Porto - Day 11

Thursday, June 16

Still a bit gray out today as we set out to explore more of Porto.  Our guide yesterday, Andre, had described Porto as "rainy, windy and foggy," kind of like San Francisco, complete with the steep hills and cable cars. And much like the California city, even those cloudy days are often interspersed with brief bursts of sunshine.

We started out walking from our hotel and toured much of the old historic section.

One of the areas was the Avenida dos Aliados (Avenue of the Allies), referring to Portugal's role on the winning side in WW I.

In the foreground is Praça da Liberdade with a statue of King Pedro IV, king in the 1830's who advocated for reforms, and in the background, is the city hall, circa 1920.

This next shot shows a piece of modern art now gracing the avenue and in front of city hall (although some distance away).

Along the way we stopped to have an up close inspection of the Dom Luis I Bridge, the major downtown bridge and the one we had seen yesterday on the boat ride. It was constructed in 1886 by a partner of Gustave Eiffel. The two-level arched bridge was used for both trolleys and vehicles on top (now just the metro) and vehicles and pedestrians on the lower level.

We stopped on the metro level and took photos with some great views, particularly of Vila Nova de Gaia across the river from Porto.

Also a great view of the Ribeira on Porto's side.

On to the Cathedral Se, a 12th century Romanesque cathedral which has a very austere inside but enhanced with a beautiful 18th century Baroque alter.

The Cathedral is significant because it was the scene of many royal marriages including John I and the English princess Philippa, which established the Portuguese-English alliance. From my standpoint, it is also the starting point for the Camino from Porto. Prior to entering, we took some more sweeping shots of the city.

When a place is built on hills, you do get marvelous views. Behind me rising above the buildings is Clerigos Tower, which can be seen from various points. It is next to a church of the same name, designed by the famous Nicolau Nasoni, an Italian architect and painter who produced extensive work in northern Portugal in the 18th century.

The tower, which is about 250 feet high, was completed in 1763 (after the earthquake). There are 240 steps to the top, but it didn't fit my schedule (this time!)

From here we went to the São Bento Train Station for another look at the tiles.

Installed between 1906 and 1918, this one chronicles the 1387 wedding of King John I and Philippa.

Our last two sights on the tour were actually connected, but today are very different.

On the right is the Stock Exchange Palace (which is neither a stock exchange nor a palace) and on the left is St. Francis Church.

First the Stock Exchange. In 1832, the monastery to the church burned down and Queen Mary II offered the ruins to the Commercial Association. Taking great pride in the skill of local tradesmen, the merchants crafted a building that showcased the talents of the community.

We toured a number of rooms which were all beautifully decorated with complex patterned floors using Brazilian and African woods from Portugal's colonies, tiles and architectural details. One of the rooms was the Central Courtyard,

with its beautiful tiled floor and covered by a metallic octagonal dome with glass panels.

Another room was kind of like a "court" where they would mediate disagreements between merchants.

The paintings around the room illustrate historical scenes dealing with justice. There were several small offices. This one I liked because the carpet is a special Portuguese style of embroidery worked in wool on linen - on inspection, it looked like a combination of cross-stitch and needlepoint -- and the floor is cork!

The grand finale is the Arab Room, completed in 1880 in the Moorish revival style that was popular at that time.

The room is used for receptions for dignitaries. 

From here we went to the St. Francis Church, completed in 1425, making it the best example of Gothic architecture in Porto. We were not allowed to take photos inside, but much of it reflected the later Manueline and Baroque styles with their ornate designs. I was taken aback by the large paintings of Franciscans being crucified by the Japanese and beheaded by Moors. Kind of scary images.

From here we had the afternoon free for lunch and sightseeing. We were right next to the Ribeira (waterfront) so I walked along the street checking out the restaurants and the shops.

And walked by the Praça Ribeira.

Then I took the funicular back up the hill and went to Rua das Flores, that our guide had said was where the art shops are located. I had a delightful time checking out the shops and found one with real treats. It was called "Memorias" and carried antiques and textiles. I bought an antique cloisonné thimble and some fabric which looked like a photograph of the apartments along the waterfront with their wrought iron balconies. I had a late lunch of quiche and drink for less than 5 euro in a small cafe on the street and then headed back to the hotel.

Tonight we said our farewells.First we gathered at the hotel for a champagne toast and gave Robert postcards from each of us telling him how much we appreciated him as our guide. Then we had dinner at Restaurante Escondidinho, which was just down the street.

Lots of laughter and hugs and a great ending to 11 days together. The rest of my adventure begins tomorrow.

Porto - Day 10

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The drive leaving the Douro Valley was as beautiful as it was on arrival, but it gradually faded.  We followed the Douro River for 3 hours, arriving in Porto about 11:30 am. Before we checked in, we took a panoramic bus tour (our own) of the surrounding area, including a stop at Ft. St. John, where the original port was located and from where we could see the Douro River flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.

The water was very choppy and the day was cloudy and windy with intermittent rain.

We stopped briefly at our hotel, the Grand Hotel Porto, which is a wonderful old hotel situated on Rua Catarina, one of the main shopping streets.

So it was good that Robert had a special treat this afternoon.  Instead of going to a  modern art museum, Rick Steves' tours had substituted a food and wine tour. Hooray! What a great idea! Love food tours.

