Monday 12 September 2016

I woke early, worrying about catching our flight in time. I finished reading Deadroom Farce by Simon Brett on my Kindle. What shall I read next? We got up at about 7.15. The shower was tricky to adjust as usual but I avoided flooding the bathroom. I left that to Richard. Then we finished packing. A few clean things and trousers to go on top of the two precious bottles of port. Richard decided he would take home one of the metal cylindrical port containers in his rucksack!

We brought back some port - one white and one LBV

We took our case down to breakfast at just before 9am. Our hostess Sofia wasn't there, but the other lady who helps was. We told her we were leaving early to get to the airport, and ate a nice breakfast. I enjoyed the coffee in big cups, as well as the little pots of muesli and yogurt. No one else was up for breakfast yet.

We left Porto Vintage at 9.15 and walked up one hill and down another to get to Trinidade metro station. We topped up our Andante travel cards for one more journey. I rang Sofia to tell her we were on our way home. We had to wait only 10 minutes for the train to the airport.  But it was crowded. Richard stood for the whole journey of 17 stops but I eventually got a seat. Most people had cases.

And we couldn't resist these delicious custard tarts

At Porto airport we had to wait a while for check in with TAP, the Portuguese airline, to start. Then we went through security but no passport control as we were in a Shengen zone. We had a coffee, and then went to our gate. I bought some cheap earrings and we also bought some of the delicious Pastel custard tarts in the duty free. We had to wait quite a while for our flight to be called, and then everyone flocked to the front of the queue even though they asked people seated at the front half of the plane to wait. Once again, the flight was full.

The flight took about two and a half hours, and Zurich is an hour ahead of Porto. We had a meal of melon and pasta with shrimps. I gave Richard my shrimps in exchange for his melon. I also had an orange juice. R had wine as usual.

We arrived on time in Zurich and got our suitcase out quite quickly. I met a friend from my old book club in the luggage hall - Pat, who had been hiking in Portugal. Richard and I caught the S2 to Thalwil where the temperature was a sweltering 34 degrees. The bus home was full, with three mums with buggies. Typical at rush-hour. We were happy to be home and check on the welfare of our balcony plants - drooping. Otherwise all fine.

Sunday 11 September

This bridge over the Douro is said to have the world's longest span

At breakfast today, there was a new French couple and the others had gone. We ate the usual fresh foods. The weather looks dull at the moment. We hope to take a Six Bridges cruise on the famous Douro river. And maybe a visit to the Casa da Musica.

Later.
Just got back to our room after a tedious bus journey. This morning we walked down to the quay and bought tickets for the 11.00 Six Bridges cruise. We sat by the window and saw four bridges while going upstream and two as we were going down towards the sea. I took lots of photos of the different structures made of iron and concrete. The Ponte de Dom Luis I was designed by a pupil of Gustav Eiffel in 1886. The Ribeira bridge is no longer used and is now a heritage site.

After the pleasant boat trip, we stopped for coffee in a riverside cafe on the Cais de Ribeira, before crossing our bridge to the south side. We looked for a lunch place and were enticed into Theophilus, where we shared octopus and each had fish - I had sea bass and Richard had cod. The fish was a bit dry and the veg had been reheated. The Alborinho white wine was very nice though.

In Graham's port cellars they use large and smaller vats

Then we set off for Graham's Port Lodge, up quite a steep hill. The winery was advertised in the Guardian newspaper, and we saw quite a few Guardian types there. There we joined the 14.30 cellar tour with guide Laura. Again we saw large and small vats and learnt the history of the company and the different styles and methods of production. We saw some vintage years of port on sale at a price. We had three ruby ports to taste with different characters, and chose one, a Late Bottled Vintage, to buy.


Then we managed to get a bus down the hill to Trinidade, but the journey took an hour and a half due to volume of traffic going over the single town centre river bridge. We got off at Trinidade and walked home for a late rest. I wrote the rest of my post cards.

