Porto

We arrived in Porto after two train rides taking a little over three hours.  Our hotel was a short walk from the train station (it was actually quite long but that was only due to getting a little lost). 

Even the Train Stations Make You Look Up.

Gathering Around St. Sam for Directions

Our hotel was the 137 year old Grande Hotel De Paris (I think it was much grander 80 years ago), the oldest hotel in Porto.  After dropping our packs we immediately left for a walking tour of the city in search of the Fabrica Da Catedral Do Porto, the start of our Camino.  Again, with Sam’s guidance we arrived at the hilltop cathedral.  A church official stamped our passports and after taking a look around we posed for some pictures at the trail markers outside.

We Are Official Pilgrims - Passports Stamped!

Look, its ...

Making Sure We Are Headed the Right Way - Santiago

Not wanting to let the day slip away, we embarked on a Hop On/Hop Off bus tour of the city.  As is our usual pattern, it was a Hop On only tour of both the city of Porto and across the Douro River to the neighbouring city of Gaia.

So Close to the Sea - Fog Rolling In

We ended our first day sipping port on an outdoor patio watching the young people emerge to fill the city streets, as we got ready to head home to bed.

We were up early on day two and enjoyed a full breakfast seated outside in the garden courtyard.

Once again, with Sam leading the way, we headed out on another, closer up walking tour of the city.  We headed down to the river.  This area is always bustling with activity.

Your Neck Tends to Get Sore Always Looking Up

and you can be surprised by what you see.

One of our stops was to take a tour of the five major port wineries of the city.  Port is a trademarked name for the fortified wines of this region.  There are many makers of fortified wine in the world but like Champagne, the only ones who can legally use the name port, are those from Porto.

The grapes are grown approximately 150 km up the river and back in the day, the barrels were shipped down river in the replica boats you see on the river today.  Today the wine is shipped by truck and placed in containers for ageing.  Stainless steel for the whites and amber (tawny) and oak for the middle to dark rubies.  We had a guide that explained to us the difference between wine and port and how the addition of pure alcohol stops the wine fermentation process.   Further she explained two different ageing processes.  Their oldest barrel was made in 1937 and is only tapped when the market demands it.  This port sells for 650 Euros a bottle.

Interestedly the large oak casks can be used for 100 years to make port but then they are sold/shipped to Scotland to continue their lives making whiskey.

Oak Casks for the Aging of Dark Ports

Burmester Winery

It is a beautiful city and one could spend more time here but we start our Camino in the morning so it will be an early night to repack our packs and ready ourselves for the warm up Day One walk.  (Only 15 km tomorrow, two 33+ days to follow).

PS.  I did manage to enjoy one of the local delicacies - Francesinha.  Bread, topped with sausage and bacon, layered with four types of cheeses. (and as always in Portugal, Super Bock Beers.

Francesinha Sandwhich.

PSS - Kids being Kids

Kids Hitching Rides on Street Car

I Don't Think He Can See Me.

Lisboa

Lisbon (Lisboa) is a great place to visit.  Considering we only had 2 nights and 1.5 days, we managed to see a great deal of the city.  As mentioned in our last post, as soon as we arrived at the hotel it was shower, change clothes, lunch, and then off for a walking tour led by Sam and inspired by Rick Steeves.  The tour took us through many side streets leading us to great view points and small squares filled with tourists and locals alike enjoying the sunshine, refreshments and listening to local musicians.

These Two Joined Us For Our Walk

Lisbon, like many cities; is comprised of many neighbourhoods, with the oldest nearest the sea. The oldest neighbourhood is the Alfama.  This area survived the damage caused by a great earthquake years ago.  The Avenida Da Liberdade is the grand, tree-lined main avenue that runs through the city to the sea and is the main artery connecting all the parts.  Our hotel was just off the Avenida and only a few steps to the Metro.

