Porto – Ah, you have been truly wonderful.
Last day in Porto. Last walk around the tiny streets. Last climb down the, uneven, misshapen and wonderfully rickety city stairs. A lad walks past with a very apt print on his shirt, “Porto-It’s got hills”; that it does, that it does.
Within Porto and across the river, Gaia, art scenes and mosaic sculptures abound what would have been stark walls of buildings. It is obvious the city centre is focused towards the masses of tourist crowds. It is what drives the economy in these towns.
Tastings
I feel there is a theme going on here. Hmmmmmmm…a tasty one however. I have always maintained that food is culture. As it turns out, so is drinks, and locally produced drinks especially. The alcoholic milkshakes were a mistake. I thought I was ordering beers. Oh well, they were really, really GOOD. Porto is famous for its Port. They are producing a range of white ports as well now. I do recommend them. Yes, we did try them, no I didn’t take a photo, yes we may have had a few other tastings prior.
If you can, come to Porto, Portugal. It just is awesome.
Across the country, Porto to Barcelona.
The train journey across two countries, including stops, takes around nine hours. Multiple trains, multiple stations with a metro stuck in the middle somewhere; does keep you on your toes. Never bored, the landscape through rural areas, with luscious farmland, barren desert farmland, mountain ranges, eroded cliff facades and rocky outcrops keeps me interested.
Montserrat
Wednesday… Mandy said, I have a place I would like to go. It’s a day trip and there is a cable car. We have returned to Barcelona for a few nights. Cool, I thought, cable car to a villa and then sample some more port.
Not so much.
The cable car ride was truly spectacular; views to infinity and back with a climb in which ‘Hillary’ would have been proud. No rest for the wicked at the top. There are walking trails to be done. To tell you the truth, the trails were really fun. Some were well formed, easily accessible by wheelchairs. Others required hands and feet, crawling, in order to get through well worn or once-existing paths. We spent most of the day hiking, wondering, crawling, discovering. Every gannet/rock corner revealed nature’s majesty, somehow eclipsing the last epic masterpiece. This was nice.
Gaudi was heavily influenced by this mountain range. You can see this in his works of the La Segrada Familia.
As well as the natural gifts, an interesting Monastery and small village are perched at the pinnacle of the escarpment. Shops, restaurants and even a buffet are all within reach.
Barcelona – Gaudi – La Sagrada Familia
Barcelona is a city worth walking around for days on end. Antoni Gaudi’s influence is evident within residential buildings and of course the church. The streets are a box of mixed lollies, all having individual characteristics. Our love has developed for our local neighborhood. It is in the old town, within the university district. It has balconies with washing drying, dogs and cats greeting us and an eclectically diverse group of residents. Locals, tourists, very…seniors, young families, students, punks, anarchists, every gender variation and pronoun are represented.
