Funicular dos Guindais and Muralha Fernandina –

The original “Funicular dos Guindais” was built by the Portuguese engineer, Raul Mesnier, who was a well-respected Portuguese lift and funicular builder. The funicular was inaugurated in the June 4, 1891, however, two years later, a serious accident occurred that ended up closing the line. Fortunately, it didn’t caused deaths, just some injuries.

After the human and mechanical failure, the funicular ended up practically discarded alongside a platform by the “D. Luís I” bridge. While the funicular was completely redesigned by Raul Mesnier with the goal of restoring it to operational status, its something that just never quite happened over the next 100 years.

However, in 2001 another proposal for the replacement of the funicular in the same spot with new, modern equipment gained political and financial traction resulting in the current line’s grand opening February 19, 2004!

It is located between “Guindais” and “Rua da Batalha” street, and its currently operated by “Metro do Porto” company. Offering a unique view of the city, you have access to two vehicles with a capacity of 25 persons each. The landscape is unique and extensive, with a view to the “D.Luís I” bridge, Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto’s Ribeira bank, the Douro River and Muralha Fernandina!

So what’s Muralha Fernandina? Along the funicular you will see portions of Porto’s Medieval Wall which is, of course, Muralha Fernandina or the Fernandine Wall. The wall was built to replace the old, late-medieval defensive wall that, by the 15th century, had become too small for the growing city.  It was rebuilt by the king D. Fernando, after whom it was named, between 1368 and 1437 with money from the Porto’s increasing wine transfer tax. Upon completion it was about 3000 paces long and 30 feet high.  It was topped off by battlements and strengthened by bastions and towers. Two stretches still exist today: the one portrayed in these pictures is called the Guindais Excerpt.

Igreja de Santa Clara

Our search for the elusive Igreja de Santa Clara was very frustrating, but funny in the end. Our initial two attempts to visit the Church were completely unsuccessful. The first time we were talking and walked right past it until we realized a couple blocks later that we hadn’t seen anything that looked like a church and figured we must have taken a wrong street. Rather than turn around, we decided to visit it the next day as there was so many other things to see.

On the second attempt it was getting a little dark so we paid much more attention to where the map said this church was, but still, we could not see anything that resembled what was supposed to be a beautiful 15th-century church. We saw a Museum building with a clear sign above the door, a couple apartment buildings, and what looked like either part of the museum or the back of an older apartment building with a decorative car garage door. These types of garage doors are common where older, large estates have been converted to apartment buildings. There were no signs for the Church, there was no Church steeple, bell tower, or even a simple Christian cross anywhere. We assumed a church building must have at least a cross on it, right? This was getting a little strange and we began to wonder if we had some bad information.

On the third attempt, one of the doors on what we thought was a decorative car garage was open and we had a peek inside. After a quick investigation, we finally figured out that this nondescript building that blended so well with the surroundings was indeed the entry to the Church of Santa Clara!! Well, more accurately, it was the entry to the courtyard that led to the entry of the Church. These courtyard doors had both been closed the first two times we went by so we could not see in, and without any signs or Christian symbols, and still no bell tower, steeple or cross, there was nothing to tell you this was it.

Okay, so now we’re in the courtyard and the actual Church exterior is till nothing particularly special for what was supposed to be this amazing old church. It was a stone exterior with a nice, but relatively simple carved stone entry surrounds. Seeing the outside, our expectations were certainly tempered as to what we would likely see inside. However, was we walked though the door, we were truly stunned by what is some of Portugal’s most impressive and beautiful woodwork and gilding.

Although this hidden gem’s exterior is simply designed, the structure’s interior was transformed in the 17th century into an intricate work of art. Everywhere you look is an unbelievably detailed Rococo and Baroque masterpiece that covers the entire interior of this building. Though it does not compare in size to other Portuguese cathedrals, the might of this church’s ornate interior makes it just as beloved by all who see it.

I think the beauty of the church was perfectly summed up by a beautiful little 4 +/- year old, English girl who was walking in just as we were walking out. As she crossed the threshold in front of her parents she immediately stopped, looked up, covered her mouth with both hands and just said, “Wow!!!!!” It made our day to see such an instant and honest reaction from a child and we couldn’t agree more….Wow!!!!!

