Porto - A Must See As I Now By Now

The Whole Story Within A Single Picture

Only one day has been enough. O no, don't misunderstand me. Not enough to discover this place. But it became clear within less than two hours that this precious little town is absolutely worth to see, to check, to know.
It gives me a feeling as shown in the picture above. The floating river under a wide and endless sky; a bridge to connect opposites; some free in the air whispering leaves and an incoming plane that rules the little story I had the luck to catch with the cam.
As you see, this little picture could tell the whole story of my first weekend in Porto. What more to say?

Sao Bento Train Station in Porto

First, we made it to Sao Bento train station in the heart of Porto. This impressive building from the beginning of the 20th century is breathing the charming nature that results from the well-done combination of ancient stuff together with modern times. The walls inside are filled with historical scenes made of the famous blue tiles here in Portugal. And, because it is a terminus which lanes leading directly into a tunnel when trains are leaving, it looks like that one could jump right into a time travel from here.

Time Tunnel?

Outside on the streets, the summer embraced the city and we followed our own steps without a plan or even a direction. When on vacation it doesn’t matter where you go to enjoy a place. What counts is, that you’re going. Eyes open, heart open. And each breath you're taking in should fill you up with the special smell and taste of the place you currently are.

Porto got its own hot spots, its special “must-seen-places” like every other place in the world. In the town at the Douro estuary, these are, to give some examples

• Luís I Bridge
• Clérigos Church + Clérigos Tower &, of course
• The Catedral Sé
• ...

But it is worth to keep the eyes open at every step you take. Not only that the town is partially grounded on hills and got its ups & downs. Sometimes a glimpse into a street or alley seems like a look into a gorge. And if you stay careful, you may discover one or the other precious pearl in the facades.

As human beings, we’re tending to compare things all the time. We’re comparing the present day with something we kept in mind about our past, or, maybe, we do it hard to ourselves with a possible future (the one that never comes, surely). We are comparing the things that appear right in front of us at the current time with those we remember and try to fit it in ready-made drawers. But that’s not possible always and often it makes no sense to try it. Every single moment is not repeatable, it’s particular and special. The only things that are repeating all the time are those in our minds.

For me, as a guy who felled in love with Lisbon, the Great Beauty, Porto is different, of course. This incomparable feeling, the well-known “Get Lost” I had again and again in the capital of Portugal, didn’t catch me in Porto. This might be for several reasons. I wasn’t alone at my walk. It took not hours after hours. Maybe that one never gets lost at the first approach to stay save in mind, stay aware of what is going to show up. (It’s a kind of limbic-thing, our reptile brain is looking for some dangerous things all the time.)

For me, Lisbon is always like a frenzy. I can’t get enough of it and have to take a dose of it from time to time. But this is a healthy addiction, of course. One of the kinds that won’t make you sick. Saying this, I think Porto is giving you a kick. It comes over you and refreshes you. And yes, given this, it is worth to see it. Not only once. And so I will come back. Maybe ...