Our guide Andre was animated and energetic.  We started the tour in the city market (Bolhão), very near our hotel.

The market was built between 1916 and 1920 and was considered very progressive at that time. It is made of wrought iron and has enclosed covered stalls. Unfortunately, it now is only about a third full, and mostly with fish and meat vendors, fruit and vegetable booths and flowers. 

First Andre introduced us to some fish vendors, such as this woman cutting salmon

and raved about the taste and quality of the local sardines.

We also saw some barnacles up close. I just don't think I could eat them.

One of the stalls we visited in the market place is Wine House Bolhão. It is operated by a young couple who renovated his grandmother's flower shop.

They hope it becomes the new direction
for the aging facility. They treated us to a delicious white wine, some meats and cheeses and fresh cherries.

Next we went to Tascö, one of the trendiest new restaurants in town, where we had almost a full meal of deep fried cod croquettes, rice and vegetables, family style -- and of course, more wine.

Walking to our next stop, we picked up pastries from Padaria Ribeiro, which opened in 1878. We had a Portuguese croissant, almond tart and chocolate truffle. 

To end the tour, we had a wine tasting at Prova, led by a sommelier from the region.

Along our walk to the different venues, we passed by a wine store with this cat guarding the stash.

Then Andre took us to a scenic overlook where, behind me, you can see the area of the city along the Douro River.

As if this wasn't enough for one day, we then took a 50-minute boat ride on the Douro. Unfortunately, it rained most of the time, so not much in the way of photos. What we did see were the 6 bridges that span the river, but the one most used and closest to downtown is the arched Ponte Luis I, built by a protege of Gustave  Eiffel.

We also saw a closer vision of the old apartments along the waterfront

and the other side of the river known as Nova de Gaia.

Did I mention that it was windy!

Moored along the waterfront are the old fashioned rabelos, the special boats that were used to transport wine down River to Porto.

Around 5:30 we checked into our hotel. Dinner was on our own but no one was really interested. I decided to go to the train station to get my ticket to return to Lisbon. The station's walls are covered with tiles that tell the history of transportation up to the railroad.

Then on my way back, I walked through the Praça  da Batalha and saw the Santo Ildefonso Church with its blue and white tiles.

So many buildings in this city whose exteriors are covered in tiles.

By now it was getting late and, with a 2-night stay, I had laundry to catch up on as well as sleep. 

Douro Wine Country - Day 9

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

We started the day at breakfast with a treat from Robert -- a pastry that is a specialty of Coimbra - pastel de Tentugal, a flaky puff pastry with a sweet egg filling and a dusting of powdered sugar. Delicious.

We boarded the bus at 8:30 and headed for the Douro Valley.

Since it was about a 3 hour drive, we made a brief rest stop for "cafe com leite". The trip took us high into the 5,000 ft. Serrado Marao mountain range that guards the region -- creating a micro climate that is perfect for growing grapes.

Temperature variations range from snowy winters to hot, arid summers, which apparently is good for wine grapes.

Coming down from the mountains into the  valley was truly picturesque. The hills are covered with terraced vineyards, each owned by a  specific company, or Quinta.

Today we visited Quinta Sta Eufemia, another family-owned farm. Although it has been in the family for generations, it is now run by a sister (also the master taster), a brother, and a sister-in-law, who gave us the tour. (That's the farm in the background.)

We walked in their vineyards and were given an informative talk about the plants.

Then we walked through their processing plant. I was really fascinated by the fact that the grapes are crushed by foot, not machine, in this concrete enclosure.

If we had come in September or October, we could have been part of this process.

The juice from the grapes is then filtered from the seeds and skins through this metal filter. Apparently this is much better than by machine.  Some wineries use "robots," but they break the seeds and the stems, causing the wine to be bitter.

Then she showed us the oak barrels where the wine is stored and the bottling facility.

Afterwards she gave us a crash course in how their port is made. Port is a medium sweet wine (20% alcohol). It is fortified with grape brandy, sometimes called "grappa" at a ratio of 4-1. The introduction of the brandy kills the yeast, halting the fermentation process, and leaving more sugar in the port. Port makers constantly monitor sugar levels to attain the sweetness they want.  Port only ferments for 2-3 days (standard wines ferment 10-12 days) before aging in wood or bottles, anywhere from 2 years to longer than a century.

Following our tour, we were treated to wines and lunch on the farm.  

We started off with 3 different types of port: white, a young port made with white grapes; ruby, a young red aged about 3 years; and tawny, the most typical version associated with port which is aged 10-40 years.

Then we also sampled white and red wines made on the farm. Needless to say, everything was wonderful.

Then back on the bus for the drive to our hotel in Pinhão, about an hour away. The scenery along the way continued to be beautiful.

We could see our hotel, The Vintage House Hotel on the right as we crossed the Douro River.

The hotel was amazing -- 4-star luxury in the middle of nowhere. I have to post pictures because it was so unbelievable.

All our rooms looked out over the Douro River.

We walked around town a little, but there is not much else here. The only unique feature is an old railway station with wonderful tiles. 

Tonight we had dinner at the hotel, which was incredibly elegant. We were wowed. Too bad it is only for one night.