Casa da Musica

Designed to mark the festive year of 2001, in which the city of Porto was designated the European Capital of Culture, Casa da Música is the first building in Portugal aimed from its conception to be exclusively dedicated to music, either in public performances, or in the field of artistic training and creation.

On Saturday July 27th, we had decided to take the train about five miles into the larger, modern portions of Porto to get some more cash and then walk back to see some of the sights further out. All went well and we were strolling back to see the unique and beautiful architecture of the Casa da Música building. As we passed, we noticed there was a line of people headed up the stairway and into the building which, frankly, looked like they were loading up a UFO!

Well, we had been trying to take in some local culture via a concert, a play, an opera, anything but everything was either not during the dates we were there or all in Portuguese so it would be impossible to follow. So we decided to investigate what was going on here on the off chance that it was something we could both enjoy and there were tickets left.

We went up the stairs and asked what event was going on. The ticket taker knew minimal English but he was able to convey that it was “marching bands” and the the concert was free. He pointed us to the ticket counter (not sure why we need a ticket if its free) and we gladly went to pick up two tickets. We returned to the ticket taker and in we went for a concert that started in 10 minutes! It could not have been more perfect timing and a better value! We really could not believe our luck, but now…..what exactly were we watching?

As we quickly found out, summer is a time for arruadas (parades) and romarias (popular festivities) when bands perform across the country. Many of these bands have histories of over 100 years. Two bands that played for us had their roots dating back to the mid- to late-1800’s and were made up of what appeared to be all ages from college students to seniors.

The concert was known as a “Encontro de Bandas” or meeting of the bands where tradition is remembered and evoked both at an indoor concert and then followed in the afternoon through the streets. This reunion is enriching for the audience and the participants, as well as, encourages exchange of experiences among the “philharmonic musicians”. The programs ranged from overtures and historical rhapsodies to new and challenging contemporary repertoires. The last band played an encore of what was clearly a patriotic song and the entire audience jumped to their feet and clap their hands as they sang with joy. We weren’t sure what they were singing but we sure acted like we did! It was actually quite a bit of fun for an impromptu concert attendance.

Porto Cathedral

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Estação de São Bento

The São Bento Railway Station was opened to the public in 1916 on the site of a former female Benedictine monastery. Although the station exterior is beautiful, reflecting French Beaux-Arts architecture, its best-known feature is the magnificent tile work in the main vestibule. 

With over 20,000 tiles, the breathtaking main hall depicts a range of historic events along with scenes of Portuguese life and the history of transport. It took 11 years for artist Jorge Colaço (1868-1942) complete.

The large epic scenes include the Battle of Valdevez (1140), the meeting of the knight Egas Moniz and Alfonso VII of León (12th century), the arrival of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster in Porto (1387) and the Conquest of Ceuta (1415).

Majestic Café –

In all its glorious Art Nouveau style, I think its safe to say the Majestic Café is the most beautiful cafe in Porto. Actually, it’s on the Top 10 of the most beautiful cafes in the world.

It dates back to its 1921 grand opening under the name of Elite Cafe. Although this was a successful opening, the name Elite carried a hint of monarchy that did not go well with the republican, bourgeois and chic atmosphere of Porto at the time. Rather, with the many cultural exchanges between Portugal and France, Portuguese culture looked to the Paris for what was glamorous back in those days. Hence it was renamed – Majestic – in the Belle Époque (Beautiful Era) style of Paris.

In its hey day, the cafe used to be the meeting point of Porto’s elite. Writers, politicians, artists, thinkers. You name it. At the time, the elites met in different cafes around the city to exchange ideas and discuss different topics over a cup of coffee or a glass of absinthe. (Being somewhat less than “elites” ourselves, we dropped in for a cold beer instead of some absinthe because it was hot as hell out.)

Over the years though, time took its toll and the place became tired and neglected. The glamour of “la belle époque” gave in to carelessness and Majestic Café was no longer majestic.

However, in 1994, the Majestic re-opened after two years of reconstruction to bring back the glamour from the 20’s, and today, the cafe is as majestic as ever and celebrated by all of Porto!

