Heading west from Cadiz Spain our next stop Algarve Portugal however it is a tender port and the seas were not cooperating and the captain made an early call to bypass the port and not risk rough seas on tender boats that would have made everyone concerned, so we went to the next port – Porto, Portugal as we rounded the corner heading north towards London.
In Porto, we arrived much earlier than planned and had the morning to walk around the section called Matosinhos – a market and restaurant rich section of the city that supports many condos and residents. the Streets were quiet as the entire sections of Portugal and Spain experienced a wide spread electrical outage the day before. We walked and saw a farmers and fish market and got some good walking in.
In the afternoon we had the tour that took us into downtown of Porto and gave us a ride on a historic trolley along the euro river a beautiful old section of Porto.
Porto is amazingly built and functions on a hill and walking the city requires good legs with the ability to walk steep hills in such a beautiful city. We took a tour of the Church of Saint Francis a UNESCO site with Baroque interior and beautiful gold leaf statues.
The trolley ride down the Duoro river was noice as we spent time with friends Karen and Chuck and drank some Port wine with some snacks enjoying the old town sites.
Porto, Portugal is another one of those you need 3 to 4 days to capture the entire essence of the City and be able to enjoy all it offers – certainly we will want to come back and keep exploring!
