We left Coimbra around 10 and arrived in Porto around 12:30. Porto is the largest city I have seen in Portugal, with large buildings and plazas that remind me of Madrid, Spain. The train station, Sao Bento is adorned with blue and white tiles. Leaving the station, I was dwarfed by tall stone buildings that prevented the sun from reaching the streets.
We found a reasonably priced hotel, Residencia Solar, on Rua Santa Catarina. The room is cramped but the bed is comfy and the WIFI is the strongest we’ve seen in Portugal.
After getting settled in we went for lunch and then to the cathedral to get our pilgrim’s passport stamped. The building looks more like a fort than a place to worship. Surprisingly, the inside is very narrow, and dark.
From the plaza in front of the cathedral is a vista point overlooking the city. I counted eight churches in the area. Each has a different look, possibly reflecting the various epochal styles. It was windy on the hill near the cathedral and I could smell the salty Atlantic.
The Rio Douro divides the city. From Ponte Luis, you can look down to the
boats and gondolas on the river. Porto, to me, is one of the nicest European metropolis, very clean, and easy to get around in. Tomorrow we leave it to continue on towards Santiago; the Way promises to be scenic, with more pilgrims and pilgrim’s accommodations.
Aft
er an Italian dinner, we said goodbye to our German pilgrim friends who are returning home tomorrow. Dennis and I enjoyed our time with Tomas, Irma, and Andres–we shared a lot of laughs.
I loved Porto–the port nearby, the fado, the tilework. Glad you are enjoying it too. Looks like it has warmed up.
Hello Jane, nice to see the sunshine. FADO, love it… ok here is information about a place my friend Tracy Saunders of the Little Fox House is recommending for you to stay in. She considers Fernanda her Portuguese Sister… and btw she asks me to say hello to you (Tracy) and hopes you will keep a few days free to come the foxyway.
Casa de Fernanda, 22 klms after Barcelos before Ponte do Lima. She says not to miss it, there is a church on the side of the road and within 2 km, Tracy says its ‘Heaven’ 🙂
Enjoy your walk. Ingrid
I made a note in the guidebook and will check it out. Thanks for passing on Tracy’s suggestion
Loved the Casa de Fernanda.
Hooray! Good weather, good health, good food, and a nice place to stay.
I’m so glad and hope it lasts.
Love to you both!
Thanks, Liz. We are grateful for this opportunity and liking it all–even the inclement weather is part of the adventure.
I enjoy following your journey and the pictures.
Hi Jane and Dennis,
I am back in US. Also loved Portugal and Porto in particular. I took the bridge tour and visited the wine caves. I’m sure you heard it is recommended to take the metro to Matoshino ( sure that I have misspelled ), getting off at next to last exit (mercado), will help you avoid boring walk through city. Met people who told me Porto to SDC was much better than Lisbon to Porto and second half from Porto to SDC was even better. I did the coastal route before connecting in Redondela and it was amazing. Bon Caminho
Rick