A Pleasant Last Day in Porto

[chawen]

 

A Pleasant Last Day in Porto

 

 

 

Bom Dia,

Behold the Cathedral of Porto in all its Romanesque Glory!

The day dawned sunny but pleasantly cool. I have a very early departure tomorrow and my on-line check in for my flights completed, and my taxi pick up is confirmed. Now I need to pack and make sure I'm clean and neat for my flights.

I started the day with a trip to the ATM. I didn't intend to spend lots, but I like to have a supply of Euros for when I return to Continental Europe. My next trip is London, so I'll have to dig around and see if I have any pounds left.

There was a museum I particularly wanted to see and I found it easily. I also found the notice that it was closed during renovation. Uh huh. The joint has a very nice website that gives all sorts of info, but fails to mention the closure.

 

Never mind. I was pretty close to the famous Ponte de Luiz I, so I decided to take another walk across. It was pretty much the perfect day for it with a fresh breeze and clear skies. The views are spectacular--including large signs indicating the location of the cellars of famous Port brands. They offer tours and tastings, and there are also frequent river tours of various kinds, so there's a lot more to do in Porto than I accomplished.

But I wasn't done. Another museum beckoned me that I had planned to visit after the first one because it was downhill.  A charitable foundation was founded back in the Sixteenth Century called the Misericoridia under the protection of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy.  I was surprised to learn it was still going strong providing medical care and support for hospitals as well as medical care for prisoners all over Northern Portugal.

It's not a project museum, but I found the exhibits interesting and appreciated some Late Medieval and Early Modern European Art. The paintings were kinda meh, but there were some excellent polychrome wood carvings as well as medical artifacts and some precious treasures from the church.

There were stairs. I am now afraid of stairs, especially slippery marble ones.  I managed. I also took the elevator whenever I could.

The visit ends with an entrance to the Chapel of the Misericordia, a lavish and beautiful Baroque style church. I had it to myself, which was nice--peaceful and quiet--unlike the frantic tourist milieu into which I was decanted.

 

I enjoyed my trip despite my injury and some bad weather, and I saw nearly everything I really wanted to see. I hoped to take a day trip, but that did not work out. Porto is a worthy destination and a popular one, so be prepared for hoards of tourists. The historic center is beautiful and very walkable, although there's a lot of up and down.

I reserve my greatest appreciation for the kindness of my hosts at Porto Old Town for help with my injury as well as the lovely pharmacist who gave me timely first aid without my having to ask.

Adeus

 

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Comments

[sartorias]

Oooh lovely photos! Very glad the trip went well despite the glitches!

[chawen]

I'm at the airport awaiting boarding. I was anxious because of the wrist, but I had a very helpful taxi driver, and the nice young man at the check in desk dealt with my luggage. I had decided to be as pathetic as possible to get help if I needed it. I even got through security all right.

[sartorias]

Hope you're home safe and sound!