Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
79) Talasnal, Portugal, May 31, 2024 - It was much warmer for the walk back and we worked the little Toyota’s A/C pretty hard when we started driving again. Another fun part of the day was the drive from Coimbra to Lousã all on twisty little back roads and through tiny villages. The whole time we were gaining altitude as we went up into the mountains. The reason we were headed in this particular direction is that the villages in these central mountains are called Xisto Villages. Xisto Villages (anglicized as "schist") are made from stacked stone which give all the buildings a distinctive (and quaint) look. There are 27 villages like this and we’d booked a room at a four room "hotel" in the village of Talasnal. It was a very curvy 1 1/2 lane road to climb up to Talasnal from Lousã and the drive was a bit hairy since it was two way traffic which meant a Renault always seemed to appear coming in the opposite direction and centered up on the roadway just as I was driving around a very tight bend. Fortunately, we made the 30 minute drive with gaining a French hood ornament so success! We parked in the village's only parking area (there are no roads in the village, just narrow stone walkways - which means carrying your luggage to wherever you are staying. We couldn’t check-in until 5pm so we walked around a little then found a cafe where we could sit in the shade and enjoy a cold drink. At 5 we checked in (the proprietor didn’t show for this but another guest called on our behalf and was given instructions on where we could find our room key. A strange way of running the place!) We showered and then took some snacks out to an outdoor patio to eat "dinner". Since it is light out so late here we decided to explore some more. As we had looked around earlier we saw a map showing a short (~2 mile) loop trail into the valley that drops down just below the village. Steep down and steep back up but short enough to be doable before the sun set so off we went.
80) Talasnal, Portugal, May 31, 2024 - If there is a ratio of beauty to mileage then the trail we hiked might just be the best trail we’ve ever hiked. The first little bit wasn’t anything special. A steep trail down but mostly under a power line. What was pretty were all the wildflowers blooming on the whole hillside. Once the trail reached the bottom of the valley it all changed. First, it is a narrow valley with a small stream flowing through it. Second, were the walls. I know people have been living and building in the mountains for over 1,000 years but to see the vastness of the man-made structures was shocking. There were moss covered, overgrown and abandoned walls everywhere you looked. These hillsides have been terraced, with water channels created and the stream contained for who can guess how long. And all of it was abandoned at some point and the forest allowed to reclaim it all. So vines have threaded over them and flowers have grown in between the stones and trees have pushed them over and erosion has buried them and moss has covered them and now it is an enchanted space to walk through. The trail was not for the inexperienced hiker though. Rocky and narrow and sometimes a skinny ledge on a cliff and other times a muddy footpath or steep uneven steps going over ancient walls. However, it also had stone arches over the creek and lichen covered wooden bridges and dark stony canyons with waterfalls. All throughout there were wildflowers and bees and butterflies. Honestly, if we’d walked over a misty bridge and ended up in Brigadoon I wouldn’t have been shocked. It really was a stunning trail and at only 2 miles long it hardly had a 20 foot stretch where we weren’t looking around in amazement. This was a fine way to finish off our day!
81) Lousã, Portugal, June 1, 2024 - Our odd hotel in the tiny schist town of Talasnal didn’t include breakfast so we had hit up a grocery store and bought some food to cover the morning as well as dinner last night. We slept in a little, getting up at 8am for a change, and then quietly ate our breakfast snacks in the shared kitchen of the hotel. Then we were on the road and driving back down the super curvy and narrow road to Lousã. Luckily, the Portuguese aren’t generally early morning people and especially so on a Saturday so we only encountered a couple of cars on the way down making for a much calmer driving experience. As we drove through Lousã we noticed a flea market in a parking lot next to the bus station so we quickly found a place to park and went to take a look. It turned out to be mostly clothes - inexpensive (3 to 5 euro for most items) but also cheap (probably mass produced Chinese goods - I saw "Puma" and "Adidas" tennis shoes and I’m pretty confident those companies aren’t selling anything for €5. There wasn’t anything we couldn’t do without so walked out empty handed. Across the street was a cafe and since both of us slept poorly in the cold and wet cave in the basement of the hotel last night we decided a jolt of caffeine was needed. The caffeine was also inexpensive (1 cup of black tea and 1 cappuccino totaled €2.30) but thankfully wasn’t cheap - decent quality coffee and tea.
