Friday 8 April 2011

A Portrait of Porto


A friendly weathergod spoils us in the morning, light breezes and sunshine accompany us all the way into Leixoes, the gateway to one of the oldest cities in Europe, Porto. The formerly used prefix "O"Porto is just the now redundant article, "The" Port. Whatever, we are here to see the sights, not to do grammar… The river Douro floats lazily under the big bridge that connects the old centre Ribeira with the rest of the city. To get a genuine impression of what this city's fame and riches were built upon, you better join the guided tour with the wine tasting. It's a real treat for eyes and all the other senses, and you can combine it with either a walking tour or even a Douro River cruise in one of the slim, traditional boats that populate the waters under the famous Dom Luis bridge.     However, quite many decided to explore the old, narrow and winding cobblestone alleys on their own. All they had to do was to catch a lift with the shuttle bus and then amble through the very pittoresque atmosphere, sneaking into a shop here, getting a sample of port wine there. And to benefit from an incredible warm, colourful day that offered far too many photo opportunities. (But then again, some can never get enough pictures...) A few of them we'd like to show you here without further explanations; just enjoy these shots as a leisurely declaration of sympathy to a beautiful city.