Oh-Porto!

After the cold, damp days in Ireland, it was a relief to arrive in Porto, were it's been hovering around 30 Celcius for the past few days. My flight from Dublin was delayed, which meant that I didn't actually crawl into my hostel bunk until almost 1am. The next morning, my roommate, a Japanese girl who just hiked the El Camino (Road to Santiago), asked me "what are you going to do today?" To which I replied, "nothing." I was dog tired after running around Dublin and the delayed flight pushed me over the edge, and into a stage of fatigue so profound that I knew I needed a day off. 

The morning of the 31st of August started out beautifully, but then an intense fog rolled in that refused to lift all day long. Regardless of the fog, I went to Matosinhos Beach for some much-needed down time. From the fine, warm sand, you couldn't see more than a few hundred meters of ocean in front of you. No matter. I put on my headphones and had a bit of a snooze. When I woke back up, I tried to swim and discovered that the water was too cold. Had the fog not been there, I'm sure it would've been fine. Went back for another snooze on my towel and woke up feeling almost human.

I decided that Monday was to be my day to "see Porto," and I can honestly say that I did do/see all the main sites in the city. The city bus is easy to take (and actually cheaper/more enjoyable than the yellow hop-on/hop-off buses that screeches loud music in your ears in between barely audible commentary). 

Porto is a city that is fading in it's Baroque splendour but that only adds to its charm.

Above: old buildings along the waterfront that are falling into derelict beautiful ruins.

Below: newer buildings along the waterfront show off their bright colours, tiles, and wrought-iron trellises. 

The first thing on my must-do list was a boat cruise on the Rio Duoro. Originally, I was hoping to do about 2-3 hours on the boat. But I woke up kind of late and realized that I didn't really want to spend a half-day trapped on a boat (a lesson in Thailand years ago). So I settled for a 1 hour cruise that came with a port tasting - this mini-package cost me €10. I met a lovely Scottish couple (hi Margaret & Alisdair!) and asked them to take my photo down by the boat launch:

I crossed the river over the Pont de Luiz I, and ran into a local who directed me to a great restaurant on the south side of the Duoro for lunch. After a fortifying lunch of fish, veggies, pomme frits, and vinho verde, I went to make good on my port tasting. When in Rome...well, when in Porto - drink port!

The day was very hot, and so I asked one of the servers what she would recommend. "Something cold" was her answer. Hmmm, ok. So I had a glass of delightful rosé port that was simply delicious.

I was a bit tipsy at this point and decided it was time to walk off the booze and see more sites. I walked back over the bridge, where some daredevil youngsters begged €1 to jump off the bridge. Given their already soaking wet hair and shorts, I declined. They boo'd me. Ah well. I took the funicular rail car to save me the effort of climbing the huge hill at dos Guindais and made my way towards the Sé (cathedral).

Above: the Sé (grey monolithic building in the left side of the frame) as seen from the top of the Torre dos Clérigos (see info 3 photos down). 

This cathedral is definitely worth a visit, especially if you pay the €3 to visit the cloisters. Check out the tiles that are hidden within:

Above and below: tile works depicting Medaeval and biblical scenes within the cloisters of the Sé in Porto.

Below: the Torre dos Clérigos. A 289 stair climb affords you a view of the city that is impossible to rival. Note, there is no lift, so this tower is for the able-bodied/non-vertigo-impacted folks. I posted a video on Facebook of the view from the top of the tower, but I'm unsure how to upload the video here.

Of interest to all you Harry Potter fans out there, Ms. Rowling got her inspiration for the Hogwart's uniforms from the 3-5 class students that attend the city's university. I saw some of the students and wanted to take their photos but I didn't want to be a creep. J. K. Rowling also was inspired for some of the scenery in her novels by the Livraria Lello, a bookshop of unsurpassing beauty. Unfortunately, one is not allowed to take photos inside of the curving wood staircases nor the stained glass ceiling. Google it though, it's outstanding. I was allowed to take a photo of the outside, however:

I wandered down towards the main road that runs along the water, and headed back to my hostel for another nights' rest. Porto is lovely for wandering, no agenda is really needed. Just a willingness to look around you, try the local port wine, and drink in the sunshine.