Atlantic Islander
01-12-2014, 11:25 PM
I'm running a bit behind in my reports - we're already upriver on the Douro, docked on the Spanish side of the border. A lot has transpired here in the past few days as we've sailed through the scenic Douro River Valley. Scott and I agree that this is the most scenic of the cruises we offer, with the possible exception of the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River in China. Panoramas of vineyards and forests and small towns have lined nearly the entire route.
So before we head off for a day-long excursion to Salamanca, Spain, I'll just pen a few thoughts about our day in Porto. We had come in the day before and spent much of that day sitting out the rain by catching up on the documentation side of travel planning. Rain is always possible this time of year in northern Portugal, but locals tells us that it doesn't often last long, and that has been our experience to date. Periods of clouds, one partial day of rain, and now beautiful sunshine for the past several days. What we would call Indian summer is called St. Martin's summer here.
Walk planning in Porto started from our ship, which was fortuitous since its berth on the south side of the Douro gave vantage points across the river to the most picturesque portion of Porto – the waterfront area on the north bank called Ribeira. The morning was foggy, and as we walked east along the river, the Dom Luis Bridge materialized out of the fog like a scene from a murder mystery movie.
The Dom Luis Bridge is one of 4 or 5 dramatic spans across the Douro, joining two former ancient cities that had forever been separated by this ribbon of water that starts several hundred miles away in Spain. High cliffs and hills on either side of the Douro make for dramatic bridge building, and great views from the top of these stratospheric bridges. We crossed on the bottom span of this two-level bridge, then worked our way through Ribeira and gradually uphill.
By the time we left the house of Henry the Navigator, born here, according to legend, in the late 14th century, the fog was yielding to sun. The route we were building had a predecessor – Pat Lemmon and I had been here in 2009 on a racehorse trip evaluating the possibility of including the Douro area in a northern Spain trip. Our mission today was to evaluate that old route and consider improvements.
The first improvement came as we saw a way to connect the Ribeira to the Cathedral district by winding upwards through enchanting, traditional neighborhoods still oozing the character of old Portugal. Neighborhoods in this part of the city are composed of blocky buildings several stories high, all with narrow balconies, usually with characteristic iron railings. Laundry hanging on simple clotheslines attached to the railings is another iconic feature of traditional urban Portugal.
Our climb earned us wonderful views over the city and the Douro, winding out into the Atlantic only a few kilometers away. It was Sunday, so many of the churches were holding mass. One of the characteristics of Portugal is a Catholicism that is a living faith – over 30% of the population are still practicing Catholics, a number that may sound low, but is enormous compared to its European neighbors.
As we continued connecting the dots of this route, churches continued to be a subtheme, in a way we did not expect. Portugal is known for its lovely blue ceramic tile work called "azulejos". These tiles have a long history going back to the Moorish occupation, incorporating influences from Spain, with the blue theme imported from Delft, Holland. They became a standard facing material in construction up until about a generation ago. What we discovered in Porto were several churches and public buildings wonderfully overlaid with these stunning blue tiles.
As we left one of the markets we plan to include on the trail, we succumbed to the temptation to treat ourselves to another Portuguese pastry. We've become fascinated with these light-as-air treats; the fillings are delicious, but the flaky dough is what fascinates us, as papery thin as the gossamer wings of butterflies, or the ash-like film of a wasp nest.
Our route finished by crossing the upper span of the Dom Luis Bridge – offering expansive views both ways. We used gondolas - the teleferico - to ease the descent from the bridge to the riverside, and were treated to more splendid 360 degree views of the city, the river, the bridges, and acres and acres of red tiled roofs of the Port wine warehouses.
We are happy with the result! Another excellent introduction to a significant slice of Portuguese history, culture, and scenery. As always, walking does it better!
source (http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/friesendm/28/1384210428/tpod.html#_)
So before we head off for a day-long excursion to Salamanca, Spain, I'll just pen a few thoughts about our day in Porto. We had come in the day before and spent much of that day sitting out the rain by catching up on the documentation side of travel planning. Rain is always possible this time of year in northern Portugal, but locals tells us that it doesn't often last long, and that has been our experience to date. Periods of clouds, one partial day of rain, and now beautiful sunshine for the past several days. What we would call Indian summer is called St. Martin's summer here.
Walk planning in Porto started from our ship, which was fortuitous since its berth on the south side of the Douro gave vantage points across the river to the most picturesque portion of Porto – the waterfront area on the north bank called Ribeira. The morning was foggy, and as we walked east along the river, the Dom Luis Bridge materialized out of the fog like a scene from a murder mystery movie.
The Dom Luis Bridge is one of 4 or 5 dramatic spans across the Douro, joining two former ancient cities that had forever been separated by this ribbon of water that starts several hundred miles away in Spain. High cliffs and hills on either side of the Douro make for dramatic bridge building, and great views from the top of these stratospheric bridges. We crossed on the bottom span of this two-level bridge, then worked our way through Ribeira and gradually uphill.
By the time we left the house of Henry the Navigator, born here, according to legend, in the late 14th century, the fog was yielding to sun. The route we were building had a predecessor – Pat Lemmon and I had been here in 2009 on a racehorse trip evaluating the possibility of including the Douro area in a northern Spain trip. Our mission today was to evaluate that old route and consider improvements.
The first improvement came as we saw a way to connect the Ribeira to the Cathedral district by winding upwards through enchanting, traditional neighborhoods still oozing the character of old Portugal. Neighborhoods in this part of the city are composed of blocky buildings several stories high, all with narrow balconies, usually with characteristic iron railings. Laundry hanging on simple clotheslines attached to the railings is another iconic feature of traditional urban Portugal.
Our climb earned us wonderful views over the city and the Douro, winding out into the Atlantic only a few kilometers away. It was Sunday, so many of the churches were holding mass. One of the characteristics of Portugal is a Catholicism that is a living faith – over 30% of the population are still practicing Catholics, a number that may sound low, but is enormous compared to its European neighbors.
As we continued connecting the dots of this route, churches continued to be a subtheme, in a way we did not expect. Portugal is known for its lovely blue ceramic tile work called "azulejos". These tiles have a long history going back to the Moorish occupation, incorporating influences from Spain, with the blue theme imported from Delft, Holland. They became a standard facing material in construction up until about a generation ago. What we discovered in Porto were several churches and public buildings wonderfully overlaid with these stunning blue tiles.
As we left one of the markets we plan to include on the trail, we succumbed to the temptation to treat ourselves to another Portuguese pastry. We've become fascinated with these light-as-air treats; the fillings are delicious, but the flaky dough is what fascinates us, as papery thin as the gossamer wings of butterflies, or the ash-like film of a wasp nest.
Our route finished by crossing the upper span of the Dom Luis Bridge – offering expansive views both ways. We used gondolas - the teleferico - to ease the descent from the bridge to the riverside, and were treated to more splendid 360 degree views of the city, the river, the bridges, and acres and acres of red tiled roofs of the Port wine warehouses.
We are happy with the result! Another excellent introduction to a significant slice of Portuguese history, culture, and scenery. As always, walking does it better!
source (http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/friesendm/28/1384210428/tpod.html#_)