Sunday 27th May 2018
We had promised ourselves an afternoon/evening visit into Porto to the historical centre of Ribeira.
Having re-loaded our metro card with 2 titles for the return trip we headed back to Trindade.
We knew our time would be too short to take in everything Porto has to offer but as always that’s a good excuse to return in the future.
Yet again the city was so busy. Unlike Spain, the shops in Portugal are open on Sunday and it is obviously a popular activity with both tourists and locals.
The Rua Santa Catarina, Porto’s main pedestrianised shopping promenade was heaving! The Café Majestic is located here but was unfortunately closed.
As shopping wasn’t on our agenda (it rarely is) we made our way towards the National Theatre, Teatro Nacional S.João and the city walls.
Here we were looking forward to taking the Funicular dos Guindais, which we had spotted on our river cruise yesterday.
The short two minute ride from the Batalha district down to Ribeira is well worth the €2.50 one way journey, as you enjoy the views towards the Luis Bridge and the Douro River, as well as avoiding the steep descent to the river.
The alternative option is to take the Escadas Do Codeçal, a very steep route to the riverbank.
As you leave the funicular you can see pillars of the old suspension bridge as well as the lower level of the Ponte Luiz I bridge.
As we made our way to Ribeira we were amazed at the swathes of people visiting the waterfront. The quayside was lined with lots of stalls pedalling their wares and lots of tourists eager to spend their Euros.
We passed the Wall of the Ribeira Shelter, the Muro dos Cobertos da Ribeira as we got closer to the famous Ribeira Square.
The Praça, which is now a world heritage centre, was packed!
The sloping square was almost completely covered with pavement bars and flanked by faded, traditional residential 4 or 5 storey blocks. It has to be seen to be believed! People were milling about in every direction and it was hard to take it all in.
From a personal point of view this section of Porto was way too overcrowded for me. Maybe because it was a Sunday afternoon or because it was glorious weather, or a combination of both, I’ll guess I’ll never know, but it was time to head over to Vila de Gaia and find a table for two and watch the world go by.
This time we made our way over the Douro via the lower level part of the Ponte Luis Bridge so that we could access the Cais de Gaia easily.
Before long we had found our ideal spot on the Avenida de Diogo Leite, at a small restaurant Douro Velho to enjoy a local bottle of Planalto, Douro vinho branco seco and a light supper.
Although the seafood kebab was delicious, as was the wine, the service was incredibly slow……. But when we came to pay the bill, the manager didn’t charge us for our appetisers or accept a tip, so can’t really complain and it did allow us more time to ‘people watch’ and enjoy some locals busking.
By the time we headed back to the metro station the sun was setting and we enjoyed our final views over the Douro River and bid farewell to Porto.
