We
completed our stay in Lisbon at the "138 Liberdade" Hotel.
Very nice, centrally located and a bit pricey, but we had a good
time and it was a great choice for us as they had valet
parking. Parking in Lisbon, like many other old cities in
Europe is a big deal - small spots, limited availability and
restrictive rules. But, we prevailed. We got our
rental car and headed north toward Porto. I, personally,
had no idea of what was coming next (other than many tolls on
the highway), so I was pleasantly surprised with the city.
Kathleen chose our hotel because it had parking available, but
due to a conjunction of mistakes, we ended up in a public pay
parking that was underground below a nearby plaza. Porto
was cold and windy when we arrived and sitting outside for some
wine was more pain than pleasure. We retreated to the
hotel and added more layers and headed out to explore the area.
The photos below are what we saw.
We got
some local intel about things to see and headed out. A few
blocks from the hotel we came upon the remains of the old wall
of the city. The stonework had deteriorated but had been
restored some years back resulting in an imposing
structure. Porto sits astride the Douro River and the wall
heads south down the side of the river canyon to the water's
edge.
While we
were watching, the funicular cars passed each other. The
cars are pulled/lowered by cables that are counterbalanced to
prevent the cars from colliding. A small portion of the
huge bridge is visible in the background of the photo
above.
We
followed the path on the west side of the wall and were soon on
the bridge. Looking back, we could see the funicular cars
in action against the backdrop of the steep cliffs of the Douro
River Valley. Houses and hovels occupied every square
meter of available space on the cliff face.
From the
center of the bridge, we could see the newer portions of town on
the south side of the River. This neighborhood is called
Gaia. If you look closely at the photo above, underneath
the crane on the skyline is a large group of people atop the
landing for the Teleferico cable car. They were waiting
for sunset which was still more than an hour away.
We
starting walking south over the bridge and were immediately met
by an oncoming Metro tram.
Looking
to the east from bridge we got a great view of the other bridges
in Porto. The steepness of the river valley cliffs is
clearly visible. The new bridge in the foreground was our
route into the city.
The
monastery is huge and had a commanding view of the river.
We did not go there, only observed it from a distance. The
new stonework on the west side next to the bridge is a
viewpoint.
There
were a large number of tour boats on the river. This one
was really large with a pool on the top deck.
It was
nearing sunset and the wind was strong and cold. Steve was
nice enough to take a photo of us at the center of the bridge.
Below
the monastery on the south side of the bridge was a nice hotel
right on the cliff. We walked back to our hotel room on
the north side and did a siesta. We awoke late and ended
up eating at the pizza place next to the hotel. The pizza
was just OK, but the place was open and that was primary
criteria.
After
some late night planning, we elected to view the local baroque
train station and then walk to the Se cathedral. We
followed the walking directions from Pocket Earth (an awesome
application for the phone) and it took us down a very steep path
on the west-facing cliffs. The photo above shows how
densely the buildings are packed but does not give a true
impression of the steepness of the route.
From the
bottom looking east provides a better impression of the grade of
the pathway. The red-roofed shed is part of the train
station and abuts to the cliff face. The metro tunnels are
cut through the face of the hill.
This is
how construction is done in this part of town. A bucket,
rope, and some strong arms are needed to get supplies to the
work site.
The
train station was impressive and really busy. Some of the
folks were there to see the station, others were actually using
the trains.
Intricate
hand-painted tile murals covered big portions of the upper
walls.
We
walked to the tunnel end of the station to get a view of the
loading areas.
On the
south side was a new structure that appeared to be a restaurant
or bar with an overlook of the nearby plaza.
Each of
the tracks headed directly into the tunnel system.
Multiple
kinds of locomotives were in use. This one had an odd
design and caught my eye. Very European styling.
We
left the train station and headed south to the Se Cathedral
and passed this odd structure with landscaping on the roof and
open sides.
On our
way into the cathedral, the steep pathway brought us to
eye-level with renovations being done on buildings adjacent to
the cathedral. The story of the photo above is the poor
condition of the building behind the construction. Built
using the lathe-and-plaster method, the roof is ready to
collapse.
From
the plaza at the entrance to the Se Cathedral we got a great
view of another tower to the north of the cathedral.
In the
plaza was a nice monument made with intricate carving.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2024, all rights
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