23 - 24 March 2017
Snow! Snow!! I kid you not. Crossing over from the Duoro Valley, we climbed for a bit up higher on the way to the coast to Porto. It was high enough, and with a bit of under average temps to see this white stuff in late March in Portugal. The roads where just wet luckily.
Ah, this is better, now in Porto. And then we saw honest to God, Viking Cruise Line boats. The passengers we saw loading looked like they were spending the last of their children's inheritance on one last fling. We checked the pricing - $4,000 per person, double occupancy, for a 15-day cruise up the Duoro River valley. We'll stick with Carnival Cruise Lines for our future cruises.
In the morning we crossed over this bridge and wandered our way to a Port tasting - quite a tough climb up, down, and around.
Here is another port tasting - shot sized amounts put in chocolate cups. Yeah, yeah, you eat the chocolate at completion. 1 Euro.
A big bridge designed by the Eiffel guy of Eiffel Tower fame. A wider view is in the first photo.
We found a cozy little restaurant near to our apartment, with a waiter/manager who spoke English really well, who treated every customer like a long time friend. The ceiling panes had melted bee's wax on the back-side creating a doppled effect.
More sights in Porto - the train station, and Liberty Square.
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We found the market - like Cleveland's Westside Market, but seriously in need of maintenance. It was busy though, with lots of shops. We tried some egg custard pastry, unbelievably good, and guess what, more Port and some wine tasting.
  Also in the market we came across an informal, but incredibly good seafood based cafe. Many tourists here, some looking as if they were trying some version of seafood they'd never had before. We had clams, big fried sardines, mussels, squid, and more wine.  |   |
City streets of Porto. Architectural views that would make a great jigsaw puzzle scene.
| And now from left field, alien got splatted.  | In memory of the green colored clan of the strawberry alien sect of Porto (um, too much Port maybe we had).  |
Crossing Eiffel's bridge. Commuter trains cross the middle. There's a hanging lower deck below just for cars, and walkers as well. Look carefully for the boats moored along the river side - many Port cellars had traditional barrel carrying boats with their logo on the sides - they appeared to be moored there permanently, except for maybe special occasion festival events, we supposed.
Up on the hills past the moored boats were many Port cellars (they called them caves actually), with aging Ports - 5-10-15-20 years. Some of the barrels were upwards of 75 years in use.
One last Port tasting on the left, and then pizza at the ground floor of our apartment - with fresh arugula which we learned is called Rocket Salad. And the Budweiser of Portugal, Super Bock - super nasty if you let it get warm.
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View from our apartment. We could watch sea birds and pigeons winging it just past this window at all times.
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