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April 18th - Day 9
April 18th - Day 9
Contrary to weather predictions, we had beautiful weather on our last full day in Porto. We had a late start, in part thanks to me, as I had to get up at 2:30 AM to log into the airline as soon as it was possible to obtain boarding passes with good seats for our upcoming flight to Manchester tomorrow. Mission accomplished. But I slept in!
Contrary to weather predictions, we had beautiful weather on our last full day in Porto. We had a late start, in part thanks to me, as I had to get up at 2:30 AM to log into the airline as soon as it was possible to obtain boarding passes with good seats for our upcoming flight to Manchester tomorrow. Mission accomplished. But I slept in!
After the Palace tour, we wandered through Porto, visiting shops, stopping into lovely cafes for a cappucino or lunch, and viewing street art. Finally, we made it down to seaside for final, and very memorable dinner.
After the Palace tour, we wandered through Porto, visiting shops, stopping into lovely cafes for a cappucino or lunch, and viewing street art. Finally, we made it down to seaside for final, and very memorable dinner.
it's now about 6:40 AM on April 19th, and we are about to catch an Uber to the train station. I will add highlights of our day on this page, together with ones of our upcoming visit with family in Manchester over the next few days. In the meantime, here is a gallery of photos from today.
it's now about 6:40 AM on April 19th, and we are about to catch an Uber to the train station. I will add highlights of our day on this page, together with ones of our upcoming visit with family in Manchester over the next few days. In the meantime, here is a gallery of photos from today.
We began our day by touring the breathtaking monument to civic and commercial pride, the Palácio da Bolsa. Often referred to as the Stock Exchange Palace, it is not, in fact, stock exchange, nor is it a palace. Rather, it's the headquarters of the Commercial Association of Porto, who still meet there to conduct business. Think of it as an ostentatious version of the Vancouver Board of Trade. The building took over 70 years to construct. One room took eighteen years to create.
We began our day by touring the breathtaking monument to civic and commercial pride, the Palácio da Bolsa. Often referred to as the Stock Exchange Palace, it is not, in fact, stock exchange, nor is it a palace. Rather, it's the headquarters of the Commercial Association of Porto, who still meet there to conduct business. Think of it as an ostentatious version of the Vancouver Board of Trade. The building took over 70 years to construct. One room took eighteen years to create.
An early example of mid-19th century expressionist art? Not exactly. Actually, the photo was taken through an interior glass pane in the palace, it's irregular contours created due to the fact these were hand-blown into cylinders, which were then flattened into sheets, a process that was quite different from modern glass manufacturing methods today... and much more expensive.
The magnificent Arab Room. in the Palácio da Bolsa. Created by Gonçalves e Sousa, in an exotic Moorish style, it took 18 years to construct. Today it is used as reception hall for visiting heads of state.. It can also be rented for special events, for $7,000 Euros. However, our guide told us that weddings, which are also held here, requires that the entire palace be rented... for $50,000 Euros. Fortunately for us, Rebecca and Jordan opted for a less expensive venue last summer.
This antique ticker-tape machine was used at the palace until 1954. It's located next door to Gustav Eiffel's office, the builder of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He worked here while doing several civic works projects in Porto. One of them was the Douro Bridge, completed in 1886. We've walked across it every evening since we arrived in Porto. .
After our visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, we wandered through Porto's streets, passing by the Majestic Cafe, a well-known coffee house in Porto. And, not unlike the bookstore Naomi saw on Day 7, the cafe's very ornate architecture has made it a tourist mecca in its own right. Expensive too.. We knew we could get an excellent cappuccino elsewhere.
And that's how those very ornate tile sidewalks are constructed. Painstakingly. Stone by stone.
An organ-grinder and his son, playing a hand-made music box. The leafed stack of hole-punched cards cause the organ to play melodies by simply turning the crank.
Prince Henry has a friend.
Street art on Rua de Miguel Bombarda
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