Part two of our holiday in Galicia and Portugal, taxi boat to Caminha, this year's anniversary dinner, "essentials" I take everywhere, Mount Santa Tegra, Suzy is home, off to Oporto; Lello bookstore, Luiz 1 bridge, tour in a VW Beetle, Fado, dinner at Cais da Ribeira, Taylor's port wine cellars, sailing on the River Douro and other stories.

Oporto, Sunday 28th August 2022

In Oporto. We loved this vibrant city

A shot from our anniversary dinner last Sunday in A Guarda. 

Good morning again everyone. How have you all been? If you read last week's blog post, you will know that we started this year's anniversary holiday in Galicia and  were then going to Oporto for 4 nights. We had also planned to end our trip in El Cuetu. Plans changed when Suzy came home this week so we aren't going to Asturias.  Asturias is always there, Suzy isn't and we hadn't seen her since May. Before heading home, we have to spend tonight in Montrondo, a 4.5h drive,  as Eladio has to sign some papers with his siblings in León tomorrow. When that is over we shall hit the road again, back to Madrid. I can't wait to see Suzy. We've had a great time but it's now time to go home. 

What a week it has been. Last Sunday was 21st August, our 39th wedding anniversary. It may not be a significant number, like a 25th or 50th, but who knows how long we will be together. Thus we must celebrate every year or even every day as my friend Sandra suggested. She is right. 

We had no plans for that day apart from the anniversary dinner so after breakfast we wandered out for our morning walk. We took the opposite path to A Guarda which would take us to the little port of O Passaxe. The beginning of the walk was just as beautiful as the other one. Here is Eladio posing for my camera to remember the moment. 

Eladio on our walk last Sunday

Once the wooden path way finished we walked along a dusty road which took us to the port from where there used to be a passenger ferry to the other side of the estuary to Caminha in Portugal.  We knew that taxi boats were available and were lucky to find one. This is us on it. The photo was taken by Julio, the "captain",  a kind middle aged man from Madrid who told us it was his holiday job. What a wonderful job I thought. 

On the taxi boat last Sunday

Eladio smiling for the camera

For 6 euros each the boat took us across the water - about 2 miles (not sure whether nautical or not) . to the little Portuguese town of Caminha. I took a video too which you can see here. It was a wonderful day to be out sailing although the journey was short. 

Julio dropped us off at the far end of this semi walled town (2500 inhabitants) which seemed thriving, clean and very pretty, much more so than the villages in Spain on the other side I thought to myself. There was a sort of antiques fair or jumble sale going on in a park which we visited for a bit of fun. From there we walked along the main street which seemed festive and was full of shops that were open. We bought a panama hat for Eladio who had forgotten his and then I persuaded him to buy some green shorts which looked great when he tried them on. We then reached the main square which was very pretty but quite crowded. Here we sat at a cafe and watched the world go by. The coffee was good but we didn't have a "pastel de belem" (typical Portuguese pastry) as we were going to have lunch earlier than usual. Below is a photo of the main square and the monuments there such as the clock tower. 

The square where we had coffee in Caminha last Sunday

The main square in Caminha

We decided to have lunch in Caminha. I came up with one of the best known restaurants in town, "Muralha de Caminha". We didn't have a reservation so were lucky to get a table. I later realised why we got one. I hadn't remember that it is an hour earlier in Portugal so we were sitting down at 12.30 but that was fine by us. We both wanted our favourite Portuguese dish, bacalhau à brás. I was gutted to see it wasn't on the menu. That's when the waiter told me in Portuguese that it was on the menu and pointed at it. It read: "bacalhau dourado". It turns out it is the same dish with two names. That was good to know. Even better was to taste it. I make this dish at home but it's nowhere near as good as what we had in Caminha last Sunday. 

This Portuguese dish comes by two names: bacalhao dourado and bacalhau à brás

We ate about a third of it as we weren't very hungry and took the rest home in a doggy bag to have at our hotel.  It was a bit of an adventure to find a taxi boat to take us across the river/estuary/sea. We made our way to the other side of the town, where Julio told us the Portuguese taxi boats ran but saw none. Two Austrian girls were also searching  and found one. But this time it was a speed boat and dammit did it go fast; far too  fast for me. At least we were wearing life belts. The boat literally dropped us off on the beach from where we said goodbye to our Austrian fellow passengers. 

Our speed boat taking us back to our beach from Caminha last Sunday

The girls were doing the "Camino" - the Portuguese route from Oporto to Santiago (about 250km) and to do so had to cross the sea like us. I wished them a "buen camino" which is what "pilgrims" say to each other. I also said goodbye in Spanish: "adios" and explained it meant "to God". They were happy to hear that and then I said a few words in German - I do know a smattering and then they were off. They left me wondering if one day we will do "El Camino". We should. It must be a great experience.

