After waking up early at the Bombeiros, due to the road noise coming from outside, we were in no mood to negotiate another day walking along roads and busy highways, so we took the executive decision to take some motorized form of transport into Porto. Of the designated 25kms of walking, we only did about 12kms, which was along bush trails and forest walks, most of which were fairly enjoyable. The trip proceeded without incident and we reached Porto around 11:00am. We also took the pragmatic decision as this would allow us extra time to have a look around the city, as we had already done some research on the things to do and see in Porto, and even though we had a rest day tomorrow, we would likely run out of time.
The weather has been magnificent and today was no exception – bright clear skies, light cool breeze, copious amounts of sunshine; the conditions could not be more perfect.
The old part of the city was packed with tourists from all corners of the globe; the majority of them were English, but there were also Italians, Brazilians, French, Germans, Chinese, Japanese, and even some Australians.
Our hostel (Spot Hostel) was well situated and well appointed, with good common areas, kitchen facilities and great helpful staff. However, they would not accept our registration until 2:00pm, but that was OK, as they allowed us to leave our backpacks in storage, so we could go exploring this beautiful city.
As it happened, one of our Camino friends, Eloisa, had also come into town this morning, so she sent us a message to suggest that we catch up for lunch and some sightseeing, which we did. After a quick but pleasant lunch, we commenced the process of trying to figure out where we were, what to choose first to go and see and what direction this particular point of interest was in.
First was the Praca Da Liberadade (Plaza of Freedom) which was this large open space flanked on either end by some massive ornate buildings – The Astoria Hotel, and the Porto Municipal Buildings. The other 2 flanks of the plaza contained large financial buildings, commercial premises, cafes etc.
Next on the list was one of the 2 main Porto train stations (Estacao Sao Bento). The architecture and decor was extremely impressive, with Barouque architecture and these fantastic murals all done in ceramic white and blue tiles, depicting several of the important historical events relevant to the city of Porto.
The Porto Cathedral was close by – of course it was set high up on a hill and had a forecourt area which afforded fantastic, breathtaking views across major parts of this wonderful city. The cathedral itself was not all that spectacular, but impressive enough; its construction was begun in the 12th century, but has been refurbished a number of times after fires, and various other damaging events; it was flanked by a monastery and Bishops residence.
Finally, we took ourselves down to the rivers edge; the river Douro is a major large river that flows from Spain into the Altlantic. The river bank area has been developed extensively for tourism, so that place was packed with tourists, even though it was a Monday afternoon.
Whilst here we took the opportunity to sample some of the world famous port that come from this area, as well as taking a walk along the World Heritage listed bridge Point Louis I, which has a walking strip on two levels – one at the base of the bridge, where vehicle traffic can cross, and one at a much higher level, where the metro trains cross.
It really was quite a full bit enjoyable day. Finally back to the hostel to complete registration and get ourselves showered and sorted out. We had dinner with some of our friends – a pizza, and then some ice cream, and finally to bed after a long day.