82) Bobadela, Portugal, June 1, 2024 - Back in the car and again heading north Jonna started looking for things to stop and see on our way to the Serra da Estrela region. The choices were pretty sparse but a small village along the way did advertise some Roman ruins in their square which piqued our interest. Regardless of what we found the roads to get there were worth it. No A Roads (Autostrada) going in this direction just twisty N and M roads. The scenery was pleasant as well with lots of small villages on top of hills and ridges throughout the undulating landscape. Every home is roofed with red clay tiles and nearly every one is painted white so each village shines atop the green slopes. When reached the tiny village of Bobadela and found the equally tiny square in front of their church.
83) Bobadela, Portugal, June 1, 2024 - A handful of complete columns, a small collection of column drums and capitals, a Romanesque cross and a lone marble head from a statue were spread around the square. An old man sat on a bench and really wanted to tell us about the Roman bits but he only spoke Portuguese and we didn’t know enough to converse in any meaningful way. A missed opportunity for sure. It only took a few minutes to see everything but I enjoyed having a short break from driving and also liked seeing such an out-of-the-way place.
84) Rio Alva Trail, Vila Cova à Coelheira, Portugal, June 1, 2024 - It was a short hop on a bigger road to finish our drive to Seia. This is one of the gateway cities into the nearby Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela - a mountain range with the highest mountain in Portugal. In Seia we drove straight to a Tourist Information center to get info so we could make a plan for hiking in the park tomorrow. A very nice lady gave us a map and offered up a few suggestions for trails. She also told us to visit CISE - the information center for the park which was on the edge of town. She was so helpful we decided to ask for restaurant recommendations. Her English was rudimentary and when Jonna asked if there was anywhere that had vegetarian options she sputtered a bit and then confidently said "No". Trying to figure out veggie options in central Portugal was more than her language translation skills could handle. Very funny but I was tactful enough not to laugh until after we’d left the office. Next we drove over to CISE where a superb information desk gave is even more info on the park and then showed us an 8 minute film with an overview of the area. We didn’t bother asking for food recommendations - by then Jonna had found a Turkish kabob/pizza place online. It was just far enough away that we had to drive so back in the car for another short hop. The restaurant was so-so but given the beggars can’t be choosers nature of food in this area it was acceptable. For the afternoon we decided to drive the "loop" through the park. This involved lots of curvy roads climbing all the way to the top of the mountain. There are a few villages on the route as well as some sights like a big man-made reservoir. But ultimately it is all about enjoying the scenery. Forest at first and then getting up above tree-line to a tundra-like landscape. For most of the two hour drive we could see brilliant yellow flowering bushes with whole hillsides glowing gold. At the top is a small ski resort but we didn’t bother stopping to look around. On the east side of the park landslides had closed one lane of the two lane road which necessitated red lights to manage two way traffic. This made for a longer drive than planned. These roads are definitely right for motorcycles and we saw lots of them. It was not the right place for camper vans but we saw a few of those as well. After completing the loop we drove back in Seia to get groceries and gas. Then we headed out in search of our hotel for the night. It was supposedly in the tiny village of Vila Cova à Coelheira so off we went following Google Maps. We turned off of main roads onto small roads then onto side roads and then onto a cobblestone road. When we drove past a shepherd who was shaking his head we figured we were lost and then the goat path dead ended at the ruins of some kind of industrial building. We turned back and drove to the village square - which took about 2 minutes because it really is a tiny village - like maybe a dozen buildings. Fortunately, then Jonna thought to try Apple Maps and noticed it showed the hotel somewhere slightly different. This meant driving down a different dirt road but low-and-behold there was a small sign with the hotel’s name. We were on the right path! No mapping software showed this road as existing but a 1/4 mile later we pulled up at a very stylish, modern building with an outdoor pool and overlooking a creek. Lovely! We were greeted by a super friendly man and shown around. He gave us more tips on places to visit and things to see. He also pointed out a secret "locals" trail for us to check out. We were both immediately charmed by the place. After getting checked-in and relaxing in our very nice room for a bit we went out onto the patio to eat our snack dinner. The hotel’s kitty Estrela joined us and we ended up eating with one hand while petting and pushing back the kitty because she really, really wanted to share our meal! After dinner we walked the recommended trail. It was lovely as well. It went along the Alva River up on a ledge about 20 feet above the bank. The forest was filled with beautiful green trees, and ferns, and ivy. Not many flowers but a forest so rich with life Jonna said it was like a botanical garden. The rush of the river current and the twittering of birds were the only sounds. ...and we had it all to ourselves. We didn’t see another soul. It was perfectly peaceful and once again we ended our day with a terrific short hike.
