the grotto's golden light reflecting off the pools of water.

Almost as impressive as the cathedral itself is the view looking down over Braga:

The cathedral is undergoing some restoration works, mostly repainting the whitewashed walls and replacing some of the terracotta roofing. The scope of the site is baffling, and hard to capture in one photo frame. The site is meant to walked from the bottom-up, as the climb represents an upward spiritual journey.

Below: from the bottom of the main stairway looking up at the cathedral. The scaffolding makes the right bell tower look ghostly in my opinion. But it's an impressive vantage point nonetheless. 

The side-chapels of the stations of the cross were a bit dark but were really well articulated. The chapel with the betrayal of Jesus by Judas was the most poignant. 

Below: one of the side-chapels on my descent through the woods. 

I returned to the town of Braga to wander around some more and managed to locate the Jardim de Bárbara outside the walls of the Antiguo Paço Episcopal (the former 14th century archbishop's palace). The gardens are well tended and some of the most beautiful that I've seen on my trip to date.

Great day trip, and I'd definitely give myself more time to explore should I have the chance to return.