These days, however, the Majestic Café is probably more famous for its association with J.K. Rowling than its previous history. Rowling lived in Porto for 18 months between 1991 and 1993 teaching English before returning to Edinburgh to continue work on her book. It is here where Rowling spent many hours working on the first three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, along with an outline for the whole series of Harry Potter books. I guess this means Harry Potter was actually born in Portugal and is therefore, Portuguese!! He’s not English at all!! Learn something every day…..

Bridge of Boats Tragedy of 1809

A few meters from D. Luís I bridge, on a wall near one of the arches of Ribeira, we found this simple, sculpture knows as Alminhas da Ponte. It is a work by António Teixeira Lopes and pays tribute to the tragedy known as the “Bridge of Boats” (Ponte das Barcas), that occurred in this place back on March 29th 1809.

In 1806 the first “almost permanent” passage over the Douro River was built called the “Bridge of Boats”. It was a bridge made of 20 boats anchored side by side in order to support a timber deck crossing the river. This was a carefully built bridge that could move up or down with the tides, and upstream or downstream with the current. Additionally, some of the boats could be removed to allow the intense traffic of the river and the entire bridge could be dismounted when a great flood was expected. This bridge was designed by a great architect, Carlos Amarante, that got inspiration from a similar bridge of the day in Rouen, France.

During the second French invasion of the Peninsular War, Napoleon’s troops invaded the city under the command of the Marshall Soult. In an act of desperation, the people of Porto began to run across the bridge to escape. However, as the load became too great, the precarious bridge failed and the boats began to sink. Oral history says panic ensued and as many as 4,000 people drowned in the Douro River that day, but the real number was never known. Some months later the french troops burned what was left of the bridge.

Sharon with a Portugal Flag Cow on a Surfboard

Okay, lets lighten the mood a little after that last one story. Whew…..So here’s Sharon touching a cow’s rump!! 🙂

Jardins do Palácio de Cristal

The Crystal Palace Gardens can be found in the high part of Porto, and are a delightful green space, offering privileged views of the city, the mouth of the River Douro and the Atlantic Ocean.

These romantic gardens were designed in the 1860’s by the German landscaper Émile David, to surround the then Crystal Palace which was later replaced by the current “Rosa Mota Pavilion” in the 1950’s.  The pavilion dome is an architectural landmark that has previously been used as a sports complex and for fairs but currently does not appear to have a dedicated use. 

In the gardens, you can visit various themed areas, such as the aromatic plant garden, the medicinal plant garden, the feelings garden, rose garden, or the forest.  We tried to walk through them all but Wayne said he was struggling to find the “Feelings Garden”….

After a hectic several days, visiting these gardens was a great way to relax, take a moment, and enjoy some incredible views of the city.

Galerias Palladium Clock

As the chime sounds we see the appearance of the important Portugese cultural and historical figures of Infante Dom Henrique (Instrumental in the beginning of the age of Discovery in 15th C), Almeida Garrett (19th C Poet/Playwrite of Portuguese Romanticism), Camilo Castelo Branco (prolific 19th C writer of Portuguese literature) and St. John the Baptist.

Cafe Santiago and the Francesinha

And now its time for the culinary educational segment of the blog. Porto’s classic gut-busting meal is the francesinha, literally “Little Frenchie”. It’s a thick, open-faced sandwich piled with cheese, sausage, egg and/or assorted meats, plus a tasty, rich beer sauce and traditionally served with fries.  If that sounds a little questionable, Sharon was afraid too, but not Wayne.

The origins of the francesinha begin in the 1950’s and 60’s when António Salazar’s harsh, myopic dictatorship turned millions of Portuguese into migrants. By 1970 – when the population of Lisbon numbered barely 800,000 – at least 700,000 of them were living in France. As well as money, the migrants sent home elements of French culture, and Portuenses (natives of Porto) took the French croque monsieur sandwich to their hearts. It wasn’t long before the local Portuenses morphed the meager French sandwich into an enormous size, with special sauce and even an egg on top to finish it off. God bless them. The uniquely Portuguese francesinha was born.

We had seen many places throughout Porto offering their version of the francesinha from some of the hottest, new trendy restaurants to some dodgy, back alley dives. However, given that we were in Porto for only 12 days and didn’t want to have a coronary within that time frame, we decided we should probably do our research to find the single, best place to try this masterpiece just once.