85) Rota Da Garganta De Loriga (PR5 SEI), Salgadeiras Trailhead, Serra da Estrela Nature Park, Loriga, Portugal, June 2, 2024 - Breakfast at our hotel didn’t start until 8:30am so for the second day in a row I slept in until 8. Jonna, unfortunately, didn’t sleep well so she wasn’t able to take advantage of the late start. After a quick bite I dug my hiking boots out of my backpack and we jumped in the car for the 40 minute drive back up the mountain and back into the Serra De Estrela Nature Park. Way up at the top is the Rota Da Garganta De Loriga hiking trail. This trail runs from just below the summit all the way down to the village of Loriga following a stream drainage. We didn’t have the two cars necessary to do it as a through hike so we started at the top, hiked partway down and then turned around and returned to the car backtracking up the trail. Along the way we hiked through the rocky landscape carved by an ancient glacier with many giant erratic boulders spread over the mountainside. This area wasn’t covered with the scrubs we had seen yesterday with all the yellow flowers blooming but there were a few scattered around. There were lots of other wildflowers on the hike which meant there were also bees and butterflies flitting from bloom to bloom. There are lots of little springs and streams at the head of this valley and a series of reservoirs have been build to capture all this snow melt. The result is a hike through lush fields with winding streams that flow into man-made lakes, then do the same in the flat area below. After hiking about a half a mile stopped at a little pond beside the trail and it was full of little green frogs. They were making all sorts of different noises but would go silent and swim away if we got close so we played a bit of a game trying to watch and listen to them without frightening them away. We continued down the valley and eventually arrived at Albufeira do Covão do Meio which is the largest of the reservoirs along this valley. After hiking around the edge we went out on top of the dam which allowed us to look down way the valley to where it seemed to drop off the side of the mountain. We decided to turn around at this point since every step down would mean having to climb back up another on the way back. The ascent was slow but steady with another quick stop to listen to the frogs as we passed their pond.
86) Vila Cova à Coelheira, Portugal, June 2, 2024 - Our original plan had been to find lunch at a village on the mountain and then do another hike in the afternoon but Jonna was feeling low energy so we headed back to our hotel instead to spend a lazy afternoon hanging out under a big umbrella by the pool. The temperature was in the upper 80s so relaxing in the shade while eating a snack lunch, writing postcards, listening to podcasts and researching things to do in Porto became the second half of our day. We both agree that this hotel, Casa de Ribeira de Cirio, was our favorite of this trip. If you are ever in the region of Parque National Serra da Estrela then book this place! It is hard to find but well worth it! At 5pm we reluctantly got back in the rental car and drove back into Seia to find dinner. The caretaker at the hotel had suggested Sei Lá and it was a great recommendation. A Japanese/American mash-up with sushi and burgers on the menu. Yummy! We drove back to the hotel feeling rested.
