Thursday 4th October 2018

Whilst we waited for news on K&Vs car, we thought we might as well make the most of our time and visit Portugal’s 2nd largest city Porto. A 30 minute drive from our campsite and we were in the centre of the city searching for a parking place, which is not that easy when you have  a large car like ours, fantastic for towing the caravan but not so easy to park, especially in the tight underground car parks of Porto!

Porto is called the city of bridges and that’s because it has 6 which cross the river Douro. The bridge in the first photo is the Dom Luís 1 Bridge and is a double-deck metal arch bridge which, at 172 metres, was the longest of its style for many years!  There is a great cosmopolitan  feel when walking alongside the river with so many people having a meal, having a drink, listening to music or just simply watching the world go by!

The bridges are very dramatic from ground level…………..

But even more so from on high! Those of you that know me are aware of my slight discomfort around driving or walking over these really high structures, and I’m sure that this photo doesn’t convey any feelings of nervousness on my part – or does it?

Maybe when you look at it from this angle you can see why I’m stood with my legs so far apart, so I can maintain a low centre of gravity and my slight frame doesn’t get blown over the edge!

The bright colours on the tiled buildings that line the riverbank add to the general ambiance and relaxed atmosphere of the city.

They still have a few of the old trolley cars taking passengers through the narrow, windy cobbled streets, much quicker than trying to catch a bus or drive!

A selfie with a difference!

Not a bad place to stop for lunch, Jane gets the wine, I get the coffee as I’m driving!

But I do get the good view…..of Jane of course!

São Benton Station is the beautiful old main station in Porto. The idea for this grand building was first put forward in 1862, but the first train didn’t arrive at the platform until 1896 as there  needed to be extensive tunnel building first to get the railway lines into the centre of the city.  It is well worth a visit even if you are not about to embark on a rail journey!