Friday, August 17, 2012

Sight-seeing in Porto

Porto is lovely in the summer. For those of my readers who live in the Algarve, why not do like me and go north to avoid the extreme heat and tourist overload in August, down south. Taking the train is a good alternative to the car or the coach. If you decide to drive up, it will take you around 6 hours by motorway to reach Porto (allowing for coffee stops and keeping within the legal speed limit).

Every year I look forward to at least 2 weeks away from the overcrowded Algarve. This year I decided to explore the historical centre of the country's second largest city. Yesterday I ended my post as I was arriving at "Avenida dos Aliados" (Avenue of the Allies) and the "Praça da Liberdade" (Liberty Square), which is considered the heart of the city.
a Porto kiosk
A kiosk at the beginning of the Avenue
This square is a "must see" if you like architecture and opulent, intricate facades. Here are a few of them:
Liberty Square, Porto
A sculpture (forefront) and the Town Hall at the top of Liberty Square
Liberty Square, Porto
Another sculpture
Statue of King Pedro IV, Porto
Statue of King Pedro IV








Some of the buildings on the left:
Bank of Portugal building, Porto
The Bank of Portugal

Some of the buildings on the right:

Having almost filled my memory card and changed the overworked batteries in the camera, I moved on to the train station, which is nearby.
Congregados Church, Porto
Congregados Church, on the way to the train station
S. Bento train station, Porto
Part of the train station, as seen from the Square
If you like tiled panels, this is tiled-panel heaven. I didn't take photos of every panel because I walked in with my pet. Carrying a dog and taking pics doesn't work too well, but you get the general idea. 
S. Bento train station, Porto
Part of "azulejo" heaven
S. Bento train station, Porto
Another part of "azulejo" heaven
S. Bento train station, Porto
Yet another part of "azulejo" heaven
S. Bento Train Station is one building you must not miss, whether you arrive by train or not!

By this time I had been walking for over two hours, so I made my way up  Clerigos Street and back to the narrow street where I had left my car.
Clerigos Church, Porto
Clerigos Church at the top of Clerigos Street
My tour of the historical centre is not complete but I hope I have whetted your appetite!

If architecture is not your thing, you'll be pleased to know that the last post in this series will focus on other things I found interesting.

Related posts:
I'm the great pretender tourist
Uma turista no Porto - 1


4 comments:

  1. Your pictures make me want to be there, wandering with camera in hand. Such a photographic adventure!

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  2. I was in Porto as a student over 30 years ago but I don't remember much about it. What a lovely city, loved the pics!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for dropping in and following my blog. Will visit yours.

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