Saturday 13th/15th February 2016
Since we had arrived in Portugal, the rain had not stopped and today was no different!
We checked out the hotel in Obidos and set off on our journey to Porto. Motorway all the way to Porto, not much traffic. We drove back up the Silver Coast, known as Surfer's Paradise. The motorway seemed to cut through forest all the way from Obido to Porto.
As we were nearing Porto, the visibility got worse, it was a shame for two reasons,
a) we had to more or less totally rely on our sat nav, which had been playing up on this trip.
She (yes she is a she) didn't recognise many of the roads, she is old... But she did fairly well to get us into Porto, not quite the exact spot but close.
b) The other reason, we were looking forward to seeing the river and the city panorama but it was thick fog.
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We tried to get a pic of the neon signs across the river... Not really successful....
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When we finally found the hotel, we parked the car in their undercover carpark and checked in, we went exploring that day and the next. This is what we found, even in February it was appealing, loved it...
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On the south side of the River Douro is the district vila-nova-de-gaia, it is said there must be at least 60 port-wine merchants that dominate the steep riverbank. At night, it is is lit up with huge neon signs and I must say looks spectacular.
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| Rua Santa Catarina (shopping area) |
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| Igreja de Sao Iidefanso in Praca de Batalha |
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| Porto Tram |
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| Looking across rooftops and the River Douro to Vila-de-Gaia |
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| Steep set of steps to the riverside |
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| Ribeira |
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| Along the banks of Ribeira, amongst the cafes and restaurants |
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| Dom Luis (Double Decker Bridge) |
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| River douro and across to Vila-de-Gaia |
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| Popular area of Ribeira even in February |
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| Ribeira |
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| View across the river and the wine houses |
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| Porto |
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| Henry Navigator in Praca Infante Dom Henrique, Porto |
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| Outside the Ferreira Borges Market, a former market in Praca Infante Dom Henrique next to the stock exchange |
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| colourful houses in Porto |
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| Sao Bento Station the most central station with a stunning surprise |
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| Historical scene in an azulejo panel Tile |
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| Showing part dazzling wall tiles and the platform |
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| Standing in the atrium of the station taking in the stunning Portugues scenes in blue and white tiles. Thy are the work of artist Jorge Colaco and date from 1916. |
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| Ribeira |
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| Down by the riverside |
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| Riverside |
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| Top end of Rua Catarina |
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| On the corner of Liberty Square, near the Sao Bento Station, we found a statue " Ardina", an old-world Porto newspaper-seller leaning on a pillar box. |
On the south side of the River Douro is the district vila-nova-de-gaia, it is said there must be at least 60 port-wine merchants that dominate the steep riverbank. At night, it is is lit up with huge neon signs and I must say looks spectacular.
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