Tuesday, May 1, 2018, Leixoes (Porto), Portugal

Porto lends its name to the nation’s port wine.  Located amid the rocky embankment carved by the Douro River, the city boasts narrow cobblestone streets brimming with romantic buildings spanning the centuries.  Portugal’s second largest city is also its most authentic, where port wine mixes beautifully with strolls past historic architecture.  Shops up and down the lanes of the historic Old Town invite endless window shopping and browsing.  However, the imposing Romanesque Cathedral commands more than just a passing glance with its ornate and towering façade.  Along the Douro River, the prosperous fate of Porto was sealed with the barcos rabelos delivered the first wine shipments here from vineyards upriver.  These vessels still bob with the current.  Across the river, and over the distinctive 19^th-century Dom Luis I Bridge, cellars of 58 companies fortify the prized wine that is still produced in the Douro Valley.  Porto is the financial capital in Portugal with the forth highest population in Portugal.  It has the best public hospital in Portugal.  Porto claims to have the first trains (19th century); they were imported from the US for wine hauling.  The cars are still in operation today (see two photos below).

Portugal claims to be the sunniest country in Europe.  Portugal and England have the oldest alliance in the world, established in 1386.  

The Art Of Filigree

Diane journeyed to the capital of filigree, Póvoa de Lanhoso, to see gold and silver molded into lace-thin decorative art.  Women in the north of Portugal have worn this jewelry for centuries; in fact, the art predates Roman occupation.  She rode with her guide to the Gold Museum in Póvoa de Lanhoso, one of the craft’s most important centers.  She saw that the most characteristic pieces take on the shapes of hearts, Maltese Crosses, and ships, each carefully wrought as a medallion, pin, bracelet, or pair of earrings.  The museum displays filigree collected by Francisco de Carvalho e Sousa during his 50 years as a goldsmith. Diane spent time with a craftsman to witness the fascinating process of filigree creation.

 Diane started a tour of their museum.  See samples of pieces below.

Role of gold wire.  It begins as a gold bar with square sides then goes through an extensive process of heating, preliminary rounding with a hammer, then is pulled through a series of ever smaller holes to end up hair thin for creating the jewelry.

"Tool" used to pull wire through block in center with ever smaller holes.

 Azaleas along sidewalk into museum.

 Local stone chapel in town along way back to cruise ship.

 Country side along way back.

Panoramic Porto & Wine Tasting

Larry discovered the city built on port, the fortified wine for which it is named.  Straddling the Douro River, Porto is a vital center of education, religion, trade, and industry.  He met his guide at the cruise ship, then headed into the heart of the “City of Granite.”  Thanks to the frequent use of this stone in the architectural landscape, the city has a grand appearance.  In the Cordoaria district, he viewed the masterful exterior of the Clérigos Tower, or Clergyman’s Tower.  Once Portugal’s tallest structure, it was designed by Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni.  When Larry neared the Douro River, he had free time to stroll around the Ribeira district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and explored its charming medieval cobblestone streets lined with Portuguese architecture.  He then crossed the 19th-century Luís I Bridge to the wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia.  This is where the secrets of port wine are kept, among the 58 wine companies along the riverbank.  He enjoyed a tasting before returning to the cruise ship.

Very new and modern cruise ship terminal.

Along our way for our excursion.  Beautiful sand beach near cruise ship terminal.

 17th century fort.

Near mouth of Douro River.

River of seven bridges.

Tile covering over dingy granite buildings.

The Clérigos Church, "Church of the Clergymen," is a Baroque church in the city of Porto, in Portugal.  Its tall bell tower, the Torre dos Clérigos, can be seen from various points of the city and is one of its most characteristic symbols.  For more info, go to Church

The São Bento Railway Station is a 20th-century railway station in the civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, in  the municipality of Porto, district of Porto.

The station is located in the historic centre, occupying a large space delimited by the Praça Almeida Garrett, Rua da Madeira and Rua do Loureiro, as well as the escarpment of Batalha, where a tunnel has been carved into the hill.

The symmetrical, three-story, granite building has a "U"-shaped plan, with its principal facade oriented to the southwest.  A building of geometric rigor, it has a central corp corresponding to the principal atrium and on either extreme two volume.  The central body has strong architrave cornice over corbels, with dense repetitive rhythm that covers the whole building.  Rounding the facade is a robust frame with similar fenestrations, while the lateral facades maintain a relation between span symmetry, content, and decoration.

The vestibule is framed by pilasters, covered in azulejo tile.  Near the ceiling is a blue and gold frieze decorated with stylized flowers, while below them is another polychromatic frieze, evocative of the history of the road in Portugal.  Below the friezes are large azulejo "paintings" representing historical events in Portuguese history.  The azulejo are integrated into the architecture by frames in granite which decorate the lines of the atrium.  There are approximately 20,000 azulejo tiles, dating from 1905–1916, and were composed by Jorge Colaço, an important painter of azulejo of the time.  The first tiles were placed on 13 August 1905.

The Church of Saint Francis is the most prominent Gothic monument in Porto, Portugal, being also noted for its outstanding Baroque inner decoration.  It is located in the historic centre of the city, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  For more info, go to Francisco_(Porto)

Paint on granite must be redone every 15-20 years; that's why many buildings have tiles that last many decades.

The Stock Exchange Palace is a historical building in Porto, Portugal.  The palace was built in the 19th century by the city's Commercial Association in Neoclassical style.  It is located in the Infante D. Henrique Square in the historical centre of Porto, designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  For more info, go to cio_da_Bolsa

What's this??

Looking toward the Porto side of the river.

This excursion included a port winery tour and sampling.

Historic boats that brought port wines down river to aging and mixing vats.

Colors of different port wines.

Light rail and pedestrian crossing at top, auto and passenger crossing at bottom.

Historic street cars.

Meanwhile back at the cruise ship, another look at the sand beach.

Not supposed to be fishing nets but model jelly fish.

Now on our way toward London, our final world cruise port.