Day 2. Porto

I discovered an easier route down to the old town of Porto and it took me to a much more prosperous part of Porto, but I wanted to see their Crystal Palace but it was rather disappointing while there was an very identifiable green dome, it was rather unremarkable but the gardens and terraces were much more attractive and led to wonderful vistas of the Rio Duoro. I also discovered pea hen in one of the flower beds and one of them was particularly protective of her young brood. While the peahen does not have the remarkable tail feathers of the peacock she has a ring of iridescent feathers around her neck, which I had never seen or known of before.

There were a number of gardens in the area and I walked in the Garden of Virtues, and  the Romantic Garden , at which point I was drawn to a beautiful view up the river valley and all of a sudden I was reminded of my vertigo as there was a steep drop (which was like a cliff face to the road below).  I quickly moved to the safety of the terraces and decided I would go and finish my exploration of the city. I had heard of the stairs of truth that previously had been known as the stairs of lies. Why? What had happened to change its fortune? Or had it really changed? When I located it, I experienced one of the few times I felt fear in the city but it was not fear of danger but the fear of the past, a reminder of our own impoverished past, we were only a few short years on from the famine yes it was 150 years ago, but that was only three generations back in my only family, we survived it but eventually it led the family from being located in rural Ireland to living in the inner city.  There I was thinking I was exploring another European city yet here I was being confronted by the truth of my family’s past. Yet my great grandfather survived the famine and lived to the ripe old age of late 70s longer than his son my grandfather who died at the age of 66 and by all accounts lived an eventful life. (But that’s another story for another day).

The 20^th century beckoned and I  resumed my exploration of the city. There was a book shop in the old town Livraria Lello, established by two brother in the early 1900s. I succumbed to the marketing hype and decided to book a spot to visit it. Apparently the staircase in the shop inspired J.K.Rowling ideas for the staircase in Hogwarths. What a mistake, it was like a circus I wondered how many of the visitors intent on taking one selfie after another even realised it was art deco inspired or that the stained glass ceiling had an inscription which translates to “Dignity in Work” (Decus in labore in Portugese) looking around me I seriously doubted it, but that was my opinion.   As it was very hot I decided to have something to eat and then found a shady spot in one of the lovely gardens to sit and while a way a couple of hours. Again I was reminded of the past as the shade was provided under relocated olive trees. Beautiful gnarled bark, tangled roots and branches that would bear fruit later in the year,   I could not help but wonder at what stories they could tell. I could only imagine.

As I was to begin my first full day of walking the following day I decided on an early night. Well a return to my hotel, order my day pack and ensure that I was ready for the 24kms walk the following day.

Day 1. Porto

There was so much to see in Porto and so much I wanted to see, I didn’t know where to start, but the area around my hotel seemed like a good spot. I found a monument to the Heroes of the Peninsula War. It celebrates the Potugese & British history against the Napoleonic forces in 1808-1814.  A lion sits atop an imposing column it represents the allies and dominates an eagle or the Napoleonic forces. It’s surrounded by a tree lined garden on a busy roundabout, but I shared it with a few tourists.

Then I found a cemetery with magnificent crypts and vaults yo the dead, it seemed that the necropolis had fared better during the recession than some of the surrounding streets. Beautiful buildings depicting the gothic, baroque, or the fabulous tiled facades seemed down at heel but occasionally I found examples of the different styles  off the beaten track.  I’ve included a couple of photos below.

I continued to explore and found small green parks tucked away in corners of the city away from the tourist areas, but distinct rather unpleasant smells reminded me I was well off the tourist trail yet I was rewarded with the parks, beautiful tiled buildings or churches serving a local communities. A glance up warded as I stopped at traffic lights and I glimpsed a fabulous stained glass cupola on a three storey house but I could find no mention of it anywhere.

Porto architecture

I visited my share of churches including two Carmelite ones,One belongs to the Carmelite monks and the other the Carmelite nuns. They were side by side only separated by the narrowest building you’ve ever seen supposedly a metre wide, as the nuns or monks could not live in adjoining buildings.

The facade of the monks church is typical Porto rococo style but when you look at the side it has an amazing blue and white tiled panel. I’m not sure whether it was deliberate or not but the main altars of both churches were elaborately gilded and one seemed to out do the other with their detailed carvings.

Time for a coffee. Well it was coffee and a pastel a de nata (a custard pie in flaky pastry but it doesn’t have the same ring in English. I had decide to fortify myself as I intended to climb 76 metres to the top of the Torres de Clerigos or the Clergymens tower and there are stunning 360 degree views of the city from the top. It is well worth the climb. I congratulated myself on overcoming my vertigo to see the views.

But then the walkways and stairwells barely allowed for two people to pass each other and much of the time visitors stopped  at turns in the stairwell to allow others to pass up or down.

I thought I could tackle anything so I headed for the Ponte de Luis 1, it is an arched bridge  over the river and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It provides stunning views over the River Duoro, but those views come at a price, there is a long, long drop down to the river from the top tier which spans 392 metres  from side to side (I never discovered the height). The top tier is reserved for pedestrians and the metro. Car drivers and more pedestrians can cross the 174 metre long lower deck (I only discovered that lower route the following day) but I did discover that there was 172 metres between the two decks and there was still a significant drop to the river.  The views are spectacular, of both the river and the city but vertigo overcame me, I had to stop taking photos to make my way across but in doing so I had to return. If only I could find a way down to the riverbank to avail of the river ferry. I did  and it was via a cable car, definitely “no thanks” I thought to myself I’ll take my chances on the bridge.

Part of the fear is the total irrational feeling that I’m going to fall, or some disaster will happen and I’ll be plunged into the river.  I feel sick to my stomach, I break out in a cold sweat, and if I stand still for long enough I’ll begin to shake.

Well I wasn’t going in the cable car and I had to get back across the river so there was nothing to it but eyes down, and then put one foot in front of another until I crossed the bridge. The selfie photo takers didn’t deter me I picked a route between the bridge’s railings and the metro’s bollards and come hell or high water, that was my path. All thoughts of a return visit at sunset were long gone, I’ll buy a photo or large postcard, but I was not under any circumstances crossing the river at that level again, not this trip anyway. I just hoped there wasn’t anything on my must see list that side of the river and there wasn’t, what a relief.

As I reached the  safety of terra firma I noticed that the cliff side was a purple hue, then I recognised the flower as a morning glory, it had escaped domesticity and populated the abandoned buildings and cliffs. I was never as glad to see morning glory’s in my whole life. No wonder I had an iffy stomach for the rest of the day. But what a day.

More to follow with photos.