It was good to be back in our spacious room and shower and rest and get ready for dinner in our finery. I wore the dress I had bought for the wedding we went to on 1st July. Dammit I noticed that my girth had widened and the waistline was slightly tighter. I must stop eating so much but now is not the time to start a diet is it? I had chosen a supposedly romantic little place with good food according to the reviews. It was called "Casa de la Abuela" - "grandma's house" - not quite the right name for a restaurant for an  anniversary dinner hahaha, but at least it was romantic. I got one of the waiters to take some photos and of course this week's feature photo had to be of us that night, along with one of our time in Oporto.  And here are more from that evening: 

More photos from our anniversary dinner last Sunday

I had hoped to eat lobster again but it wasn't on the menu so  I went for rather boring steak. We had our dessert in our room - fruit we had bought. 

Monday came and our only plans that morning were to stick around the hotel, go on the lovely coastal walk again, have coffee on the terrace overlooking the sea/river/estuary at Hotel Molino, go to the beach for a while and  have lunch in our room with stuff I had brought from home. And that is what we did except that my husband did not eat. He had a stomach ache and was a bit ill for a few days poor chap. We don't know why but within a few days he was better. 

Below is a photo of Eladio on the walk - notice the new hat and green shorts and then one on the beach where you have to spot him. Quite easy really as he is wearing a white t-shirt. My husband does not like to sun bathe even though he has dark skin which is probably quite immune to skin cancer. I should be more careful. 

On the lovely coastal walk near our hotel last Monday

On "our beach" on Monday morning. Spot Eladio - you will have to zoom in to do so hahahaha. 

I had lunch alone and ate the leftovers of our picnic when we left Madrid, washed down by gazpacho. Later  I hurried to pair the new remote I had ordered via Amazon for my "fire stick" (a device that can be connected to any non smart TV for streaming Netflix, etc). Stupid me, I had brought the fire stick but not the remote. It took a while to "pair" it to the hotel TV but I wouldn't give up. Perhaps the hardest part was opening the back of it to put in the batteries and that's where Eladio's help came in handy. He is much better with his hands than me but I am better than him at "technology". 

Some of my "technology"

Oh technology! What would we do without it? Once I had managed setting it up I was delighted to see it working on the hotel TV. I then looked at "my desk" there and realised just how many technological (and not technological) devices I take with me everywhere. My "essentials"  are my HP laptop, iPad pro (the large screen one - old from 2016 but wonderful), non blue tooth headphones which I prefer as there is no need to charge them, kindle e-book and of course my mobile phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and  the centre of my technological universe like most people's mobile phones these days. If I am travelling by car I  also usually bring our Nespresso and milk frother as I am up too early to get a good cup of coffee at hotels and I need coffee the moment I wake up. Then there is my travel kettle to have decaf tea in the afternoons (Tetleys or PG Tips) and of course my feather pillow. Added to that there are my pills - sleeping pills, vitamins and always, always, always, some scissors and tweezers. You might see from the photo above that I have also brought along spearmint chewing gum to which I am addicted as well as a file with papers in it and a small notebook. The note book was bought at the lovely Brontë parsonage last May. I  love technology but admit to needing a pen and paper sometimes. The folder contains important papers from my little hospitality business by the way. That's a lot to put in a suitcase isn't it? Just missing is the kitchen sink hahahaha. What are your essentials when traveling I wonder; technological and non technological? PS what is not very technological are the two wires coming down from the TV but there you go; not all things are wireless these days. 

Eladio, feeling pretty unwell, slept most of the afternoon and I pottered around, enjoying peace on the terrace. He didn't join me for dinner either which was bread and butter ·"stolen" from the breakfast buffet which I had with some ham I had brought and a glass of wine. We then watched something on TV but soon fell asleep. 

Neither of us had a good night but at least Eladio woke up feeling slightly better. He managed a banana and a yoghurt for breakfast while I wolfed down two slices of toast and a croissant (oh I love croissants). 

Tuesday was the day we finally got to see the most important tourist attraction in the area: "Castro of Santa Tegra" just a few miles from our hotel.  For the record "A castro is a fortified settlement, usually pre-Roman, some from late Bronze Age and Iron Age, the oldest research associated with the Celtic culture. These are frequently found in the Northern Spain, particularly in Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, Basque Country and the province of Ávila, with the Castro culture and on the plateau with Las Cogotas culture" (thank you Wikepedia). 

From our hotel we could see the hill where this ancient 1st century BC Celtic village / area lies. It is dedicated to the patron saint of Galicia, Santa Tegra, in the local lingo and Santa Tecla in Spanish and is a very important place for "Gallegos".  I had no idea it was so spectacular, dismissing A Guarda as a rather uninteresting town. Well, I was wowed by the settlement on Mount Santa Tegra which is mostly ruins although there are interesting reconstructions of what the "houses " looked like when the Celts lived there before the Romans came. It is situated on a hill over 340m above sea level and commands amazing views of the bay of A Guarda and  of the  mouth of the River Miño.  If you ever pass through this area, I highly recommend a quick visit. A friend, Ana V who is from Galicia, was the person who recommended it to me. Thank you Ana. It was well worth the visit.