87) Caniça Route (PR10 SEI), Praia Fluvial (River Beach) trailhead, Lapa Dos Dinheiros, Portugal, June 3, 2024 - After skipping our second hike yesterday we decided to squeeze in one today before we left the mountains behind and returned to the coast. In the next town over from where our hotel was located was a hiking trail that had been recommended by two different people so the combination of high regard and close proximity made that our goal for the morning. I woke up at 8am and headed down for our 8:30am breakfast. We had a pleasant morning chat with the owner of the hotel (if that is even the right term for a place with just 5 rooms) and then checked out. We drove up to Lapa Dos Dinheiros and found the trailhead next to Praia Fluvial (River Beach). The trail ended up being pretty strenuous - lots of elevation change all throughout the hike - and the scenery also varied greatly. There were portions where the trail used old dirt roads and most of these areas were kind of boring. However, there were some sections that were fantastic. About a quarter of the trail ran alongside an old irrigation ditch - I’d guess multiple hundreds of years old - which had an amazing variety of wildflowers along it.
88) Caniça Route (PR10 SEI), Praia Fluvial (River Beach) trailhead, Lapa Dos Dinheiros, Portugal, June 3, 2024 - At the head of the irrigation ditch was a perfect swimming hole surrounded by gorgeous moss covered rocks. Another section contained a little hidden grotto that was straight out of a 17th century mythological painting with moss covered trees, a perfect trickle of a waterfall and a crystal clear pool of water. It was just missing a satyr or faerie to be complete. The quality of the trail was also highly variable with the section along the canal being perfect while some other places were overgrown with head-high grass or ferns.
89) Caniça Route (PR10 SEI), Praia Fluvial (River Beach) trailhead, Lapa Dos Dinheiros, June 3, 2024 - There was one short section that was full on rock climbing. Anyway, it was an adventure and I am glad we got a chance to hike again before going to a big city for our last few days in Portugal.
90) Castelo De Linhares Da Beira, Linhares, Portugal, June 3, 2024 - Back at the car we drove back down out of the mountains and then, instead of heading straight to Porto, we made a slight detour. The owner of the hotel had recommended we check out the village of Linhares Da Beira. This small village is a typical 12th century hilltop town but it has a well preserved defensive castle that was built on top of a gigantic rock. Unlike the tourist trap of Obidos which we’d visited last week there wasn’t a tour bus to been seen here. In fact there were only three other cars in the parking lot when we arrived and one of those left as we were getting out of the car. The castle was small and in a rustic state but we had it to ourselves for most of the time as we walked along the walls. It wasn’t grand like the Templar Fortress in Tomar but was still cool to wander around in. Likewise, the town was quiet at mid-day on a Monday.
91) Castelo De Linhares Da Beira, Linhares, Portugal, June 3, 2024 - None of the restaurants were open, in fact the only business that was open was a small cafe. We bought some cold drinks and then took our food bag out of the car and ate in a picnic area next to the church enjoying the expansive view out over the rolling hills to the north. We maybe saw a dozen people, most of which were locals, the whole time we were there. A great find and a worthy side trip. From there the next two hours were spent zooming on A roads west and then north as we made our way to Porto. Just outside the city we stopped at a gas station to fill up the rental car and then it was time to wade into the craziness of a big city. Between the GPS, Google Maps, two of us alertly watching the roads and a huge stroke of luck we made it into the heart of Porto to the rental car office with only one missed turn (and its resulting 10 minute re-circling of a few blocks). Urban driving in Porto is basically a real life video game with traffic and double parked cars and pedestrians and scooters and bicycles and motorcycles and animals all doing their own thing with little apparent regard for anyone else. I was quite happy to park the car, hand over the keys and have the rental car agent say there weren’t any scratches or dents on it! We took an Uber the short distance to the apartment we had rented for the next three nights. Between the heat, the density of the pedestrians and the hilly nature of the town we just couldn’t muster the motivation to lug our luggage the 15 minutes it would have taken to walk. We had booked a single room but when we checked in we got a full sized apartment. It is three flights of stairs up but with a big bed and working A/C we were happy to have it. We finished off the day by finding a laundromat to do our final load of laundry and then found a nearby Indian restaurant where we could eat good food and watch Bollywood music videos while our clothes washed and dried. The apartment didn’t come with breakfast so we hit up a grocery store for some snacks for the morning. Then we retired for the evening.
