Date of Events: April 12th, 2019
Off to a great start with sunshine and a nice cool breeze. Going to cover an area that Carmen recommended, about a 20-24km walk today.
Took this same shot yesterday, but you could not see the Clerigos Tower because of the fog ... it gives a different perspective.
Statues like this are everywhere.
This magnificent monument, Chafariz da Rua Escura was in the square behind Porto Cathedral.
A view from the Cathedral steps overlooking a clear day across the river where Carmen and I hiked yesterday.
Fascinating narrow cobblestone streets.
A ring from the past for mooring ships ... ships cannot get here now.
Not sure about this ancient wall, but seems out of place here.
This building is linked to the Templars. I overheard a little bit about this by a tour guide. Was hoping to find out more when I got back to internet to do some research. Couldn't find it ... yet.
A dilapidated building was cause for a few photo moments ... it was this gate that caught my attention.
About 5km along the Porto boardwalk looking back.
They really did a marvelous job on the boardwalk.
This is the entrance to Passeio Alegre Park.
This is called Lago do Passeio Alegre (fountain).
This lighthouse is known as Farolim de Felgueira. The waves were amazing today.
The lighthouse in the foreground is the same as the one above. The lighthouse in the background is known as Farol do Molhe Norte da Barra do Douro. Just look at the wave action! Some people got soaked. LOL
This fort is called Forte de Sao Joao da Foz do Douro. Didn't seem like one I wanted to go into, but it was okay from outside.
I really liked the Pergola da Foz. Just the way the sun was hitting it and the shadows were creating such an interesting perspective.
I couldn't find a name for this maritime monument.
Many fountains dotted the shore.
This statue was quite significant as it stood in the Centre of a circle. It is called Estatua Equestre de Dom Joao VI.
This was as far as I wanted to walk today and I don't believe there was much to see passed this point. This is Forte de Sao Fransisco Xavier. This fort is on the coastline and you can walk around it. You can also pay to go in it.
I walked back to the previous fort which is about 2km. I knew I was going to do quite a bit more walking around the old town so I opted to take the tram back into town. It was 3.50 Euro one way ... well worth it.
The tram stopped by another Church that I had to check out. This was called Church Sao Francisco. The front of the Church was incredible. This Church was constructed in the 14th Century.
This monument is of Prince Henry, the navigator and he is pointing overseas.
This building is from the 18th Century and houses one of the cities oldest confraternities.
This is the place I stayed in, a friend of mine, Ana owns it.
I got back to my room and had to take a load off my feet. I started to look through my messages and saw one from Carmen who had kindly invited me to supper at their home. I graciously accepted, asked what time and for the address. The plan was 530pm.😊 This would give me an hour to rest. I punched the address in my phone.
At 5pm, I got up and headed out. It took me a lot longer than I thought to walk there. By almost 6pm, I rang the buzzer. A lady answered the door ... it was not Carmen. She saw the look on my face and I pointed to the address that Carmen had given me ... she shook her head and closed the door. I realized at this moment that when I punched it into my phone it took me to the correct number but the wrong street.
I asked a lady who was walking by and she tried so hard to help me ... before you knew it she had four other people standing there trying to help me find the correct street. It really did look funny to see so many people trying to figure it out, but talk about such wonderful people. Well, after much conversation and 2 phones later the street was found! I flagged it on my phone and it took another 30 minutes to get there. HAHAHA I am still laughing about this experience.
While walking down the correct street I hear my name reverberating down the street. It took awhile for me to realize that it was coming from above me ... I finally found it. I shared my adventure with Carmen who had a good laugh and passed me a cold beer ... that was so welcomed ... it went down smoothly. LOL
Carmen showed me around their lovely apartment. It was a shame but Sam had to work a long shift today.
Carmen cooked up a fantastic meal ... green curry chicken with rice and a mango salad ... such a treat.
Well I couldn't believe it was after 9pm again. Carmen gave me directions how to get back to my place ... basically once out the door, walk a block, turn right and then go straight.
Oh my gawd! I saw where I had criss -crossed this path so many times. I was laughing so hard everytime I saw a path that I was on ... I was walking half the city. Too funny. I got back to my room in about 40 minutes. A lot quicker than the hour and a half it took me to get there. HAHAHA
Okay gotta pack and have another beer. Lol