Views of the Mouth of the River Miño and Portugal from the top of Mount Santa Tegra

View of the town of A Guarda from the top of Mount Tegra

Eladio and I on Mount Santa Tegra

Eladio showing me the ruins of Celtic buildings on Mount Santa Tegra

 
It was a beautiful day and I suggested we traveled further afield to the beautiful seaside town of Baiona but my husband's stomach wasn't up to it. Thus we drove back to the hotel and I went to have a coffee on the terrace of El Molino hotel and then spent a couple of hours on the beach enjoying the cold water, my book and the sun.

Eladio ate a tiny bit of lunch (hurray), some of the "bacalhau" from the doggy bag and we spent the rest of the day quietly.

Meanwhile at home I found out from little Marianne (our young French guest) that Suzy was back from Santa Pola. I knew she had intentions of returning but she hadn't said when. I immediately called her and we had a good chat. She had already met our lovely French family who had kindly invited her to have dinner with them the next evening. How kind of them. Later Suzy sent me a photo for which I was extremely grateful.

Suzy with our French family who invited her to dinner this week. So kind of them. 

I wished we could be there too but it wasn't to be unfortunately. But at least they got to know my eldest daughter.  Later in the week they sent me a photo of their last night in Madrid. 

Our French family, Jerome, Marianne and Peggy on their last night in Madrid. We hope to see them again next year. 

They left yesterday morning and Marianne wrote to me to tell me she was heart broken to leave. These were her words, "J'ai eu le coeur brisé en partant" (another new expression for me which I actually understood when I read it). I told her that in a year's time we would be together again and I sincerely hope we will. They are our friends now and have stolen a part of our hearts. God bless them. Until next year when we meet again, this time in Montrondo. 

Olivia, as you know, was on holiday with her little family in Montrondo where Elliot was having the time of his life, just as our children did when they were small. Oli has been sending us photos and I particularly like this one of her with Juliet, Elliot and little girls from the village who were happy to play with Elliot. 

Oli with Juliet and Elliot surrounded by friends in Montrondo this week

By dinner time Eladio was still not hungry but made the effort to accompany me on our last night in La Guardia (A Guarda in Gallego). As the town is the lobster capital of Spain I had been dying to have a lobster salad. We drove to the old port and decided to shop around for the right restaurant. It turned out to be Los Remos. This is it; a nice old building but a bit run down inside.

Los Remos where we had dinner on our last night in A Guarda

All my husband wanted was a bowl of soup and he got it. I got my lobster salad too which wasn't cheap and came with a bit too much boiled egg; I would have preferred more lobster and less egg but it was still tasty. 

My lobster (and egg) salad at dinner on our last night in A Guarda

We didn't have a dessert because Eladio couldn't face one and I wasn't keen on what was on offer. Spanish desserts are usually these: rice pudding (cold), creme caramel and similar puddings all made with milk and then cheese cake. Well I hate puddings made with milk and I hate cheese. I only really like ice cream so I got one at a bar when we left the restaurant.

It was past 9.30 when we left Los Remos and we were rewarded with a most beautiful sunset above the head of a statue of a fisher woman by the port. It couldn't have been more romantic. The photo below does not do the scene justice. 

Sunset in A Guarda on our last night - stunning

We were a bit sad it was our last night at O Novo Muiño Hotel. We had had a very relaxing time there. It lived up to its expectations mainly because of its location by the beach on the mouth of the River Miño with its stunning scenery. 

But we had Oporto to look forward to. I had only been once and it was in the summer of 1979 when I was given a free place at a summer course in Portuguese at the prestigious Coimbra University as part of my degree. I was really lucky to be sent there and enjoyed my 3 weeks immersed in the language and culture of the country which grew on me. I went one day to Oporto with a fellow student, a boy from The Azores (funny) who I think was a bit in love with me. I certainly wasn't. All I remember was visiting the port bodegas and getting rather drunk. We then got on a bus that would take us round the city, or round and round it and would serve to see the sights which was the cheapest and easiest way to see Oporto,  none of which I remembered. By then we had missed the bus or train back to Coimbra and had to hitch hike. I shall never forget being picked up by an open ended truck which seemed to go at a snail's pace. I think we arrived at our lodgings at about 5 in the morning. I had been told that Oporto (Porto in Portuguese) was now so full of tourists it has lost its charm. I hoped not but we would see. For Eladio it was his first time so he had no preconceptions.  We stayed at an Airbn house just outside the city and by the sea.