92) Miradouro Da Serra Do Pilar, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - We enjoyed the e-bike tour we did in Lisbon so much that for our first day of sightseeing in Porto we signed up for one here as well. Similar to the Lisbon tour, this one was a three hour guided trip on e-bikes (that being electrically assisted so pedaling is required but the pedal power is amplified by an electric motor). Different from the previous tour was the tour company. In Lisbon it was a small garage with just a few guys handling a few bike tours a day. In Porto we signed up with Blue Dragon Tours and they are a much bigger operation. They do traditional bicycle tours, e-bike tours, Segway tours, walking tours, Go-car tours and probably a few other things we didn’t happen to notice. When we arrived at 10am, after eating snacks in our apartment for breakfast, the Blue Dragon office was a hive of activity. Eventually, we were sorted into a group of 10 - 4 Brits, 4 Americans and us - all for an English e-bike tour. Our guide Taisa was a cheerful young Brazilian woman who ably shepherded our group for the next three hours. We first crossed Ponte do Infante bridge over to Gaia and up to the Serra do Pilar viewpoint. This is the classic view of Porto looking out over the Douro River, down onto the historic port wine warehouses and across the river to the panorama of old town Porto.
93) Mosteiro Da Serra Do Pilar, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - We didn't see much of the actual monastery but we did have a chance to see the round church which is right at the viewpoint.
94) Mirodor Cedofeita, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - We then cycled back across the river via the lowest level on the grand Luís I arch bridge. We then made our way west on the north bank of the river stopping at various points while Taisa described the history of the city and pointed out different neighborhoods and highlights. After passing through the Miragaia neighborhood we circled back to the northeast and also started to climb back up the hill to the old town. The electric assist is really appreciated on the steep cobblestone roads alongside the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal and through the University of Porto. We made a brief stop outside the famous Livraria Lello - an Art Deco bookstore built in the 1920 and some claim it was an inspiration for JK Rowling’s aesthetic for Hogwarts, a claim she denies but which brings in so many customers that the bookstore sells tickets for people to enter.
95) Câmara Municipal Do Porto, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - After threading the bikes through the line of people waiting for their allotted time slot to go in we cycled over to the Porto City Hall and the wide Avenida dos Aliados (Avenue of the Allies). We all stopped at a cafe for coffee/tea and custard tarts where we chatted and watched life stroll past.
96) Pelourinho Se Catedral Porto, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - After our break we then climbed to the very top of the hill which makes up Old Town Porto to the Porto Cathedral. One interesting story from this area. In the 16th century this cathedral was the center of the Portuguese Inquisition and a pillar was constructed in the square in front where those found guilty by the Inquisitors were hanged. After the Inquisition ended the pillar was removed. However, during the dictatorship of Salazar (1933-1974) he had a replica of the pillar re-installed in the square - clearly a threat/warning to his detractors. The replica still stands today giving guides a very interesting site to explain. The cathedral was our final stop and after a short further cycle we were back at the Blue Dragon office to return the bikes. As with our bike tour in Lisbon doing this as our first activity in Porto gave us both a physical layout of the place but also some historical and cultural background which is useful as we explore on our own.
97) Mercado Do Bolhão, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - Since it was now after noon we walked a few blocks to Mercado de Bolhao, a huge covered food market - primarily with upscale products sold to Tourists but which also has an upstairs area with a variety of different restaurants. Our first choice as a fish restaurant so Jonna could take advantage of Portugal’s top culinary option but the prices were pretty stiff and right next door was a vegetarian place with more reasonable pricing. We had an excellent meal and the bill for both of us was less than any one of the dishes at the upscale fish place. After lunch we walked through the market downstairs and enjoyed seeing the gorgeous fruits and vegetables, the colorful tins of canned fish (sardines, tuna and salmon being the majority), stands specializing in single products like olive oil, cheese, pasties, candies and flowers.
