Porto (part 1)

For spring break, we decided to visit Porto, the biggest city in northern Portugal, in order to see more of the mainland.  We had a kind of late night in Madeira with friends the day before we traveled, and as a result, we were a bit tired when we arrived on Monday.  After checking in to the very cozy Grande Hotel do Porto, we mustered a late afternoon walk and took a few pictures along the way.  We saw the Cathedral,

from where we gazed out over the city,

and eventually reached our destination, the Douro River.

I thought we were done; it was drizzling and a little chilly, but we stopped by the world famous Majestic Cafe for a glass on the way back to the hotel.  The cafe is luckfully (as Bishop would say) across the street from the hotel.

After a little nap, we rallied for a nice meal at A Brasileira.  We have found that one can eat very well in Porto.  Then we returned to the hotel for the night, tired but in good enough spirits to climb the very cool hotel stairs,

Tuesday morning we awoke refreshed and ready to stroll about and see some monuments and churches.  We began at the Mercado do Bolhao, which was rather expansive.

It smelled really, really good there, like tea olive and cilantro mixed together,

and we bought some sweets,

and appreciated the sun coming out as we continued on our way.  We went inside this church, which was lovely.  I can't remember the name of this particular church, but you really can't walk two blocks without seeing a beautiful church and adjacent park.

We kept on through the Praca da Liberdade, 

which is about three blocks in length and is surrounded my some fairly remarkable architecture, even by Porto standards.

Next we walked toward the Torre dos Clerigos, which, situated on a hill, is visible from practically everywhere in the city.

On the way, we found this very small, old bookstore, where Farrar bought some supplies for the children.

We had planned to turn toward the river at the tower, but when we crested the hill, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a Charles Darwin exhibition at the University.

The evidence presented by Mr. Darwin remains compelling

and entertaining.  Yes, that is a Jane Goodall video playing next to all those primates.

The exhibit was a great find and one that added to the homeschool curriculum.

Upon leaving the museum, we saw yet another impressive church,

and around the corner, we were again pleasantly surprised by a spacious, green park,

which was very suitable for an easy stroll,

and then, a laugh, when we saw this great sculpture

that the kids found particularly inspiring.

So after our detour through evolution and the park, we pressed on toward the Palacio da Bolsa and the Igreja da Sao Francisco, named for St. Francis of Assisi.  These two spots, literally connected to each other, were among the more memorable places I have ever seen.  As one might expect, there were no photographs allowed on the interior, so all I have are some outside shots.  That is the Palace, with a statue of Infante Dom Henrique in the lawn, and that is the church, attached to the palace on the left.

and the church, closer.

I suppose it is more accurate to say the Palace is attached to the church, as the church has been there since the 13th century and the Palace since the 19th century when Queen Maria II facilitated its construction by allowing the Porto Commercial Association to build there, on what had been the church's convent, burned in the Siege of Porto in 1832.  Anyway, I learned all that in the guided tour through the palace. We were so impressed that we bought Farrar a trinket before we left.  Incidentally, the very helpful guide/trinket-seller and her colleague were both originally from Madeira.  The world is still small.

The church was just breath-taking.  It was ridiculous.  I hate to sound maudlin (I really do) but I could have cried when I walked in.  After a couple of minutes in there, Farrar walked up to me and asked if I felt oddly emotional upon entering, so it wasn't just me.  And she likes being maudlin even less than I do, if that is possible.  It was just overwhelmingly beautiful, and the amount of detail and craftsmanship and gilt foliage was too much for the eyes to manage. Afterwards I stood outside and stared at the Douro, which we'd been trying to reach all day, and I thought about the fact that people had been standing here looking at this river from this amazing place for nearly 800 years.  I guess I don't think about history enough, but this was pretty staggering for me.

While at the church, one can visit the catacombs, something I have never done, anywhere.  It was predictably eerie, I suppose, walking along the creaking boards and knowing what was beneath.  The mystery was removed in one room, where a section of the floor had been replaced with a glass panel.  Zelle said it gave her a stomach ache, and Farrar did not linger too long.  Bishop and I knelt down and peered through the small opening at every angle, maximizing our view of bones: skulls, vertebrae, femurs, fibulas, and lots of them.  It was a bit disturbing, but I couldn't really stop looking.  It was a strange visual to follow the Darwin exhibit an hour or so earlier.

After we left the church, we walked along the riverfront in Ribeira.  It was splendid and scenic,

and then a dog even blessed this picture, a final surprise in a day of pleasant ones.

....after reviewing this post, I realize that tomorrow I need to try to walk in front of everyone, so there are fewer pictures of our backsides.