Travel
- Enjoying The Sunset From A Boat On Guadalquivir River In Seville
On out second day in Seville, we visited the largest cathedral in the world and the Palace of the Countess of Lebrija. I'm a big fan of river cruises and my husband seems to enjoy them more and more by the day. He was basically sold after our...
- 7 Must See Places In The Magical City Of Porto
Porto is a magical city. Modern, yet still clinging to the old ways, it fascinated us beyond any expectations. We spent a day by the ocean, visited the uncounted for gilded churches, took a boat tour on the Douro River, and went for a wine...
- The Stunning Lello Bookshop From Porto
OK, I know I said it before, but I'm going to say it again. I love Porto! From the moment I set foot in the amazing Porto airport till the moment I hoped back on the plane, I was completely smitten. And besides friendly locals, amazing architecture...
- Making Friends On The Road. A Wine Tasting With A Twist
Just after we finished our boat trip up and down the Douro River, our ever surprising and resourceful guide, Luis from EcoTours Portugal asked us if we wanted to go for a wine tasting before saying goodbye to him. Hell yeah! He made some phone calls...
- Our Open Letter To The Atlantic Ocean
Dear Atlantic Ocean, You are even more beautiful in March than you were in December when we first met you. We like you for the dramatic dance you perform without a flow. And we love you for the way you chase us every time we try to steal your colorful...
Travel
Boat With a View. Going On A Cruise On The Douro River
We have to admit that Porto totally took us by surprise. We never expected it to be such a charming city. Even before finishing our walking tour we were completely smitten. But strolling up and down the streets of Porto is no easy task for the unfit traveler, and after a whole morning exploring the city by foot, we were really looking forward to embark on a Douro River cruise.
Porto has an amazingly colorful architecture and there's no doubt one can appreciate it from land. But if you are looking for some amazing views of the city, you really need to go on a boat ride.
We just loved the fact that the laundry was hanging in the sun. In most European cities this is prohibited; but not in Porto. Here the locals are not ashamed of exposing their towels to the passerby and the authorities don't seem to mind either.
The way this city was built is simply amazing. Some of the houses are literally carved in stone. Others seem to defy gravity, while clinging to the hills with might and main.
During our river cruise we discovered parts of Porto way out of the tourist path. While the Ribeira has crowded colorful houses, once you pass the Dom Luis Bridge, the architecture changes slightly and you can actually see the bare rock this city was built on and the feeling you get is that of looking under the skirts of a beautiful woman.
Probably the most mind blowing thing we found on the Douro River were the boats. I couldn't stop myself from taking pictures of them. They are so cute! The bigger ones are used for cruises, but the small ones are there as mere decoration.
Of course, one of the main attractions while taking the river cruise in Porto are the six bridges. We don't know much about bridges architecture, therefore, all we can tell is that they are very tall, connecting the highest parts of Porto with the highest parts of Gaia. Luis, our guide from EcoTours Portugal explained us this was for practical reasons.
Porto is the only city in Europe to have exactly six bridges. Except, of course, Villa Nova de Gaia that shares the bridges with Porto. One of the wrought iron bridges was design by Gustave Eiffel, but unfortunately it is not in use today anymore. The one above, though looks similar in design and could foul many people, was design by a former partner of Eiffel.
We thoroughly enjoyed our river cruise. We had some lovely weather and feeling the wind gently caressing our skin was extremely pleasant. Luis was with us all the time, pointing us buildings from both cities as we were passing by, while explaining us what they were. The bridges cruise took about one hour, just enough time for the boat to take us all the way from one side of Porto to the other side where the Atlantic Ocean patiently awaited us.
We want to give a huge thank you to Luis and EcoTours Portugal for organizing such a lovely morning for us. We truly grasped a better understanding of Porto with your help.
- Enjoying The Sunset From A Boat On Guadalquivir River In Seville
On out second day in Seville, we visited the largest cathedral in the world and the Palace of the Countess of Lebrija. I'm a big fan of river cruises and my husband seems to enjoy them more and more by the day. He was basically sold after our...
- 7 Must See Places In The Magical City Of Porto
Porto is a magical city. Modern, yet still clinging to the old ways, it fascinated us beyond any expectations. We spent a day by the ocean, visited the uncounted for gilded churches, took a boat tour on the Douro River, and went for a wine...
- The Stunning Lello Bookshop From Porto
OK, I know I said it before, but I'm going to say it again. I love Porto! From the moment I set foot in the amazing Porto airport till the moment I hoped back on the plane, I was completely smitten. And besides friendly locals, amazing architecture...
- Making Friends On The Road. A Wine Tasting With A Twist
Just after we finished our boat trip up and down the Douro River, our ever surprising and resourceful guide, Luis from EcoTours Portugal asked us if we wanted to go for a wine tasting before saying goodbye to him. Hell yeah! He made some phone calls...
- Our Open Letter To The Atlantic Ocean
Dear Atlantic Ocean, You are even more beautiful in March than you were in December when we first met you. We like you for the dramatic dance you perform without a flow. And we love you for the way you chase us every time we try to steal your colorful...