Picturesque Porto

At the mouth of the Douro River sits the picturesque and bustling tourist town of Porto, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and 200 km south of the Spanish border. It’s iconic railway bridge inspired by Gustav Eiffel (yes, the same guy who built a tower in Paris) connects north and south Portugal. It is the gateway for pilgrims to make their way to Santiago de Compostello. You can find sea scalloped shaped directional arrows around the cathedral square to get you on your way for the pilgrimage. Though today we have chosen to do a walk about on the boardwalks on either side of the river and do some people watching and sangria sampling instead. It is a Sunday and local families along with the throngs of tourists are out in full force as the weather is perfect and our guide and waiter say they have never seen the crowds like this since the beginning of the pandemic. Shoppers, lovers, diners, acrobats and street vendors are a mosaic unto themselves as everyone is embracing this picture-perfect day. We had sailed in the previous night under the skies of a pale blue/pink sunset. Particularly ominous considering some sad news from back home just an hour previously. It was nice to be out on our own, making our own itinerary and keeping to our own time schedule rather than being herded around not being able to take the time to reflect at our own pace. The city was undamaged by the earthquake of 1755 and remained intact to preserve the historical significance of both the church and the nobility. VIAGEM FELIZES!!