Oporto
Striking northern gannets glided above a smooth rolling sea as the Endeavour approached the mouth of the Douro River along Portugal’s northern coast. Here we berthed and set out to explore the famous Baroque city of fortified wine spirit. The country’s name derives from this UNESCO world heritage place – Oporto, or just, Porto, as called by our local guides.
High on a hillside overlooking flowing orange tiled roofs we toured the city’s prominent cathedral, of gilded altar and running turret, bastion of Catholicism and protected battlement, church doubling as fortress. Porto resounds in stately architecture – stone edifices, statues, cupolas, clock towers and tiled facades. We visited the neoclassical Palacio da Bolsa, the stock exchange house, with its intricate tile mosaic floor and bedazzling Arabian Hall, a glittering tribute to the Moorish art and architecture we explored earlier in the week in southern Spain.
The streets and beautiful buildings cascade down to the river where grapes traditionally arrived from terraced vineyards inland and finished port was shipped seaward. We crossed the Douro on the stylish bridge of Gustav Eiffel’s student to Vila Nova do Gaia, the world’s finest neighborhood of port wineries. Rovelos, or wine boats, sat picturesquely laden with wine barrels. At the cellars of the brand of iconic silhouette of cloak and brimmed hat, we walked warehouse of cask and keg and wafting aroma, learning about the production of this fine beverage. We savored the opportunity to taste various ports and purchase such for personal export. Up the winding stone paved streets we found another reward – a grand lunch at a second porthouse in a most scenic setting overlooking Porto’s well preserved city center on the opposite bank.
After an afternoon visit to the city’s contemporary art museum and gardens, we returned to the Endeavour replete on Oporto’s outstanding culture, architectural beauty and famous wine.
Striking northern gannets glided above a smooth rolling sea as the Endeavour approached the mouth of the Douro River along Portugal’s northern coast. Here we berthed and set out to explore the famous Baroque city of fortified wine spirit. The country’s name derives from this UNESCO world heritage place – Oporto, or just, Porto, as called by our local guides.
High on a hillside overlooking flowing orange tiled roofs we toured the city’s prominent cathedral, of gilded altar and running turret, bastion of Catholicism and protected battlement, church doubling as fortress. Porto resounds in stately architecture – stone edifices, statues, cupolas, clock towers and tiled facades. We visited the neoclassical Palacio da Bolsa, the stock exchange house, with its intricate tile mosaic floor and bedazzling Arabian Hall, a glittering tribute to the Moorish art and architecture we explored earlier in the week in southern Spain.
The streets and beautiful buildings cascade down to the river where grapes traditionally arrived from terraced vineyards inland and finished port was shipped seaward. We crossed the Douro on the stylish bridge of Gustav Eiffel’s student to Vila Nova do Gaia, the world’s finest neighborhood of port wineries. Rovelos, or wine boats, sat picturesquely laden with wine barrels. At the cellars of the brand of iconic silhouette of cloak and brimmed hat, we walked warehouse of cask and keg and wafting aroma, learning about the production of this fine beverage. We savored the opportunity to taste various ports and purchase such for personal export. Up the winding stone paved streets we found another reward – a grand lunch at a second porthouse in a most scenic setting overlooking Porto’s well preserved city center on the opposite bank.
After an afternoon visit to the city’s contemporary art museum and gardens, we returned to the Endeavour replete on Oporto’s outstanding culture, architectural beauty and famous wine.
