Take me back to Portugal – Porto
Written by Nez, Posted in Travel, Comments: 2
{Sit back and take a mind journey with me to Portugal. The post is picture loaded, you are warned!. I am covering 3 days of adventure in one post because, I don’t want the update to overlap to next year}.
Yes, take me back to Porto. Two weeks back we were in Porto. The beauty of the place is engraved in my memory. I can still remember the small details. The buildings piled on top of one another and the clothes drying in laundry lines.
The smell of brewing wine as we entered the Calem wine cellars,
The sight of a young couple on the bridge watching waves .
It is not easy to forget the night we sat under this tree watching the small boats, engaged in small chat,
And Muli crying uncontrollably to take us pictures. Not that we denied her to capture her dear parents, but she wanted to take many may pics. In all thousands that she took, this was the very best.
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Porto by day.
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal. Lisbon being the largest city. If you look closely in the pic below you could see the River Douro crossing the colourful region.
In between these colourful houses and the romantic Porto city there are some dilapidated early-20th-century town houses, left to crumble. Many young and rich citizens have left in search of greener pastures.
The region’s heritage is seen in its castles, ancient churches and other monuments. One can spontaneously experience the beauty of the city without breaking sweat. All you need is be willing to leave your hotel room and walk down the streets of mighty Porto.
You cannot miss the arch bridges that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. If you stare for some time on the bridges, at about 45m high you might spot an electric tram crossing the river. It is a sight to behold.
The region is known for the Port wine which is shipped from here all over the world.
The banks of the river are lined with flee market. Muli was impressed by this person though she preferred to watch him at a distance.
The magnificent view!
We enjoyed the evening cruise. The sun rays created a magnificent view as its light illuminated the brightly coloured buildings.
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Porto by Night
The breath taking view of old town Porto and river Duoro at night.
We took a walk at night. The city was vibrant and Muli was so excited to see all the Christmas lights.
We forgot about sleeping schedules. We let Muli play as much as she want.
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The food.
We absolutely loved Porto because of the amazing places we find, the extremely nice and helpful people we met, how cheap it is to get around and eat well.
Food was well priced. We had the ordinary meals and we tried Francesinha. It is a famous Portuguese sandwich. In almost every restaurant around Portugal you’ll find proud gastronomy between two slices of bread. This is not a sandwich for the faint-hearted You must be extremely hungry to finish this meal. It is a huge meal.
The sandwich is filled with meat, topped with cheese, smothered in a sauce, and always served with French fries. The meal is not the lightest and healthiest meal around but it is super delicious. When you are in Porto you have to take the challenge, the taste is worth the experience.
I hope that you having a good festive with family and friends. Lets wind up this year with energy that we had when the year started. Au revoir from me.
Take care,
Nez