We set off at a leisurely pace on Wednesday morning as we couldn't check in until 3 pm and our journey  to Oporto was under 1.5h. Before heading for Portugal we drove into A Guarda to get provisions from a local supermarket and some cash from the "hole in the wall". I could have kicked myself later when I saw loads of supermarkets near our Airbnb in Oporto including the ubiquitous Mercadona and even Super Cor (both Spanish ) not to mention Lidl and plenty of Portuguese supermarkets. I kicked myself too when the hotel rang me to say I had left my precious kindle behind. What would I do without it? Thankfully we were quite near and rushed back to get it. I was thankful for the honesty of the chambermaids; I really was.

Thus we set off later  from A Guarda to the nearest border of Portugal - Vila Nova de Cerveira, it's only 15km so we were soon in Portuguese territory. 

Entering Portugal from Spain at the frontier of Vila Nova de Cerveira

From Vila Nova de Cerveira to our destination, Foz de Douro, just 5km from the centre of Oporto, it was just over an hour's drive - 105km. We had to manage the toll on the A28 but did it. I still don't really understand how payment for the toll roads works in Portugal!

Soon we arrived in the Foz de Douro district - perhaps the most chic and expensive because it's by the city beaches and lovely parks. It is where the River Douro meets the Atlantic Ocean. So we had come from one river mouth to another. Foz is the Portuguese for river mouth. The source of the River Douro (in Spanish Duero), like the Miño, is in Spain; the head water being in the province of Soria. It's one of both Spain and Portugal's most important rivers.

We were there early and thankfully the host, Joana, had no problem with us checking in at 1 instead of 3 pm. In all our time in Oporto we kept forgetting that it is one hour earlier than in Spain. I loved our little Airbnb house on a tiny street off the Passeio Alegre (translates badly as happy walkway!). It was a house just for us, small but compact and on a tiny cobbled street but not easy to find anywhere to park. 

Our Airbnb house in the heart of the Foz de Douro area. 

But the house had a big downside, at least for me. The bathroom is on the ground floor and the bedrooms are upstairs. The worst thing is that the staircase is spiral and very steep. I hate spiral staircases as they make me feel dizzy. Thus I could not sleep upstairs or enjoy the beautiful terrace on the top floor and had to sleep on the sofa bed in the lounge. I honestly don't know how Eladio got his suitcase upstairs. We could have slept together on the sofa bed but a sofa bed is never as comfortable as a real bed. Thus on our wedding anniversary trip in Oporto we had to sleep separately. The Airbnb house has great reviews but there is not a mention or photo of the staircase and there should be. 

The impossible spiral staircase at our Airbnb house in Oporto

Had I known it I would have chosen somewhere else. Also the inviting terrace which is the main photo of the listing is actually upstairs which meant I could not enjoy it. On the plus side it's in a quiet street, is clean and well equipped. 

Once we had settled in and had a very late lunch, we went out exploring. It was a grey and cloudy day; the coldest of our holiday and I was grateful I had brought leggings and a coat. We intended just to walk in our neighbourhood - Foz de Douro, near the city beaches but when we spied one of the old trams we decided to get on it. Did you know the trams in Portugal are the oldest in Europe? They date back to 1895.  I had seen them in Lisbon and even been on one in Oporto in 1979 so was pleased to see them still working. Today they exist mostly for tourists and to preserve their heritage with just 3 lines running now.  Everything was grey and misty so we hardly appreciated the ride along the River Douro into the heart of the city but enjoyed the tram ride. 

For 3.50 euros each we took the tram near our house which deposited us by the University and next to a charming old Church called "Carmo". The photo above is of the tram we took. 

Elado getting off the tram. 

Eladio in the square where the Carmo church is and where we got off the tram. Notice how grey the sky was. Eladio is wearing "my" raincoat as he hadn't brought anything warm to wear, just one jumper!

Once in the city we wandered around with no particular destination in mind. We had booked a trip on an open VW Beetle  as well as a visit to the famous bookshop called "Lello" on Friday. As we were already there  I decided to change our ticket online and visit it then. To avoid the enormous queue I bought the premium ticket for 15 euros.  Boy was it worth it. 

The Lello bookstore from the outside. 

Once inside we were absolutely overawed by this famous bookstore's beauty. The book shop is over 100 years old and is known for its stunning Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Gothic Interior. It became even more famous worldwide supposedly because the Harry Potter library scenes were inspired by it, although that is disputed by JK Rowling.  But there is a connection to the popular writer with Portugal because she lived in Oporto for a few years in the 90s where she married a Portuguese student with whom she had a child. To make ends meet, like I did in Madrid years ago, she taught English as a second language here. Later in the week, our Beetle Tour guide showed us the café  (The Majestic) where he says she wrote her first Harry Potter manuscript. I investigated further. In her biography by Sean Smith, he mentions she jotted down lines of a future manuscript there. It's a very expensive cafe so I wonder if it was in her budget. In any case, during her time here, she must have visited the wonderful bookshop. And I bet she loved the staircase just as much. 

