Oporto, Portugal
After sailing nearly 2500 nautical miles, we entered our seventh and final country of this voyage. Oporto is the second largest city in Portugal, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the best preserved baroque city in the world, and we set out to explore it as much as possible. Our visit today focused on the banks of either side of the Douro River, which scenically winds through the city and is spanned by numerous picturesque bridges.
On the north side of the river, we visited the central region of Oporto and its many fascinating buildings. Various towers lined the skyline and baroque facades lined the streets. Visits were made to the Stock Exchange and the church of Sao Francisco. Wandering the streets and the riverside were exceptionally pleasant, especially when a drum and bugle marching band turned up. We were treated to a performance by this Boy Scout troop, and they really put on a vibrant performance kicking up their heels as they played along.
We then crossed the river by a fine 19th century iron bridge to get down to the real reason many of us came to Oporto – Port! We entered the Sandeman’s port wine lodge and were given a tour of the port making facilities. Of course, this ended with a port tasting, which was a fitting way to end our exploration of this lovely city.
During lunch we set sail, heading south along the Portuguese coast. Heading south towards Lisbon allowed for ample time to reflect back upon our wonderful Western European Odyssey.
After sailing nearly 2500 nautical miles, we entered our seventh and final country of this voyage. Oporto is the second largest city in Portugal, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the best preserved baroque city in the world, and we set out to explore it as much as possible. Our visit today focused on the banks of either side of the Douro River, which scenically winds through the city and is spanned by numerous picturesque bridges.
On the north side of the river, we visited the central region of Oporto and its many fascinating buildings. Various towers lined the skyline and baroque facades lined the streets. Visits were made to the Stock Exchange and the church of Sao Francisco. Wandering the streets and the riverside were exceptionally pleasant, especially when a drum and bugle marching band turned up. We were treated to a performance by this Boy Scout troop, and they really put on a vibrant performance kicking up their heels as they played along.
We then crossed the river by a fine 19th century iron bridge to get down to the real reason many of us came to Oporto – Port! We entered the Sandeman’s port wine lodge and were given a tour of the port making facilities. Of course, this ended with a port tasting, which was a fitting way to end our exploration of this lovely city.
During lunch we set sail, heading south along the Portuguese coast. Heading south towards Lisbon allowed for ample time to reflect back upon our wonderful Western European Odyssey.