Three types of ruby port - the first was a Late Bottled Vintage

In the evening we went out at about 8pm to post my cards, and tried to get some cash out, but all the cash machines had run out of euros. We walked right down to the end of Rua Mouzinho Silveira looking for a restaurant but everywhere seemed to be full. We eventually had a meal at a Japanese place, Kan Pai. I had tempura and tuna, and Richard ate ceviche and turbot. We enjoyed a bottle of Douro white wine. Then back up the hill to our B & B.

Saturday 10 September evening

A meat and cheese sharing platter at Tabua Rasa

We went out at about 7.30 pm to find a place to eat nearby. The streets around here were full of people with the same idea. After a few tries, we found a table and friendly staff at Tabua Rasa. It served platters of cheese and dried meats.

We shared a board with a selection of both, after having a deconstructed gazpacho. We also had a bottle of their best house wine. It was very nice. The waiter wouldn't bring the bill though - we had to go to the counter.

The large orchestra played inside this dome in the main street

Then we walked down to Avenida dos Aliados for another open air concert. This time there was a full orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfonica conducted by Baldur Broennimann, playing many well known pieces by Dvorak, Borodin, Elgar, Smetana and others. It was very enjoyable with lots of applause from the audience. It took a while to get back up our hill due to the crowds.

We were lucky to time our visit to Porto with these two free open-air concerts.

Saturday 10 September

The Mercato now houses an art gallery

We were up for a prompt start to breakfast at 9am. Same as yesterday - we had orange juice, muesli and yogurt, coffee, bread roll and cheese and croissant and jam. We talked to our landlady Sofia about last night's concert. There's another one tonight.


We set out to visit the church of Sao Francesco, one of the most ornate. On the way we saw a statue of Henry the Navigator. We went inside the red Mercato building but instead of the market, it was an art gallery with an exhibition of photos.

Next door was the Sao Francesco church which we had to pay to enter. No photography allowed inside, but the walls were covered in gold carvings of religious scenes. The Tree of Jesse featured biblical figures clothed in Portuguese dress.

The Luiz I bridge is very impressive from above and below

The Ribeira district from the opposite bank of the river

We also visited the adjacent catacombs with named tombs and an ossuary which was a bit creepy. We emerged into hot sunlight and walked down to the north quay in the Ribeira district with many outdoor restaurants. We chose one and had tapas of bacalau, bread with olive oil, chorizo cooked over a flame and delicious tuna pate. Plus a refreshing beer or two.

The iconic Sandeman's logo and our guide Vincent

Then we crossed the Luiz I bridge on foot and found the Sandeman winery. We joined our reserved tour in English from our guide Vincent, dressed as the Don from the classic adverts. He explained the history of the company dating back to 1790 and the styles of port - ruby, tawny and white. We saw the wooden vats used to store the port and saw a film about its manufacture in the Douro Valley. Then we tasted two types and bought a bottle of classic white port.


We took the modern funicular up the hill and the metro from Sao Bento to Aliados and walked up the hill home.

Friday evening, 9 September 2016

The Ponte de D. Luiz I bridge was spectacular from every angle

After a rest, we set out for the metro station, Aliados, and topped up our Andante cards. We took the line going south across the Douro river. It was crowded. After Sao Bento, the train emerged into daylight to cross the Ponte de D. Luiz I bridge.


We got off at the next stop and explored the hill there. Fantastic views of both banks and sides of the river. We took lots of photos. The bridge has two levels - the upper level is used by metro trains and the lower level is used by cars and pedestrians.

The jazz concert orchestra took place in a transparent dome

Then we recrossed the bridge on foot and walked around the old streets, up and downhill. It was rather tiring. We ended up at the Clerigos Tower where we had a welcome beer. Then we headed towards Avenida dos Aliados where the first open-air concert was taking place; we had a drink and an unimpressive meal in a cafe by the avenue.


At 22.00 the jazz orchestra started to play, so we walked uphill to join the crowds watching the OJM and singer Sergio Godinho live and on the big screen. There was a very friendly atmosphere with lots of families and jazz lovers of all ages. Great music.

