Grown Ups Gap Year

We woke fairly early to yet another beautiful, bright sunny morning after a much needed good nights sleep.

Already we knew it was going to be a hot day and dressed accordingly for a day of sightseeing.

The Marina staff had recommended the Saturday market so we went to buy our fresh fruit and veg. I couldn't resist a little retail therapy and bought some light weight (probably fake) Adidas white trainers for the boat justifying the fact that although not a practical colour they did have white soles! We have found the cost of groceries expensive as the pound is so weak but here it was full of fresh home grown produce and was very reasonable.

An unexpected bonus was a fish market and the Sea Bass looked so fresh and appetising that to justify my non-essential purchase I offered to cook instead of eating out, thankfully the lady kindly gutted and prepared it to be collected on ice later.

On the way to the market we passed the municipal hand washing facilities and hanging lines. If only we had discovered this before hand washing our clothes on board!

Now for the historical facts about Porto to help you feel a little of the ambience of one of the oldest European cities dating back to 300 BC.

In Roman times it established itself as an important commercial port with the Atlantic Ocean flowing into the Douro River.

In 13th century the wine produced in the Douro valley was transported to Porto in flat sailing vessels and the first English trading post was established in 1717 and hence why its famous for its Port production.

During the Napoleonic invasion of the city in 1809 the Duke of Wellington and his Anglo-Portuguese Army crossed the Douro River in wine barges to outflank the French Army.

The Portuguese endured numerous civil wars and revolutions and Republicans revolting against the monarchy and became a republic in 1910. Despite a counter-revolution in 1919 when Porto became the the capital of the restored kingdom, it was short lived and within a month the monarchy was deposed a month later and has remained a Republic ever since.

In 1996 Porto was declared a World Heritage Site. It also forms part of the Portuguese Camino de Senriago as we discovered whilst touring around.

We walked along the River Douro from the Marina watching a sailing regatta racing from the marina as we walked up to the Dom Louis I bridge.

The Dom Louis I bridge has 2 levels, and stands 85m above the river. We chose to walk across to the Medieval borough located within the 14th Century Romanesque Wall, via the lower level. We then climbed up to the elevated position taking in all the tourist sites as we ambled through the historic parts of the city. These included the Cathedral and Bishops Palace, the Railway Station with its fabulous tiled murals adorned in its concourse, Livraria Lello Bookshop (where it is believed to be the inspiration for J K Rowlings library in Hogwarts), History Museum and gardens, many different churches and privileged to see two beautiful brides and obviously the intriguing passages, steps and architecture along the way.

We then returned via the upper level back across the the Dom Louis I bridge admiring the fabulous view on our back to Mirage for our sea bass supper!