Porto, Portugal, Home of Port

Porto is a beautiful city, and hilly, like most cities I've visited on this trip.  I had difficulty figuring how the hills related to the street pattern, so I did a lot of unnecessary ups and downs on my first day and a half.  Porto is across the Rio Douro from Vila Nova da Gaia, home of the port wine cellars.  The Ponte Luís I connects the cities via two decks: one nearly at river level, and one far above.  Navigation became much easier once I figured out the best routes to the bridge landings, and I crossed many times.  Views from the upper deck are outstanding.

On arrival I ate a Francesinha, which has got to be the local answer to poutine.  A sandwich made of meat, meat, and meat, covered in cheese and a heavy sauce.  I decided that one was enough for the weekend, but it was highly appreciated after that initial walking around.

The next day I went to a few ticket booths to find a long cruise up the Douro but nothing was available, which in retrospect should have been a hint.  Instead I booked a short one for later that day, and took a walking tour in the meantime.  That was a lot of fun, and took us to places I wouldn't have found on my own, like the stairs to the top of the city walls, the market, and the cafe where Harry Potter was allegedly written.  A good way to meet other travelers too.  I declined the tour guide's suggestion of another Francesinha for lunch.

The mini-cruise was refreshing on that hot day, and it took us to the mouth of the Douro as well as a little bit upstream, under several of Porto's bridges.  I also saw catacombs under a church museum, and then it was time for some port.  Ample signage on the VNdG side of the river points the way to the many port houses, which typically have English names, due to the heavy involvement of the English in developing the port industry.  The general rule is: the harder it is to get to, the better the port.  Taylor was the hardest climb, so that's where I went.  Giant barrels, a (corporate-approved) history, and tastings were my reward.  Thanks to taking the last tour of the day on the offseason, I was treated to sunset views from their famous terrace across the Douro.