Land and Sea 2014: Porto - Home of Port Wine

Porto, Portugal

Silver Whisper docked at the port of Lexoes just above the mouth of the Duro River. Lexoes is about 6 miles downriver from Porto and is the main port serving Porto. I got a late start that morning and missed the approach. I arrived on the top deck just as the ship was backing in to its spot on the pier and the local line handlers were attaching thick ropes to the bollards (T shaped metal pieces along the pier for tying up ships.)

Michael and I were on the first shuttle bus to Porto. We took a scenic route along the river that kept me wondering where the city really was. The bus let us off at a park on the top of a hill. We were near a large government building and a photography museum. The Clergios tower, the tallest landmark in Porto was nearby. The city center was not visible. We had acquired tourist maps and followed the shortest route to the center of town. What the maps did not indicate was that the streets were extremely hilly so even relatively short distances appeared daunting. We went up and down a number of hills exploring the historic center of the city.

Fishmonger Selects a Fish for her Customer

Fruit, Vegetables and Dried Cod

Antique Tram Passes the Clergios Tower

Porto is a photographer’s dream. Michael and I both took several hundred pictures. We had originally planned choice to visit Vila Nova de Gaia across the Duro River from Porto proper. This district has been the headquarters of the port- wine trade since the late 17^th century when imports of French wine were banned in Britain and the English turned to Porto for an alternative. Wine merchants transported grapes from vineyards on the upper Duro to port-wine caves at Vila Nova de Gaia where wine was was produced and matured a number of years before export to Britain. This practice exists today, the only difference being that the grapes are trucked down the river instead of floated down on flat bottomed barges. The wine caves and warehouses now have tasting rooms.

We would have loved to cross the river and participate in a port tasting. As it was, we weren’t interested in drinking before lunch and we had to leave the city relatively early. We did look at the other side of the river from a vantage point near the Porto Cathedral. It was easy to pick out the names of the famous port distributors painted on the buildings. I have a telephoto shot of Grahams on the far side of the Duro River.

Graham's is Across the River - The Nearby Buildings Block the View of the Duro

A unique aspect of Portuguese culture is the use of blue painted tiles called azulejos on many of the buildings. The railway station had an especially arresting tile mural depicting Portuguese history. A church near the main plaza had extensive tile on its exterior and we saw smaller tile murals on many public and private buildings.

Railway Station Interior - Murals Date from the 1920's

Street Scene With Tile Fronted Church at Right

The cathedral looked much like a castle on a hill. The relatively plain exterior belied a rich interior. We checked out the interior and the surrounding plaza then descended to a view point below the cathedral that had a magnificent vista of the city.

Porto's Cathedral

Cathedral Interior

Stained Glass Window

View From Cathedral toward Clergios Tower

Michael and I really liked Porto. I think it is worth another visit. We toasted our day in the city with a glass of port, sitting on our veranda as Silver Whisper departed Lexoes at cocktail hour.