TO PORTO (OR OPORTO?)

18th - 20th July

Aloft over Porto on the Torre des Clérigos.

It was another pleasant (and cheap...13 Euros) 3½hr train ride with good WiFi, good buffet car, comfortable seat and on time from Lisbon Oriente to Porto Campañha railway station. I've more or less got the hang of the Portuguese Metro system now and it was a short trip to my  latest  'cheapo' hotel on Rua de Fernandes Tomás. A very convenient location and helpful staff, with the slight drawback that my room was on the 5th floor and there was a very dodgy, temperamental and, if it worked, slow lift. The stairs provided good excercise.

In no particular order I will show a few photos of the sights I saw. Always remember that my 'historical' and even 'actual time' reports, along with my spelling, are prone to wild inaccuracies. These are frequently pointed out to me by the helpful and painstaking 'Research and Correction' team at OMPITA (sounds like a present day political brainwashing department).

Left: The impressive City Hall at the top of the elegant Av. do Aliados. The just discernible statue at the front is of El Vis Preslé.

Right: Walking down to the south of town  towards the river Douro, there are many street closurers and diversions due to the fact that the centre is being dug up to install a new Metro station. Most inconvenient.

Left: I passed this shop on the way. It seems that cannabis is openly traded. It advertised such comestibles as 'Purple Haze', 'Strong Shock' and 'Amnesia'! I really don't need cannabis to enhance my amnesia!

Right: One of many buildings, a church of some sort here, as with Lisbon, which boasts this intricate blue and white patterned tiled exterior.

Left: The Sao Bento railway station in mid-town. Again, very elegantly decorated. I believe it serves the more local train lines.

Right: La Palacio da Bolsa in the south of town. It used to be the city Stock Market. Not sure what it houses now but you pay an entrance fee to look around. I asked what there was to see; I was told 'fine architecture' and 'interesting rooms', so I didn't bother. The statue ouside is of the great Prince Henry the Navigator.

Left: The Grand Cathedral (side on view). I looked inside and it was impressively and elaborately decorated, as are the insides of all the churches and cathedrals here, and everywhere for that matter. They must have managed to get hold of a lot of loot over the years from the collection boxes and wealthy (and poor) people who generously donate to secure their place in the 'next world'.

Right: The statue outside this cathedral was of someone called Vimara Peres. He was either the first 'ruler' of Portugal, or a founder member and early famous 'striker' at FC Porto.

As with Lisbon, the town was fairly packed with tourists, and the many inevitable beggars. Left: As well as the ubiquitous 'tuk-tuks' this was one form of tourist transport. I walked.

Right: .....as well as these fine looking charabancs.

Left: A jolly character on the street. It looks like a friend of mine in my local town, a certain Nick L, who is an actor of some repute. It may well be him 'on location'. I didn't want to blow his cover so didn't say hello. Nick, can you confirm?

Right: The impressive tower, 'Torre des Clérigos', at the Clérigos Church. I was determined to get to the top. There was a long queue to do so and we were told to buy a ticket and come back later. 

There is free entry to the church itself and a museum. I gave them a look to fill in time. The inside of the church was much like so many elaborate others, but there was a most appalling loud wailing noise in the interior. I thought it might be the fire alarm, or an air-raid warning siren. It was only later that I was told it was 'experts' tuning the organ.

Right: This was on display on one side. I suppose it is meant to be of Jesus after his crucifiction. To me it looked more like the victim of a serious road traffic accident.

Anyway I eventually got up to the top of the tower. See the photo at the top. There were  240 steps in all, mostly up a very narrow wooden spiral staircase (clockwise of course...see previous blog). Traffic jams of people going up and coming down ensued. There were, as you can expect, good views of the city from the top. Left: Looking north down to the gardens below. I was sweating a bit.

Right: ...and south down to the river'

Left: This was on display in the museum. I presumed it was an old clerical Squash Ladder.

Right: Nearby is the the Livraria Chardron, or Lello. The Lello brothers built it. I'm not sure why two names. It is famous as being one of the oldest libraries in the world (built 1906, I believe, which doesn't sound particularly old) and the most beautiful inside. It was made more famous by the author J.K.Rowling who lived in Porto for a time and based 'Hogwarts School' library in her Harry Potter books and films  on this place. I haven't read or seen any of them.

Left: There was a very long queue of tourists trying to get in. Most of them had booked their tickets 'on-line' but still had to queue to an 'appointed hour' to be let in.

Being somewhat allergic to long queues, and I was due to meet someone for supper, I just went up to the front door and asked the 'official' there what it was all about and he gave me the story. He told me firmly that it was not a library, but a bookshop ie. it sells books. I then asked if I could take a photo, which I did, and that was good enough for me! Right: The interior. As you can see it has balconies and spiral staircases and handsome 'olde worlde' furnishings, and lots of books. Very nice I'm sure but not worth queueing for half an hour or more to get in.

I had been told by a friend that a mutual (German) ex-colleague of ours, who had married a Vietnamese lady, had opened a Vietnamese Restaurant in the town. As I am a fan of Vietnamese food, and also keen to meet the owner and his wife, I set about finding it, and did. I met him and his charming wife and had a great supper of 'phở bò' (a delicious beef noodle soup) and drank bottles of Saigon Beer. A very amusing encounter. It brought back fond memories. The restaurant is called Porto Express at 149 Rua Joaquin Antonio Aquias. I strongly recommend it if you ever want something different to eat, and good company, in Porto. Left: My half eaten phở bò!

I'm sure I have mentioned the abundance of very pretty, slim and well dressed ladies about this part of the world. Of course there has to be the odd exception (right) who was stuffing her face with an enormous burger and chips. Sorry, but I couldn't resist recording it. It reminded me of Blighty, sadly.

Left: Another iconic café/restaurant, the Majestic Café, which is on Rua Santa Caterina. Very smart, and a bit expensive, you are served by impeccably dressed waiters (with maître 'd' in black tie!). 

Right: A rather familiar type of telephone kiosk in the city centre..somewhat graffitied. I didn't look for the invitations to ring 'Miss Whiplash' etc. stuck inside. They have gone out of fashion, indeed almost entirely disappeared, in UK.

I must be getting carried away, but there is so much to see in this town. I feel I am recording too much trivia, but it is probably a result of increasing 'amnesia' (not, I hasten to add, as a result of visiting that 'cannabis shop' shown earlier) and I wish to preserve the memories.

There is another Porto 'blog' to come when I take to the River Douro. Stand-by......!