98) Mercado Do Bolhão, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - All along the sides were butcher and fish monger stalls. We have always enjoyed markets, both gritty local ones and ritz tourist markets and this one was no exception.
99) Jardins Do Palácio de Cristal, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - Once we finished wandering there we decided to make a long-ish walk across town to check out the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace Gardens). Technically, this is a botanical garden but in practice it is an old royal garden turned into the largest public park in Porto. Inside there are numerous ponds, fountains, ornamental gardens and paths. There is also the Super Bock Arena which is a hemispherical concert venue. Along one edge of the park is Casa Tait - manor house built by a port wine merchant which also has a large garden.
100) Museu Romântico, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - On another side is Museu Romântico which is a manor house where the exiled King of Sardinia lived in the 19th century. Basically, lots of gardens and old houses cascading down the western side of the hill. The temperature today was cooler than the sweltering heat and humidity of yesterday and walking through the shaded park made it even nicer. The park is filled with free roaming chickens, ducks, geese, and peacocks so we spent some time watching the birds - the peacocks are always striking but our favorite was a mama duck with 10 duckling trying to herd them across the park to a fountain while an opportunistic seagull tried to snatch one of the babies. It took her a few tries but she succeeded and we gave a cheerful laugh as the last of the ducklings scrambled over the rocks around the fountain and plopped into the water.
101) Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal, June 4, 2024 - After such an active morning we decided to walk back to the apartment to rest and enjoy some A/C for the late afternoon. While relaxing we decided to cave in and buy tickets to see the inside of Livraria Lello - the art deco bookstore. It is less than a block from our apartment and the hype around the place was hard to ignore. Call it a rare case of us following the tourism masses. The shop closes at 7:30pm so we bought tickets for the last time slot at 7pm. At 6:30 we walked over and the lines weren’t as crazy as they had been earlier but it was still surreal to be paying for a ticket and standing in line to go into a bookstore. At 7 we were finally allowed to enter. Don’t get me wrong, the art deco decoration is very beautiful. The elegant stairway to the upper floor has all the organic lines and rich wood you expect from Art Deco architecture. But as a bookstore it is victim of the whole Harry Potter fame. Literally half the shelves are full of JK Rowling books. Then a quarter more of the shelves are filled with books about the bookstore itself. There are a bunch of special editions of classic books issued under the bookstore’s brand... and that is about it. In my opinion it didn’t live up to the hype. However, it does show that even claiming a connection with a celebrity, even when said celebrity denies it, is good for business. Have I mentioned that Taylor Swift buys her kale from the Farmer’s Market in Nederland, CO? ...and for a modest $10 you can buy a ticket to that very Farmer’s Market from me. Disregard that Ms. Swift will probably deny ever having been to Nederland and maybe even eating kale. Just pony up that $10. Right across the street from our apartment was a poke bowl place so we popped in there for dinner - one of the few times on this trip where we paid to eat out twice in the same day. It was tasty and very reasonably priced. After that we talked about walking around some more but decided to turn in early instead. We saw a lot on our first day and feel pretty good about what we’ve learned about Porto so far.
102) Museu De Arte Contemporânea De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - Today was the last day of our nearly month long trip and I think we ended on a highpoint. On the western edge of the city of Porto is the Fundação de Serralves which is a large art’s center with a big park/garden, a huge contemporary art museum, an art deco villa, a cinema museum and a tree top board walk. We ate a snack breakfast in our apartment and then were out the door at 9:30am to grab an Uber for the 30 minutes drive over to Parque de Serralves. We arrived just as the museum opened so we headed straight there and were among the first people into the museum. The space is very modern and very sprawling. The staff has done a good job laying out an easy to follow path through what is a very maze-like building. The architecture alone would make it worth a visit but the sheer quantity of art means it is a commitment to explore.
