Porto, Portugal

For the third and final leg of my tip I took the high speed tilting train up to Porto (or Oporto as it is sometimes, but not always, written).  It is a city where one if the key highlights is the river Douro passing through it, and the bridges crossing it.  One of the bridges was designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, of tower fame), and another similar one nearer the centre (the Luiz I Bridge) by a former colleague of his.  Both of these are metal arch bridges, the Luiz I bridge having a top deck for metro trains and pedestrians, a lower deck for cars - which often was backed up with traffic - and a narrower pedestrian walkway.

Over the years more bridges have been added, so much so that the main river cruise is sold as a "trip of 6 bridges".  They are all impressive in their own way and the trip was a fun way to spend an hour - if a little wet!  When the boat was going downstream spray from the waves got those (like me) with the best seats at the front!

The other thing Porto is famous for is port wine.  However, there is little in Porto itself related to it - the main distilleries are on the other bank of the river which technically is the town of Vila Nova de Gaia.  Here there are many to choose from - I picked Offley just because I shared the same final 3 letters of my surname with it!  You got to see the Port ageing, find out how it is made (the grapes are grown about 100km away up the Douro) and try a couple of glasses, which for €3 isn't bad value!

There are some buildings of significance worth looking round in Porto.  One of the most attractive ones in terms of its rooms is the Palacio da Bolsa.  Built (and still used) by the Chamber of Commerce, it never was a royal palace although some of the rooms may make you think otherwise.  Getting their early I was the only person on the tour, however given that you couldn't take photos you will have to take my word for how impressive the rooms are (or look it up online!)  Somewhere where you could take photos throughout is the Casa da Musica.  Opened 10 years ago, the modern concert hall is like a rock dropped on the edge of a street, designed fitting everything round the central concert hall.  With innovative use of materials such as glass within it, and traditional references such as tiled rooms, it was definitely worth the journey to look round. 

As well as these there are (of course) many churches as well.  Some have tiled outsides, others might be plainer but have insides that are covered in gold.  I also went round the cloisters in a couple of monasteries (including one attached to the Cathedral which also had some museum exhibits) and up the Torre dos Clérigos.  Attached to a church (but towering over it) this iconic narrow tower gives views across Porto.

Naturally I looked round many of the art galleries around the city.  The best of them was the Fundação de Serralves, which was a bit further out 9about a half hour walk from the Casa da Musica) but worth the visit.  Here there was a contemporary art museum with a number of interesting displays (all temporary exhibits).  It is though set in a park which is worth a visit in itself, for the sculpture, the nature and also for an Art Deco house that sits within it which is a fascinating visit, not least because (when I was there) it was totally empty and you could just wander round it!  Whilst in the museum I also became part of a piece of art, with a photographer asking to photo me through an art exhibit (which was a room of hanging threads).  As such you can't really tell that it is me that clearly, but if you see a distorted photo of a bald man somewhere then it might be me!

Of the other art venues, the Centro Português de Fotografia was impressive, with a number of interesting temporary exhibitions and also a museum showing a collection of old cameras.  The building itself was also interesting, I think having been a jail at one point in time, and impressively it was free to get in!  I also visited the Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis which was a collection of more classical art.

Other places visited in Porto included the Crystal Palace park (like London, the actual palace is long gone), the Customs House, the Mercado do Balhao and main shopping streets.  Interesting places to look at included the Sao bento station, with its impressive tiled interior and the fantastic Livraria Lello bookshop - unfortunately you can't take photos inside but it has the most fantastic decoration (even before you look at the books!) and a staircase that folds back on itself.

Overall, Porto has been a great place of visit.  Whilst it has an impressive public transport system I have not really needed it as most places to visit are quite central and within walking distance.  Like Lisbon it is quite hilly - particularly getting to and from the banks of the river.  With lots of places to visit and attractive buildings it has certainly been a fitting place to conclude my tour through Portugal.

Portugal - twinned with Wales?

Something I have noticed is that there appears to be a unusual culinary link between Portugal and Wales.  This is the use of "half and half" (half rice half chips) as a regular accompaniment to meals.  I have had this a couple of times in my trip (it was what came with it!) but have seen it on many other menus, particularly with local specialities.  Another unexpected part of this trip!

Portuguese Economy

On Sunday night, the Portuguese Prime Minister appeared on all the main TV channels here to announce that the country was exiting the EU bailout without having to draw on any additional money.  Going around the country I have noticed that there are definitely positive signs about.  In both Lisbon and here in Porto there are many cranes on the skyline (indeed in Lisbon there was one just outside my window!)  However, there also is poverty to be seen, with a number of derelict buildings/buildings for sale and more beggars than you might see elsewhere.  Therefore, it is good to see it is on the right track, but it will be a long journey.

Lisbon, Portugal

It has been a busy time in Lisbon, with so much to see and do.  It's going to be a long post!

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Lisbon's castle - the Castelo de São Jorge.  Whilst it is a bit of a climb to get there it is well worth it with views across the city.  these are both from the terraces around the castle and its walls itself, which are quite extensive.  As well as these substantive walls, there are also some archaeological remains of buildings that were on the site even earlier (it had been occupied since the 7th century).  Compared to the castle at Tavira there were a few more rails and barriers as well!