The staircase is the central piece and I had to get a photo from Internet to show you what it really looks like as it was impossible to take a good photo of it inside the store. This is it. 

The staircase inside the Lello Bookstore in Oporto

Like us, more people were taking photos than buying books. I can't judge the quality of the books or rather should tell you all the classics were there in many languages but of course more in Portuguese. Also there were belongings of the two Portuguese Nobel Literature prize winners, Fernando Pessoa and Jose Saramago. I studied Pessoa at University so was pretty in awe to see his writings and pens. 

For the most part we took photos. Here are some of them;  a treasure to keep. 

Posing in the Lello bookstore in Oporto on Wednesday, the day we arrived. 

But we couldn't leave one of the most famous and beautiful book shops in the world without buying a book so we did. We got The Wizard of Oz in English for Elliot, the only other option for children's literature in English was Harry Potter and for Juliet we got a book of fairy tales in Spanish. I hope they treasure these books as we treasured this visit. 

Oporto was teeming with people and I think we had had enough of the crowds so made our way back to the tram stop. Everyone around us here seems to speak Spanish and all the employees we meet on transport, restaurants and bars, all speak not just Spanish, but very good English  and quite good French as well as their native Portuguese. The Portuguese, unlike the Spaniards, are good linguists. It annoys me when I try and speak Portuguese to be replied to in Spanish. Things have changed here I can see. When I first came in the 70's no one wanted to speak Spanish preferring English or French always.  The Portuguese were always reluctant to speak Spanish even though it is easy for them. One of the reasons they are reluctant is because of the age old uneasiness between the two countries - Portugal got its independence on and off and was only a truly independent nation after the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494. Still today there is a famous saying in Portuguese that goes: "De Espanha, nem bom vento nem bom casamento" which translates roughly into "From Spain, neither good winds nor marriage will come". Today that uneasiness seems to be disappearing yet still the government won't agree to a high speed train from Madrid to Lisbon. Yet in the street there is friendliness between both peoples. We saw so many Spanish tourists we reckoned that more than 50% of those visiting Oporto are from Spain. 

As to the difference between the two languages; yes they are close but not enough to understand each other perfectly. For me and I have studied both languages, Portuguese is a bit like medieval Spanish and quite easy to read if you know Spanish. The pronunciation though is very, very different. Some people say it sounds like Russian. They are right as the "s" , depending where it goes in a word, can be  pronounced "sh" and the "z" is pronounced "zh". 

One of the reasons the Portuguese speak such good English is owed to history.  My father always told me that England is Portugal's oldest ally and it's true. So it is not unusual to still see English style pillar boxes and phone booths and even double decker buses. 

English style pillar box in Oporto that you see everywhere

Even the tram driver on our journey home was trilingual! Here he is doing his job and making us happy. 

Our tram driver on the journey home

Again it was too cloudy to enjoy the journey along the River Douro. Once off the tram we walked for a while in a pretty park opposite our Airbnb but were tired and went home to wind down.

I was awake at 6 am Portuguese time on Thursday morning. We had no plans that day except to see more of Oporto. This time we took the bus into the city - much faster and cheaper. The 500 dropped us off near the cathedral. But before we went in we enjoyed the views, such as this one below with Eladio. I think Oporto could be called the red roofed city. You see beautiful buildings next to shabby ones, old ones next to new ones but somehow everything comes together to create an oldie worldie atmosphere of old and new. Atmosphere, that is what there is about Oporto and Portugal in general. The past is always with you. Here are two photos of typical views of the houses and buildings in Oporto with their red roofs. Notice the one below where a woman has just hung out her washing. 

Typical houses in Oporto

Once we had taken our fill of the views from the cathedral square it was time to go inside. It is a total mixture of architecture. They say it is Romanesque but there is  a lot of Baroque too. 

The Cathedral from the outside and the huge bishop's palace next to it. 

More than the cathedral itself, the church, I really loved the cloisters with their typical Portuguese blue and white tiles: "azulejos" (it is the same in Spanish) and like many people around me had to have a photo against this beautiful wall. It made me feel happy, it really did. 

Inside the cathedral cloisters next to one of the beautiful tiled walls. 

Later I  asked Pedro, our VW tour guide why this fascination with tiles. He told me they were made to protect buildings and the blue dye was used as it was the cheapest. But   later they were appreciated for their beauty. I agree. 

Oporto is divided by the Douro River and I knew there was a bridge somewhere to cross from the heart of the city, "Ribeira" (means riverside) to the the town of Vila Nova de Gaia where all the Port wine bodegas are, the ones where I got drunk in 1979. I  could spy it from the cathedral but it was quite difficult to find but find it we did and were awed too, in the same way we were awed by the Lello bookshop. We couldn't stop taking photos.

