PORTO (Portugal) … continue

If you have read our previous post (Portuguese Camino – Big Cities 4a), you will remember that we arrived in a rainy Porto. Before we started walking the Portuguese Camino, we decided that we would like to spend a rest day in Porto to explore this beautiful city.

Of course, we didn’t know then that we would have to explore Porto in very cold and rainy weather conditions. But we were here now and nothing would stop us!

We booked a city tour on the popular Hop On Hop Off bus, but first made a quick visit to Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto) to get our pilgrim passports stamped. This church is located in the historic center of Porto and is one of the city’s oldest monuments. It has been altered and decorated many times since its inauguration in the 12th century.

If you start your Portuguese Camino in Porto, you will most likely start walking from the Porto Cathedral

We first sat on the deck of the Hop On Hop Off bus, but then it started to rain and we had to move to the more sheltered part of the bus. Which meant we didn’t get to take really nice photos on the trip, but here are a few we managed along the way.

We are once again dressed in our rain jackets

Our bus tour started at the Liberty Square (Praca da Liberdade). It is the main square and connects the old town with the modern part of Porto.

Statue of King Dom Pedro IV

After walking in Portugal for two weeks already, we were still enthralled by their architectural style. It was a mix between Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance (as well as a whole bunch of other styles). The fact remains, the buildings are unique and one gains a renewed appreciation for the old city fathers who designed and built these buildings.

Buildings in the old town of Porto

Lovely church and building

Clergios Church in Baroque style (built between 1735 and 1748)

Modern part of Porto

Fountain of the Lions

As we got closer to the sea, the rain and clouds disappeared for a wonderful moment and we were able to enjoy glorious sunshine.

The ocean, blue sky and sunshine

Castelo do Queijo (Cheese Castle), a 17th century fortification

The blue sky was a welcome sight

But as we slowly drove back to end our bus tour, the clouds gathered again – it looked like rain was on the cards for the rest of the day. It was the perfect time for lunch and we found a café on the banks of the Douro River to enjoy the delicious bread of Portugal.

Lunch along the Douro River

Activities on the bank of the Douro River

However, that was not the end of our sightseeing tour for the day. Our bus fare included a trip on the Douro River. And although it started to drizzle lightly, we found our way to the boat for a cruise on the river.

In line to board the river cruise

On the boat

We were brave and sat outside (but only for a while)

Old building and church on the bank of the Douro River

The highlight of this cruise was seeing all the bridges that spanned over the Douro River.

Dom Luis Bridge

More bridges

Another bridge

The colourful traditional buildings on the bank of the Douro River

Reaching the ocean and time to turn around

It was certainly not ideal to see Porto in such rainy weather, but even despite this we could see why Porto is described as one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal.

After our river cruise we had enough of cold and rainy weather and went back to our hostel where we prepared dinner.

Ingredients for our meal and wine (against the cold)

A simple but tasty meal

We still had 11 days on foot before we would reach Santiago de Compostela. In our next post we will tell you more about the beautiful coastline from Porto to Tui in Spain. The ultimate question was: Will it still rain or will we be lucky to walk in sunny weather?