The market & the Café Majestic

Our last action-packed day, my new phone telling us we walked over 19 km and climbed the equivalent of 34 flights of stairs!

We loved this truncated building

The style of the market was very like the one we saw in Funchal, Madeira...

...with an amazing selection of vegetables,

pork products and chili peppers,

garlic,

and wonderful olives.

Not really my 'cup of tea' but I DO recognise sardines,

'pousse pieds' as they're known in France (a type of barnacle apparently),

octopus, squid and a type of eel?

Time for a coffee in the Café Majestic...

...with a similar atmosphere to Betty's for those who know the Yorkshire institution!

Cruise on the Douro (2)

Lunch on board and onwards up the river, the landscape becoming greener and the Douro following the valley's beautiful contours.

Lots of vineyards to be spotted

A huge monastery perched on the hillside (we'd given up taking notes by now)!

Approaching the lock on the Carrapatoso Dam...

...35m high!

Again with an intriguing system that kept the boat steady as we floated upwards

Through to daylight again

Sandeman's famous symbol tells us that we are nearing the end of our cruise...

...but a little sample is obligatory. 

All that was left was a wander around the not-very-impressive town of Régua (this church excepted), then back to Porto on the train

Cruise on the Douro (1)

Up with the lark the following day to be at the quayside for our cruise up the River Douro.

Just an excuse for another Pont Luis 1 photo, but this one at daybreak!

Before long our boat arrived and we were soon tucking into breakfast on board

Still in Porto evidence of important buildings left to ruin

The morning mist lent an eerie quality to the view

Bridges, bridges, bridges

Just entering the locks at Crestuma-Lever Dam...

...with its intriguing system of keeping vessels steady as the water rose.

Ready to exit...

...and the view from above the dam.

Along the way: many villages were half submerged by the rising water levels

The Portuguese flag to remind us where we were

The left bank of the Douro & Sao Bento Station

The left bank of the Douro might not be as picturesque as the right but it had a kind of bustle about it, and many famous-brand port distilleries with sampling visits.

An ingenious cactus garden

All this walking made us hungry and thirsty. This tavern gave full satisfaction...

...plus a wonderful view over the river with traditional port-carrying vessels in the foreground.

Back over the bridge (via the lower road section) we popped into the railway station as we had heard how dramatic the tiled walls were.

They were!

Another form of transport was the tram, pretty infrequent whilst we were there and generally used as a tourist adventure.

The Sé Cathedral & walking over the Ponte Luis 1

Boy how we walked that day, but at every step there were marvels to be seen.

Climbing up from the river we saw men at work on this huge house-side painting

Our destination: the Sé Cathedral which overlooks all of Porto

The views were magnificent too

Tiles on many houses...

...but some houses with nothing but the front wall!

Onto the Ponte Luis 1...

...with regular metro trains speeding past.

The view up the river

Not sure what these buildings were, but Calem is a Port distiller...

...and above, Vila Nova de Gaia which we are still researching! Any help appreciated.

The view of the old town from the bridge...

...and looking down on the old port barges.