The Alfama District 

Getting around is easy using public transport.  A Lisboa travel card can be purchased for 6eu and is good for all public transit for a 24-hour period.  It is good for the buses and the trolley streetcars.  The trolley cars were a highlight for us.  The system dates back to 1885 and I think much of the equipment is original.  There are lots of them and wait times are short.  There are also two steep-incline Funicular cars to carry folks up the steepest streets to access the fabulous views. 

Our stay involved lots of walking, watching street performers, enjoying Portuguese cuisine, drinking great coffee and quenching our thirsts with Super Bock beers.  Our only other visit to Lisbon was in November 2008 to watch our son play an international rugby game.  I must say that while this visit had many more tourists, the city itself was much more enjoyable with all the things that were going on.  I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

Oldest Continuous Beer Bar in Lisbon - 170 Yrs.

Daily Gelatos

The Pilgrims

I am writing this while riding the train to Porto. We are prepositioning for the start of the Camino bright and early Tuesday morning.

Lisbon to Porto - 3.5 Hours by Train.

Arrived in Lisbon

After a trip lasting over forty hours, we finally arrived safe and sound in Lisbon.  If every great adventure requires a little adversity, we have already met our quota. 

Everyone Started Out With a Smile!

Our journey from Vancouver to Lisbon started well.  Everyone met at the airport and other than losing Sam for a few minutes when a new Tilley distracted him; we enjoyed preflight coffees and a bite to eat before boarding our Air Canada plane to Toronto at 2pm, (45 minutes behind schedule.)  The flight went smoothly and a few hours later we landed at Toronto’s Pearson International.  The only concern we had upon landing was the fact we only had 35 minutes to quickly transit to our Lisbon flight.

Our worries proved unnecessary; Air Canada agents met us at the gate and informed us that our plane was not flying to Lisbon after all due to mechanical problems.  We were stuck in Toronto for over 24 hours.  “Pissed” is not a strong enough word to describe our reaction to the bad news.  Not only were we stuck in Toronto for the first day of our holiday, we were missing our day in Lisbon and due to time constraints, the day cannot be recaptured.  In addition, the cost of our hotel in Lisbon (expensive in August) was lost.

Our pleas to Air Canada to be put on other flights to get us there sooner, fell on deaf ears.  They did provide us with a night at the Travelodge, a breakfast, lunch and dinner vouchers.  After our stay, the group consensus was that it had to be one of the poorest hotels any of us had ever experienced.   The best compliment I can give was the bar’s serving of Barking Squirrel beer, definitely a “two thumbs up” beer.

Barking Squirrel - A New Fan Favourite!

Eventually we ended up back at the airport the following afternoon drinking, reading and playing cards in a bar.  At that point the news became grimmer.  Our rescheduled flight was further delayed an additional three hours.   Air Canada’s excuse … couldn’t negotiate any landing rights at the correct time.  Another dinner voucher was provided but luckily this time we found a restaurant that would allow us to voucher the cost of wine and beer.  This made the time slip by a little more quickly but alas, when we went to the gate … wait for it, we were further delayed for another 30 minutes to allow the cabin to be cleaned.  

We boarded 30 minutes from our rescheduled time, three hours after our initial rescheduled time and over 25 hours after our originally scheduled time. 

Once we were all on board the First Officer came on to apologize that we would be delayed a further 10 minutes to replace a part but an additional 10 minutes to get the part delivered from the warehouse, and oh my, another 10 minutes to install and test.

We finally pulled away from the gate a little after 10 pm for our final seven-hour leg to Lisbon.

The ride itself wasn’t that bad but we had been put on an Air Rouge flight and the seats don’t recline like a regular overseas airline.  It proved impossible to sleep sitting up straight.

In comparison to trying to leave Canada, our arrival in Portugal was ultra smooth.  Customs and Immigration did not ask us any questions, in fact no words were spoken.  They simply stamped our passports and waved us through.

A Beautiful City To Explore!

After a one-hour turn around in the hotel for a shower and change of cloths, we were off on an afternoon walking tour of the city.  There is no moss growing on these folks.

More about the city to follow.