This very old bridge is called Luíz 1 and is named after the Portuguese King but without the title "Dom" as revenge by the people of Oporto when he didn't turn up for the inauguration. It was designed by Téophile Seyrigm, a partner of Gustave Eiffel. Another bridge, the Maria Pia railway bridge was designed by Eiffel himself in 1877 and it seems people mix them up  as they are pretty similar in design. "Ponte Luiz 1"was for many years the longest bridge in the world of its type (double deck metal arch bridge) measuring 172 metres. It must have been incredibly modern for its time. Today it is one of Oporto's main landmarks and every tourist who comes here has to cross it like we did this week. We took many photos too, like the ones below

Luiz 1 bridge in Lisbon, a remarkable feat of engineering for its time

Luiz 1 bridge dividing the old part of Oporto and the Port wine town of Vila Nova de Gaia

Oporto, like Lisbon and many other Portuguese big towns is very hilly but there are ways around that. We spied a cable car at the end of the bridge to take you down to the river bed in Gaia and oh my it was such fun. This is the view from the cable car which we had to ourselves. I also took a video  you can see on my You Tube channel here. 

View from the cable car

We were hungry by then and decided to find somewhere for lunch and leave a port wine bodega visit for another time. We found a lovely little place where Eladio was able to satisfy his desire for sardines - he loves them and they are, together with cod (bacalhau) the national dish. I don't like them but love the Portuguese "green" soup (caldo verde). I also had some cod type croquettes and we drank a glass of delicious "vinho verde" to go with it. 

Lunch at a modest little restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia on Thursday

I was being sent notifications that I had a new reservation on Airbnb but had been having trouble with the app so couldn't answer my guests. The only way to do so was on my PC back at our Airbnb in Foz de Douro. That annoyed me so much. I was told by Airbnb customer care that their engineers were working on it. They must have been true to their word as it was up and working the next day. Thus we took the cable car back across the river to Oporto. 

Our cable car on our return to Riberia de Oporto

We crossed the long bridge again and walked back to our bus stop to find the number 500 was there waiting for us. This time the ride back along the river was much more pleasant as the sun was out - no more grey skies. We came home to unwind again - well, me to answer my new guests; a group of 3 ladies coming from London to our house on Friday for 3 nights. 

Later we went for a stroll to see the beach near our Airbnb. After all I had booked this place to be near the beach. This was it at night. It's called Praia do Carneiro. Sadly we never actually got to sunbathe or swim in the sea here. There was either no time or it wasn't really warm enough. But no worries we had had our fill in Galicia. 

The nearest beach to our Airbnb - about 250m away. 

We learned that the people of Oporto like to live by the sea and that this area is quite expensive. I can relate to that. I love to visit a city but could never live in one. My dream would be to live by the sea.  We walked back admiring some of the beautiful houses and remarking on those that needed restoring. 

Friday came and I had booked a tour of the city via Airbnb - one of their "experiences". It was called Peter's Beetle Porto Tours, as in Beetle the VW car. That would be something different. I wouldn't be seen dead on a hop on hop off open topped tourist bus, but was happy to be driven around Oporto by our lovely guide and owner, Pedro in a vintage VW. Those were the days. I remember traveling from England to Spain  in the 70's with a friend, Sophie, who had one.  This was ours by the way. It was such a fun experience. 

Setting off on our Beetle Tour

Pedro was a great guide and I cannot summrise all he told us about the city and its history as I would need to write a guide book myself to do so. Suffice it to say he knew exactly what to show us and where. I loved his stories too which made the city come to life for us. 

But I must tell you 2 of them. The first is the story behind a statue of the Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco and his forbidden lover Ana Plácido in front of the old city prison.  They were both married but fell in love and both were imprisoned for 2 years for their crime. It was in the prison that he wrote his most famous book "Doomed Love" (Amor de Perdiçao). It is a bit like a Portuguese Rome and Juliet and is one of the most famous Portuguese novels. Their own story ended happily when both their spouses died and they were able to marry. This is the beautiful statue of them outside the prison. In the statue, Ana Plácido is naked and her lover tries to cover her with his coat. 

Statue of Camilo Castro Branco and Ana Placido

The other story is about King Pedro IV (1798-1834) who gave his heart to the city after his death. It was a gesture to thank the people for their devotion, sacrifice and courage during the siege of the city against his brother Miguel 1. They literally fed the troops and thus became known as "tripeiros" (guts). Thus one of the most famous dishes in Porto is actually tripe which Eladio loves and I hate. He got to try it at dinner later that night.  The King's  heart lies in the church called Nossa Senhora de Lapa. Quite a story I thought. 

Pedro took us to places we would never have found on our own such as the Vitoria neighbourhood where there is a mirador with amazing views of the city. 

Mirador de Vitoria

We didn't just get a guided tour of the city, we got a photographic tour as Pedro took photos of us on the tour with my phone. Thus we got lots of photos together, like this quirky one of us in a very narrow cobbled street below. Love it. 

