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Saturday, March 21, 2020

Arrival in Porto

Douro River at the foot of my street
Normally, Denise would be writing this, since she is the one who actually made the trip. But with the current quarantine in place, I've got time on my hands. So, I am writing this from our conversations and the photos she sent. Of course, she is in quarantine, as well, in Portugal, but I am getting it done first. Early bird... worm and all, you know.

Bridge to North Porto
Porto is the 2nd largest city in Portugal, located in the north. Pronounced "Portoo" (words ending in "o" usually take a long "u" sound), this picturesque city rises from the river running through it, and sports a more modern side, north of the river (modern being a relative term, as Porto is one of the oldest European cities), and an older section on  the southern bank of the river. Denise was able to get an Airbnb in the historic district. The plan was to spend a few days decompressing from the flight, see a few sights in the town, and then start journeying south to look at some of the properties we had earmarked as a potential new home. Porto was a little rich for our blood, but a wonderful place to visit.

On the bridge over the Douro
With all of the beauty, however, Porto is not a city for the faint of heart. No, there is no danger there, at all. But there are hills, and steep streets, and stairways to get you up to another level of the city. Denise stayed in a beautiful apartment with 4 flights of narrow stairs to walk up. It was then we learned to check the particulars of any Airbnb, to see if stairs were involved. But those few things aside, the city is spectacular.

River view from balcony
When she first arrived, the Uber driver left her off at the top of the street where her lodgings were located. As she walked down this street, she could see the river ahead, and as she approached her destination, there was loud opera streaming from one of the windows upstairs. It was like the opening of some romantic movie.

She even had a little view of the Douro River from the tiny balcony in her apartment. It was a short walk down to the riverfront, where there were cafes and restaurants, she would enjoy during the next few days. The dinner below, included wine, cheesecake dessert, coffee and all the food you see for a little over $10. These are grilled sardines, which is very common in Portugal. As a seafaring people, Denise would enjoy many meals with salmon and many other types of fish.

My 9.50€ meal
Later, when Denise arrives in Aveiro, which is the city closes to our new house, I will post a photo of a local grocery retailer (much like any large U.S. food chain), and when you see the wide variety of fresh fish on ice, you will not believe your eyes, but that is for later. For now, feast your eyes on this repast.

The city sports aerial gondolas, taking you from one end of the city to the next, a very welcome service, in view of the climbs that would be necessary without them.
Cabled Gondola system over Porto

Anyway, after a few days of sightseeing, and in Porto this means walking up and down steep streets and stairs, she made plans to travel to Aveiro, where we had planned to start our search for a new home.Taking a train for 1 hour trip to Aveiro, Denise arrived in what is termed the "Venice of Portugal", due to it's canal system running through the city, with gondolas for tourists to enjoy. These are gondolas on the water, not in the air.


That will be our next stop.

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