Porto; Saturday, 26 February, 2011

I decided to take advantage of the later breakfast to have a bit of lie-in, so by the time I left the hotel it was almost 11am. First stop of the morning was just down the hill at the Cathedral.

I had a good wander around the Cloisters and museum whilst a service was going on, timing my return back into the main body of the cathedral just as the service was completing, so I was then able to have a look around the Cathedral straight away.

From the Cathedral I walked down to the riverside and picked up one of the many boat tours that run up and down the Douro. Whilst the trip was very pleasant, especially with the heat of the day starting to build, it could have benefited from a commentary.

I stopped by the riverside for a very nice lunch, before catching the Funicular back up the hill arriving just in time to catch one of the few trams still running in the city (all of which operate as a kind of heritage service) for a quick spin around the city centre. It’s penultimate stop being conveniently just outside my hotel so I was able to quick pop back in and freshen up.

From the hotel I wandered back down to the top of the Dom Luis Bridge and wandered across it, taking in the stunning views. From the other side I again wandered down into the lanes and passageways of the Vila Nova de Gaia, this time heading for Taylor’s cellars. Almost an exact repeat of the previous day’s visit to Croft, but you can’t say no to free alcohol!

I wandered back down to the riverside and caught a bus up into the centre of town near the San Francisco church.

The church itself is no longer in use, but you can visit it for an eye watering example of what happens when someone has far too much money and gold! The rest of the complex includes the original crypt with a slightly creepy ossuary and a small museum.

Right outside the church is where another one of the old tram lines starts, so I decided to catch that tram out, along the edge of the river and then back to the old tram museum. The museum was closed so I caught the third (and final) tram route back up to connect with the one back to my hotel where I stopped off to drop off some of the junk from my bag, and to grab a light supper from one of the local cafes.

I then walked back down to the Dom Luis Bridge, which by now in the dark was lit up and made the views even more spectacular. Having taken in those views I wandered back up to the Cathedral to get some shots of it in the dark before heading back to the hotel feeling exhausted.