103) Museu De Arte Contemporânea De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - The museum had a few different special exhibits going on simultaneously and the biggest name was a retrospective of Yayoi Kusama. We had recently seen her work at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco as well as in some of the contemporary art museums on our Rhine River cruise so it was nice to see a large amount of her art from across her nearly 80 year long career all on display together. The highlight was going into one of her immersive installations - mirrored rooms filled with human-sized polka dot covered shapes which turn into infinity spaces with the mirror reflections. The two we’d seen in San Francisco were brightly colored while this one was in black-and-white. The effect here was like being dropped into some sort of digitally created space. Very cool!
104) Museu De Arte Contemporânea De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - Other exhibits in the museum included a collection of art celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution that overthrew the Salazar dictatorship, a retrospective of the architect Álvaro Siza who designed this museum as well as a ton of other buildings, a video piece with musicians in England and Egypt edited together into what appears to be one shared concert. These are just a few examples of the diverse art on display. We both really liked the museum and had numerous pieces we enjoyed seeing.
105) Casa De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - After a couple of hours inside the museum we went outside to explore the park. After a walk through part of the sculpture garden we came to Casa de Serralves which is an art deco house built in the 1920s for a Count.
106) Casa De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - It is now an art exhibition space which had an exhibit on the interplay between the artists Alexander Calder and Joan Miró. Lots of cool wire sculptures and mobiles by Calder contrasted against the paintings by Miró. The art deco house is mostly empty but the building architecture was still interesting.
107) Parque De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - Back outside we explored more of the garden and did the tree top boardwalk.
108) Parque De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - The view down Parque De Serralves to Casa De Serralves with a long cascading fountain and huge outdoor sculptures was stunning.
109) Parque De Serralves, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - We then headed back towards the entrance but taking a different path that went through the rose garden where did stop to smell the roses. I thought we’d been pretty through but in typing this up I found descriptions of at least four different sculptures that we somehow missed. It was a great place and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes art!
110) Afurada, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - When we finished it was well after noon so time to find some lunch. During our bike tour the guide mentioned the fishing village of Afurada which is across the Douro River from Porto was a great place for fish but she warned that it was hard to access because there isn’t any public transit to that area. So we called another Uber for the drive over the Ponte da Arrábida bridge and then down to the Douro fishing port at Afurada. The driver dropped us off next to a restaurant and the smell of fresh fish grilling on an outdoor charcoal grill was enough to seal the deal. We sat at the first available table. Jonna ordered grilled sea bass while I had salad and grilled potatoes. A very friendly couple of Germans who have lived in Australia for many years were at the next table so we chatted about traveling with them. The meal was perfectly prepared - Jonna’s fish had a lot of bones but she enjoyed the flavor. After our meal we walked around the neighborhood for a bit and then decided to head back to the apartment. However, we chose to walk back which meant a 1 1/2 hour stroll along the south bank of the Douro River through the city of Gaia to the Ponte de Luis bridge and then a steep climb up that big hill the city of Porto is built on. It was a bold choice which turned out to be tiring but enjoyable. We passed all the famous port wine warehouses, the river cruise docks, a very nice food market (where I had a scoop of excellent gellato!) and past about hundred shops selling the exact same tourist trinkets. By the time we made it back to the apartment we were pretty worn out so we napped, wrote postcards and listened to podcasts until 7pm.
111) Porta4, Porto, Portugal, June 5, 2024 - We had dinner reservations at a tiny restaurant our niece Rosie had recommended so we walked partway down the hill to Porta4 where we had a very nice meal. The chef does two seatings a night with a limited menu. He cooks all the dishes in a specific order so we ended up getting our meals separately but the food was quite good. Jonna said her duck was her best meal of the trip. It is a pity we eat small meals at night, don’t drink wine and don’t eat dessert as we clearly missed out on the full culinary experience. We hade an early flight back to the US the next day so after dinner we walked straight back to the apartment and headed to bed.
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