PORTUGESE MAGIC

Last summer I was with my wife in the magical Lisbon. I will write a full post about this fantastic city, but until then here are some photos from the day trip to Porto.

AZENHAS DO MAR

First stop is Azenhas do Mar. This is an ancient little fishing village, perched on a cliff. At the base of the cliff there is a stone structure like a swimming pool and a shop where you can have a coffee and a snack. Beautiful spot.

SURFER’S PARADISE NAZARÉ

Next stop is the famous Nazaré, where the biggest wave on Earth is born, reaching even more than 30m in height. Of course, we found ourselves on a summer, quiet day and nothing could give anyone a clue about the huge trench that lies beneath the surface of the sea.

The famous red lighthouse building hides an interesting exhibition with surferboards of famous surfers that had conquered this monstrous wave.

A big surprise was the huge beach that looks like Rio de Janeiro in the most European style. Very nice.

CAPELA DO SENHOR DA PEDRA

Last stop before Porto, the small chapel Capela do Senhor da Pedra (Chapel of the Lord of the Stone) on a beach. This was once the site of pagan rituals, but as part of the mass campaign to Christianize Europe in the 17th century, this chapel was built to "reclaim" the land from the "heretics", nature-loving pagans seeking enlightenment in the very same location.

PORTO AT LAST

Finally in Porto. We stayed for a few hours, which was more than enough to enchant us. It exudes a calm and intimacy, while at the same time it seems to hide its secrets well and challenges you to walk around it.

If you ever get here, my advice is to get lost in the small alleys behind the warehouses of the famous eponymous drink and maybe sit in one of the nice cafes in front of the river.

The cable car gives a beautiful feeling from above and at the same time easily takes you to the beautiful Porto's trademark bridge Ponte Dom Luis I. The bridge is gigantic, you can't see it until you are very close to it.

Gustave Eiffel was the original architect, but due to disagreements over the number of levels, he dropped out of the project and his former student Teófilo Seyrig took over.

LITTLE EDINBURGH SENSE

There are buildings with the characteristic Azulejos tiles everywhere and here is Livraria Lello, probably one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Also, here you will eat at the most beautiful McDonald’s on the planet.

We skipped and opted for a small, sweet spot and tried some curious flavours of squid and fillet of sea bass.

Porto reminded us of Edinburgh in places and proved to be an excellent experience, although we only stayed a few hours.

We managed to stroll around this lovely city until the sun went down, as we had a three-hour drive waiting for us on our way back to Lisbon. Really worth it!