One of the best shots of our Beetle Tour

We also crossed over to Vila Nova de Gaia, but  not on the Luiz 1 bridge which is only for trains and pedestrians. He took us to the round church called Pilar which I think has the best views of the city of Oporto like this one; another lovely photo Pedro took of the two of us together. 

In Gaia, by the round Church of Pilar which has the best views of the city

In our Beetle we also got to see the modern part of the city which impressed us less but was interesting to see. I wasn't particularly impressed by the Casa de Musica - the House of Music which was built in the early 2000s, but loved the heart on the steps. Pedro stopped the car to take a photo of us which is quite romantic I think. 

By the house of Music in our Beetle

The tour finished by the seaside areas near our Airbnb. It was sunny in Porto but there was fog by the seaside so we didn't get to see much. Pedro dropped us off there and we said goodbye but I hope not forever. He was a wonderful guide and I suspect a wonderful person too.

We went back to our house for a short rest and then went out for lunch. I had spied a great restaurant 5 minutes away. Al Mare is a beautiful place to eat and we had a wonderful menu of the day for just 20 euros each. If I lived here I would go every Friday night. 

Inside dining room of Al Mare

Our day didn't end there. A holiday to Portugal is never complete without going to a Fado show. Fado (meaning Fate) is to Portugal as is Flamenco to Spain but so different. The music is melancholy, full of what the Portuguese call "saudade"  - a sort of longing and yearning. It can be sung by a man or a woman and is always accompanied by a guitar and in Portugal there are various kinds. If you want to know more, look up the name Amália Rodrigues. She is still the Queen of Fado and the "fadista" who made Fado famous worldwide. We booked a show in the city at a Fado house called Fado na baixa and were not disappointed. We especially loved the singing of Gonçalo Mendes who studied at Coimbra University - where I spent 3 weeks in 1979 learning Portuguese- a lot of Fado is from this prestigious University town. He wore the black cape the students wear there when it is cold. 

Gonçalo Mendes singing at the Fado show on Friday night

Satisfied with our experience, we walked out into the cobbled street of Rua São João  which we realised would take us down to the river in Ribeira, a place we hadn't been to till then. The area is called "Cais da Ribeira" which translates into the Ribeira pier or pier side but I think the correct translation is river side  Wow what a place; teeming with people from all over the world and all their languages. I admire the Portuguese who cater to the tourists here flawlessly in many languages.   What a place, what views of the Luiz 1 bridge, the other side; Vila Nova de Gaia, all the boats, small traders, people reading tarot cards - would have loved to have mine read but Eladio would not have been happy hahahaha. Despite the throngs of people, it is a vibrant and romantic place, the perfect spot for our dinner that night. But before we searched for a restaurant we had to take more photos. Here is one of my by the key side just before sunset. 

At "Caisdaribeira" on Friday evening

Eladio wanted to try the famous Porto tripe and try it he did at "Avó Maria". Avó with an acute accent on the o means grandmother in Portuguese. Very confusingly grandfather is "Avô" with a circumflex on the o.  I always found that difficult as the pronunciation is quite similar. Avó Maria did not have good reviews but we liked it and Eladio said his tripe was out of this world. Good for him. I hate tripe and once again ate "bacalhau" haha. Apart from being multilingual, waiters in Portugal and elsewhere need to have another skill and that is taking photos of their customers with their mobiles. Thus a lovely waitress took this one below which captures our happy mood that night. Oh how happy we felt in that photo and that moment. 

Dinner at Avó Maria by the riverside in Oporto on Friday night

The restaurant is just a few metres from the famous Luiz 1 bridge but from the lower part which you can walk along too. That takes you to the river side of Vila Nova de Gaia and you don't need to take the cable car to walk down to it. From the riverside in Ribeira I took a photo of the spectacular bridge and the Church of Pilar (the round one we had visited earlier in the day) in the distance. 

Luiz 1 bridge as seen from the river side in Oporto - Cais da Ribeira

We decided to cross it too. Looking up you are constantly reminded of the Eiffel tower because the materials to build this bridge are exactly the same as Parisian tower of such fame. Unfortunately the lower crossing is under reconstruction but I still got some good photos of the views at night. This is one of them. Beautiful isn't it? I know I will come back to Oporto one day. 

View at night from the Luiz 1 bridge of both sides of the River Douro

After crossing the bridge back to the Cais da Ribeira, we walked back to our bus stop and caught the 500 home. We now know the route well. All in all we had had a marvelous day and were getting to love the city more and more. 

Saturday was to be our last full day here and I think it was the best. The night before I booked a port wine tasting session as well as a boat tour on the river; 2 essential things to do in Oporto. We took the 500 bus again which dropped us off, as always at the Praça do Infante Dom Henrique. The statue of Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) points to the sea in a symbolic way. After all Portugal is a nation of famous navigators and explorers who changed the world in so many ways. 

