Porto, Portugal

Our penultimate port of call is Porto, Portugal.  Since the historic city center is a little inland on the Douro River, we docked in Lexioes at this beautiful cruise terminal that looks to me like a spool of ribbon unwinding.

The ancient Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, is said to be the origin of the name Portugal.  Shipyards in Porto supported the Portuguese Age of Discovery marking the beginning of global exploration.  

Just after leaving Leixoes heading toward Porto we saw this "sculpture" representing a fishing net which was installed to honor the seafaring heritage of this region.

Being May 1st, it was a holiday, and although it was cool, the sun was out and the surfers were in the water.  

Porto's most noted product is the fortified wine named after the city.  The Port wine cellars of this area, called Villa Nova de Gaia, advertise themselves with big white block letter names on their buildings.

The wine was historically transported on the Douro river in these boats called barcos, but they now serve as sightseeing boats for the tourists.  

Several bridges cross the Douro in Porto.  This is the Dom Luis I bridge built by Gustave Eiffel.  It carries light rail and pedestrian traffic on the top and vehicular traffic on the bottom.

The Church of St. Francis was largely built between 1383-1425.  The interior is filled with Baroque style carved wood which is gilded with gold leaf.
















In the adjacent square is the statue of Henry the Navigator.  He is regarded as the ignitor of the Portuguese Age of Discovery.  In 1415 he encouraged his father to conquer the Muslim port on the tip of Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar.  From there, he explored the west coast of Africa, the islands in the Atlantic, and searched for new routes.

Narrow streets, colorful houses built on a hill overlooking the river make Porto a visually appealing city.

The three remaining tram lines date back to 1895.  Having been replaced by light rail and buses, they have become a favorite tourist transport.

Our bus group rode the tram that runs along the Douro river from the Church of St. Francis nearly to the beach.  While on board, the other guests were served Port wine.  We joined in sampling some of the local pastry specialties.

Some of the charm of the old city are these houses which look out over the river.  

Many of them are surfaced with ceramic tiles called azulejo.  Not only do they create a beautiful facade, but their hard, shiny surface wipes clean easily.

Our sailing schedule required us to be back on board at 1:30 pm.  Our time in Portugal was short, but enjoyable.  We now have two days at sea before our final port of Greenwich, England.  We will be anchored in the middle of the Thames for the last day of the "trip of a lifetime".