We consulted the 2019 Michelin Guide for local 5-star establishments and were shocked that none were offering this iconic meal, yet. It always surprises me how slow these top rated places are to pick up on fine gastronomic trends. Oh well, on to the 4-star….huh, none there either? Uh-oh….well we don’t eat at 3-star places so better try something else.

At this point, we checked the interwebs and found several highly rated places, but one stood out as the best, Café Santiago. This purveyor of fine culture has a renown reputation for offering among the best francesinha in the city and has even trademarked their top of the line model called the Francesinha Santiago®! Listen, you got a registered trademark on your sandwich, you got my business, so off we went to Café Santiago.

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It turned out to be a simple, but very cool little place and we arrived just in time. While we walked right in and found an open table by the window, a line quickly formed just minutes later out the door and stayed about 10 to 12 deep while we ate lunch. The sandwich was actually very delicious but cost 10 euro which is a lot, relative to other meals here. However, it was an enormous amount of food and certainly the big meal of the day so I didn’t mind breaking the bank to give the wife a treat. Hahahaha.

A Pérola do Bolhão

This traditional grocery store was founded in 1917 by António Rodrigues Reis. The front of the store is in the Art Nouveau style and covered with tiles depicting the spices routes.

Unfortunately it was siesta time when we stopped by so the store was closed and all we could do is peek through the windows at the quaint, turn-of-the-century interior, HOWEVER….as we walked just down the street a woman baker came out of a café & pastelaria (cafe & pastry shop) vigorously ringing a bell. The bell could be heard throughout the neighborhood and certainly got our attention. She didn’t say a word, but just rang that big bell for about 30 seconds!! We knew Porto is well known for its immense number of cafés and pastelarias so of course we thought further investigation was in order and, sure enough, the bell meant a fresh batch of pastéis de nata (Portuguese egg tart dusted with cinnamon) had just come out of the oven. These are delicious little treats so, of course, we could not let all the bell ringing go unheeded and we sat down for a quick afternoon treat. Its customary to have a glass of port to accompany it which we clearly understand after trying it. I think everyone was happy with the transaction!

Convent of Dominican Nuns

On the Gaia side of the Douro River, the Convent of Dominican Nuns was founded in 1345 by Dona Maria Mendes Petite, in honor of the body and blood of Jesus Christ (lat. Corpus Christi). Due to erosion of the original building and the frequent floods of the nearby river the current building we vistied was constructed higher up the hill in the seventeenth century.

In the high-choir on the second floor, the choir stalls are made of walnut wood and distributed over two U-shaped floors. The profile of the stalls is distinct and they contain sculpted faces, and the consoles representing the faces of nuns, men and animals.

The backs of the chairs are made up of fourteen screens of different Dominican themes. The space is furnished with carvings and sketchings, and the ceiling is divided into 49 boxes that refer to saints from the Dominican and other orders. The fifteen central panels allude to the life and death of Jesus, through the mysteries of the Rosary.

Livraria Lello –

The building first opened in 1906 and is designed by architect Xavier Esteves. The façade is a beautiful example of neo-gothic design, with just a hint of art nouveau.

Step inside and a stunning design is revealed with intricate decoration and volumes of books. From floor to ceiling ornate painted plaster provides a rich texture. Pillars are decorated with bronze bas-reliefs of Portuguese literature figures. Glass enclosed bookcases arch at the top. Tracks on the floor warn you to watch out for sliding ladders and carts used by the staff. Of course the centerpiece of this amazing shop is the beautifully curvaceous art nouveau staircase.

The bright red steps invite you to ascend to the upper level. Here, many more books are available, and the interior design continues. A spectacular stained-glass skylight is fitted into the ceiling. The store’s motto of “vecus in labore” is written among the glass design.

Many have suggested that the bookstore’s ornate neo-Gothic architecture looks like a scene from a “Harry Potter” story. More specifically, the building’s interior bears a striking resemblance to depictions of both Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the central setting of the Harry Potter books, as well as, the Flourish and Blotts bookshop, where characters in the books purchase their books on magic. As mentioned previously, J.K. Rowling, lived and taught English in Porto during the early 1990’s and it just so happens she was a loyal customer of Livraria Lello at the time.