Prince Henry Square where we always got off and on the bus during our stay

From there we walked along the Cais da Ribeira to Vila Nova de Gaia and then to the port wine cellar of my choice. Most of them are English and I don't know why but I went for Taylor's. I could not have made a better choice as, after all, they are purveyors of port wine to none other than HM the Queen. The port wine makers date back to 1692 and is still a family concern. This was the entrance where I had to have a photo of the two lions symbolising England and the Royal plaque. 

Outside the entrance to the Taylor's port wine cellar yesterday

I had bought the tickets online and everything was most efficient. We were handed two audio guides and walked our way around the wine cellar. I loved the smell. 

Inside the port wine cellar

I'm not sure I learned a lot that way as I was more keen to try out the port wine which was part of the entrance ticket. The gardens there were magnificent. As we entered we were greeted by this most magnificent cockerel with all its beautiful colours. Maybe you know or maybe you don't that the cockerel is the symbol of Portugal. It was good to see  one living in peace at Taylor's in Porto. 

The magnificent cockerel in the gardens of Taylor's port wine cellar in Porto 

Equally magnificent was the setting for the port wine tasting; a sort of beautiful Mediterranean come English garden. We sat in the shade in such beautiful surroundings that the port could only taste magnificent too. We were given white port called Chip Dry- as an aperitif - and an LBV (Late bottled vintage). I liked them both and was interested to know the difference between the two most famous fortified wines, Sherry and Port, both from the Iberian Peninsula and both made famous by my countrymen. The first difference is the region - Porto and Jerez, then the grape type. Sherry is mostly made from white grapes and port from red. The real difference though is when the  fortification - when a spirit (mostly brandy)  is introduced- takes place. With sherry it happens at the end of fermentation and with port wine before fermentation has finished. 

Eladio enjoying the port wine tasting session

While we were there we had to buy some port from Taylor's of course. Eladio was keen to buy a bottle for each of his siblings and one for us which came to a pretty penny but we were feeling generous. The only problem then was carrying it. The option was by taxi. 

Our next date was the boat tour but that wasn't until 2.30 so we decided to have lunch at the restaurant at Taylor's which I had spied when I went to the loo. I came across a jewel of a restaurant called Barâo (Baron) Fladgate - one of the partners of Taylor's. What a place, another magnificent setting over the River Douro. We were lucky to get a table and wow the food was outstanding. 

Lunch yesterday at Barâo Fladgate yesterday - what a find

When the time came, we ordered a taxi to take us to Marina Doura where we would be starting our boat tour. Below is a photo of Eladio outside Taylor's with his 6 bottles of port hahaha. 

Eladio outside Taylor's port wine cellar yesterday carrying his 6 bottles of port. 

It was a 10 minute drive and I had an interesting conversation in Portuguese with the taxi driver about how Portugal has developed so much since it joined the EU. How right he is. Oporto today, compared to when I saw it in 1979, is another world. I was happy when the taxi driver complimented me on my Portuguese. 

We arrived at the Marina Doura harbour on time for our boat trip on a 15m yacht along the river which would last 1.5h. I had booked it on Airbnb - see the link here for if you ever visit Oporto because it is well worth it. And this was our yacht with our fellow passengers, a family from near Ascot in the UK and a couple from Boston, US. The yacht is called "Once upon a time ..." and is captained by a young man, Augusto and his partner, Miguel. The yacht belongs to Augusto's father and he started his Airbnb boat trips just 2 months ago with great success. We couldn't have been in better hands. 

Our yacht yesterday

We set sail on time and soon we were in the hands of a different captain - my husband!!!! The yacht was running only with the sail and there was little wind so Augusto offered the passengers the chance to navigate it. What a wonderful experience. He even gave Eladio a captain's hat as you can see in the photo below. I took a video to remember the wonderful experience which you can see here. 

Eladio, captain of the ship!

We were all given a tumbler of what Augusto called Port Tonic - port wine with tonic water and ice - delicious. And here we are enjoying the moment. 

Enjoying our boat trip yesterday

This boat trip was a wonderful end to a wonderful 4 days in beautiful Porto. I hope we come back one day. 

We were sad to leave the boat but all good things come to an end and we are already thinking about next year's anniversary trip. Where will we go? I have suggested Menorca, Iceland, Norway, Berlin .... so many places to choose and how lucky we are that we can choose a new destination. 

And today is Sunday and the end of our fairy tale anniversary holiday which we shall always remember with much fondness. But we have more to look forward to, going home, the visits of Pernille, Amanda and our friends Kathy and Phil in September and October and then my trip to Yorkshire in November. No complaints from my side then. 

I hope you have enjoyed following our adventures. Cheers then my friends until next Sunday.

Yours Masha