The town hall under floodlights

When Sergio and the band stopped playing, we headed home up Rua de Almada. A great evening.

Friday afternoon, 9 September

The station concourse was decorated with iconic blue and white tiles

We are resting in our room after a morning spent exploring the old city, the Ribeira district north of the river. First we walked downhill and found the tourist office, where we asked about stamps and also booked a port tour for tomorrow afternoon. We called at the post office and managed to buy stamps without too long a wait.

Then in the main square we saw a statue of Pedro IV and went inside an ornate church, Igreja Congregados. We had a quick coffee at Cafe Brasil and visited the main hall of the station which was decorated in blue tiles.

The cathedral was lavishly decorated with gilding

Then we climbed up a wide road to the Se or Cathedral, where a fashion shoot was taking place, with models suspended from a crane. Inside, the nave was plain, in the Romanesque style. But the chancel and altars were rather ornate gold and silver. We also went out into the cloisters and climbed up to get a better view of the church and the city. There was also an exhibition of the cathedral's treasures.

Lunch at Cantinha do Avillez was delicious

Then we descended through some narrow back streets near the cathedral, but found a great lunch place in Rua Mouzinho da Silveira called Cantinha do Avillez. After a cold beer and an amuse bouche of breads, salmorejo and olives, I had green beans tempura with a tasty dip and Richard had scallops and avocado, both followed by a main course of cod with lightly cooked egg, savoy cabbage and beans, crispy breadcrumbs and olive pearls. Yummy! We shared a hazelnut cream dessert before walking back to our B and B in the afternoon sun.

Friday morning 9 September

Our room at Porto Vintage guesthouse

We are at our B&B, Porto Vintage. Our room is quiet and the bed's comfortable. No TV. I've already checked the news on my phone - people stranded in a cablecar on M. Blanc overnight. Sara Storey wins her 12th Olympic cycling medal at the Rio Paralympics.

Our flight from Zurich on Thursday was very full but arrived on time, and our light meal of Greek salad, bread and cheese and fruit crumble was chilled but edible. I wasn't tempted by the Swiss wine - saving myself for some Portuguese. We waited ages for our suitcase and then had to figure out the metro system. We bought an Andante Card for a single journey to the city centre. We eventually arrived at Trinidade, the central stop. It was quite a climb up to our B&B, Porto Vintage, where Sofia was waiting. Our suite is nice but basic.

A delicious passionfruit mousse at Achas

After exploring locally, we found a restaurant for dinner: Achas. We had monkfish with spicy mashed potatoes and risoni, a small pasta with saffron, to share. Delicious fish. We both had desserts - mine was passionfruit mousse. We also had a delicious bottle of white wine, Casa da Senra.

A tiring but successful day.

Thursday - setting off

It's very sunny in Thalwil and slightly cooler in Porto, which is on the Atlantic coast. I'm packing a summer jacket but Richard says he doesn't have one.

We haven't prepared much for this holiday, which was booked in April. Laura found the place to stay on the Guardian website but now she can't come because of work commitments and lack of easy flights. We will take the bus and train to Zurich airport and allow time for a relaxing drink in the Montreux Jazz bar, to get into the holiday mood,

We have a small guidebook, Lonely Planet, and have looked Porto up on the Guardian website. Their guides tend to be a bit pretentious though.We will be avoiding the hipster bars and chic clubs in favour of some local cuisine and of course a taste of port. We might even bring a bottle back.

Previous visits to Portugal - Albufeira and Lisbon - have not increased our vocabulary of the Portuguese language. I only know obrigada. In Porto we are staying at the Vintage Guesthouse, a B and B a short walk (we hope) from the lively city streets. Our hostess rang yesterday to check our arrival time and we plan to take the metro from the airport to Trinidade. We will have three full days to explore the main sights including the Se or cathedral, the Baixa district, the Casa da Musica where they have free jazz concerts, the River Douro with its bridges, and some fish and seafood restaurants. I also hope we can book a port tasting at one of the many port houses, or on a river trip.