This was the day we had reserved to be all packed, and to be free to just wander the streets of old Porto. On most days while cycling it will come to mind that there is no way we could be cycling like this back home. That will be triggered by something about the path, the scenery, or more likely, the lack of snow. But today we were thinking there was no way we could be walking like this back home. That was triggered by the old and beautiful buildings, and also no doubt by the presence of three gelato shops per block!
We set off along "my" street, being the street where I had sourced the semi-poisonous pizza and lasagna. This was the street that had redeemed itself by also having a MiniPreco, and that Minipreco not only had salads but also the fresh orange juice machine. Any sins can be washed away in a flood of fresh Portuguese orange juice!
It turns out that the street had a history before I "discovered" it. Read this:
Dom Pedro was clearly ahead of his time, because he moved here surely before the Minipreco opened. That's bravery!
Also on the street is a pretty good pastry shop. On could gamble on their eclair, but how about that cream - thing? We took this photo on the way out, and of course could not put the thing in the backpack. On the way back, we were too stuffed on gelato. We'll have to research cream sandwiches next time!
We have seen that great cities of the world can be boiled down from a tourist point of view to a manageable number of "must see" monuments or locations. The most reliable information about these is the map of the "Hop On Hop Off" service in the town, which often gives a 3D sketch of what you are supposed to look at. Failing this, one can do an internet search for "15 Things to See in (any place)". Of course, if you are really hard core, you can buy the relevant Rick Steves or Lonely Planet type book about the place. On the other hand, if you are a Grampie, you probably trudge out with your cane, and wander about looking for anything interesting. This method may be as good as any, though it will probably only hit a half dozen and not 15 hot spots. That's fine, because no one can absorb 15 spots anyway.
We applied the Grampie method today, and depending how you count, we visited or tried to absorb about a half dozen things. We are counting among these the Ribeira, or riverfront, district. There is a specific spot which is called the Ribeira square, but really visiting Porto is about absorbing the ambiance of the riverfront buildings, the Luis I bridge, and the ambiance of the whole thing.
First in line for us was a church that catches your interest with its blue tile exterior and Rococo style. This church is a little confusing because it is two churches side by side, associated with the Carmelite order. They are from the 18th century, so not that old. One church might be called the Church of Carmo, and the other the Carmelite Church. I don't pretend to understand much about this, but there must have been some contention between whoever was behind these churches. The "Carmelite Priests" were opposed to the "other church", which would block their light. The churches were separated by a narrow space, which paradoxically was filled with a "hidden house", which is the width of one narrow room, but many stories high. This was later used for secret meetings. If this story sounds garbled, don't blame me, I got it from a .pdf accessed from a QR code on the wall of one of these churches or the other!
Side chapels have imagery that depicts parts of the Jesus story. This one seems familiar, from some other church visited recently. That is in fact a mark of consistency. For example, the guy holding the child is characterized as the Franciscan St Anthony, associated with matchmaking and not babysitting, but holding the child as a symbol of humbleness, humility, and docility. And the lady is not generic Mary but rather Mary as she appeared in Fatima in 1917.
And the dining room. Only thing, if you are here and want to put on your sweater, you have some stairs to negotiate to reach the bedroom. What could this place sell for as a "tiny house"?
Churches accumulate all sorts of "stuff" like this valuable silverware, a collection of crucifixes, statuary, vestments, and similar "garage sale" items.
Outside the Carmelite churches, we see some of the typical Porto buildings, narrow, with the tall windows. The trolley is not just a display, but it travels off periodically to ...somewhere.
Now here is a Porto thing - the breakfast cod cakes, and the Port wine. Remember Mark Weins testing the cod cakes? I gave the link the other day. You have to rely on Mark, because we were not touching them! About the wine, I tried a little. It is sweet, tastes just like the "holy" wine I remember from synagogues.
The Clerigos Tower is probably the tallest thing in Old Porto. It has 240 steps, if you want to climb for a view of the town and the river. I took a miss this time. But we had a peek inside the church bit.
75 meters high, this tower was a good landmark for us.
Candy shops are often found in tourist districts. In France these will feature preserved fruits. But this one just has unique ones of the sort of sours variety. Dodie is snapping them up for son Joshua, who really likes these.
All through the trip we have been enjoying the pasteis de nata, and quality for them is generally good. But here is a shop (with other branches here and in Lisbon) that specializes in them makes it so you can see the production. As we watched, it became quickly clear to former baker Dodie that the fellow on the left was much better and faster than his two colleagues. You can even see his greater production in front of the three workers. We commented on this to the cashier, and she confirmed that the two on the right were relative beginners and the one on the left was the superstar. He heard our conversation and smiled.
There are a reasonable number of street musicians in Porto, many playing solo guitar. This one was really into it, and his playing really added to the feeling of the place. I like this photo, with the boat and river background.
In the square we came across two fully loaded cyclists from Paris. They had already passed through Santiago and were headed for Morocco. They were delighted to speak to us in French. I was thinking that it showed true Paris skill for them to find the central table in the central square, and to hang out there in the sun.
All along the riverside there are restaurants. I think when we were here when starting the tour it was cold and raining, but now people are really enjoying being here.
The restaurant fare, it may be said, is not very inventive or exciting. This one had the pizza, lasgna, and bacalhau that have become "famous" with us.
Tourist goods are also widely available here. There are the cork fabric purses, and of course the Barcelos chickens. good point is that it all seems to be made in Portugal. The same can not be said of souvenirs in, for example, the Canadian Rockies.
We passed by the bridge, learning that it is from 1886, and not, as I had thought, built by Eiffel. Then we took a funicular up closer to the cathedral, from where we continue this tale.
Here beneath the cathedral is some of the original defensive wall of the city.
The area is marked by a large and impressive statue. Vimara Peres was a ninth century nobleman who served as the first Count of Portugal. He was given this count-ship for his part in booting the Moors from Porto and the region north.
I noticed a man intently lining up a shot and went over to see and ask him what he was seeing. He was seeing the arches and the effect of the holes between the arches. He turned out to be from Speyer, along the Rhine, and he pointed out that the arches there are Roman, and much stronger than these wimpy gothic ones. We also talked to him about cycling. Suffering from a balance problem, he uses and electric trike, made in Netherlands, of course.
Leaving the glory of the cathedral, we found that just adjacent to it and a bit down hill the still interesting city scape was run down, could be called slums, if so much great stuff and high end retail were not just steps away. As tourists, we found it all picturesque, of course.
The Minipreco yielded some more great orange juice, and salad, setting us up for our odyssey tomorrow. We need to wake up a little after 4 a.m. to shuttle to the airport and fly to Montreal. Today was a great last day in Portugal. As usual, what didn't kill us made us stronger.
Perversely, I will be looking for some Portuguese BBQ chicken in Montreal. We almost could not find it here, and I am curious. Montreal will have other adventures as well. Check back and see!
Today's ride: 14 km (9 miles) Total: 2,944 km (1,828 miles)