Another historic building was the Belem Tower.  This was a former defensive fort just off the banks of the estuary, with views out to the estuary and back to the city from its different floors.  Cleverly, with the narrow staircases there was a traffic light system telling you whether you could go up or down.  Despite a few issues generally it worked!  It was a popular place to visit with queues going back over the bridge to the bank.  You could also buy a joint ticket which included access to the nearby Jerónimos Monastery.  There were queues to get in here too (in what by now was high heat) to the one entrance - however it turns out that I should have tried just going up to the exit as I already had a ticket as I got beckoned in as I got near!  This had some remarkable architecture in its cloisters, and additional displays of its history and some of the resting places of historic Portuguese figures.  There was also an impressive church as part of the building.

This was just one of many churches that I visited in Lisbon.  The Paróquia de São Vicente de Fora was another impressive church with a monastery attached, this with a number of museum displays in it (some quite random) including a set of tiled panels relating to the fables of de la Fontaine.  The Panteão Nacional is the new National Pantheon, with tributes to figures from Portugal's history mainly from the past 100 years.  Both of these also included the opportunity to go out on top of the buildings, to see the views in the sunshine.  Other churches visited included the Igreja de São Roque and the Convento do Carmo which was partially destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1775.

As ever I went round a (large!) number of art galleries around the city.  A particular highlight was the Berardo Museum which focused on art from the 20th and 21st centuries.  As well as the permanent collection (which included some big names such as Warhol's) there was a special exhibition on art from advertising.  This was a special bonus as it wasn't due to open until 2 weeks time!  The surprising part is that the majority came from the UK, with the USA a close second - only a few were actually Portuguese!  All this and it was free!  Also free was the Design museum Mude which is set in an old bank near the centre.  It makes good use of its location, even putting some items on display in the vaults (which were interesting to see in themselves!)

Other art collections visited included the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and its associated modern art centre.  This was set on its own site in a park with a particularly enjoyable set of temporary exhibitions in the modern art museum.  The Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea or Chiado Museum falls into one of the "traps" of the art world that "contemporary" stopped there in 1975!  Fortunately I knew, but you could see it catching out some people.  No such confusing names with the National Museum of Ancient Art, although getting in it was confusing enough with the first entrance I found being not really in use, but rather than sending me to the main entrance the guard there sent me to the restaurant!  I also visited the Museu de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas which had a fine collection of furniture and also showed off the typical Portuguese style of tiled walls. 

If all this wasn't enough I also visited several other things including a trip[ to the top of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos - a monument to Portugal's explorers.  I also visited the Electricity Museum in Belem.  This is a large museum in an old power station which still has all the old equipment in.  Therefore, as an educational experience it would be strong, but it also works as something fascinating to look a from an artistic point of view.  Impressively, it is free to get in as well!  There were also many green spaces to walk around, including park Edward VII which is named for the then King of England!

One of the other things that were considered monuments of Lisbon were aspects of the public transport system.  There are three funicular railways and an elevator that is over 100 years old that were part of getting people around the city's hills.  Whilst I didn't go on any of them (the distances they covered were quite short all things considered) they often seemed packed with tourists.  I did though take a trip on one of the historic trams that made its way through some of the older districts of the city, up and down the hills,  this was quite a fun experience - particularly when the driver appeared to put his foot down!  They are just single cars, but get very packed - whilst I got a seat having got on it at the start of the route any later and it is standing room only!

May 1 was another bank holiday, and that meant that many of the attractions in Lisbon were closed that day.  Fortunately public transport was still working (I went to Lille once on a 1st May and the Metro there was closed down for the day) so I was able to take a day trip out.  However, lots of other people had had the same idea, so there were huge queues at the ticket machines at the train station, not helped by the machines being temperamental!  (Useful note if you are ever in Lisbon - if you have money on your travel card for zapping it works on local trains as well so just go to the gate rather than wondering why the ticket machine won't let you buy a ticket!)  I took a train out to Sintra, where there were two very different castles to see.  The first, in the centre of the town was the former royal palace, the Palácio Nacional de Sintra.  One of the highlights were the ornate ceilings, both painted and gilded.   Later, I trekked up the hill to see the Moorish Castle.  Whilst a bit of an uphill walk to get there, the views from it were tremendous and went on for many miles (or kilometres as the Portuguese TV translators would change it to!).  You could see all the way back to Lisbon and further in other directions.  Being so high, you certainly got to feel the wind coming in off the Atlantic, despite the fact it was a warm day where you were more sheltered.  It was quite a substantial site, with lots to climb over (not all health and safety friendly) and some clever examples of conservation.

All this leaves me asking the question as to why Lisbon is not more popular to visit?  Yes, it is a bit hilly, but it has lots of attractive sites and loads of things to see.  Most things are within walking distance, and if not there are lots of public transport alternatives available.  I had a great time, and there are many more things that I didn't get time to see whilst I was there.  Definitely recommended!