Porto - a first glimpse

Time in Porto was limited as I joined the AIESEC Alumni congress for four days.

So the morning before the conference started, EJ and I took a stroll around the city.

Praça da Liberdade

At ten o'clock, we arrived in time of the opening of Livraria Lello - the loveliest bookstore I have ever seen.

After that, we joined the others and later had a Francesinha for lunch. The famous Porto sandwich with ham, steak, sausage toped with melted cheese and served in sauce and with French Fries.

After the first sessions of the conference, we ended the evening at the Museum of Discoveries. There we learned about the Portuguese expansion, ships and history. The museum even includes a boat ride through the different territories discovered.

Late night, a bus brought us to Esposende - our conference site at the Atlantic Ocean.

Saturday evening, we returned to Porto for a night of Port wine. We had a guided tour at Taylor's - one of the oldest port wine producers and still independent. Port wine is by crushing the grapes and let them ferment until they reach 7% alcohol. Then brandy is added which stops the fermentation and leaves the sugar in the wine that makes it so sweet. Depending on the grapes and the aging, port wine is classified as:

• Ruby: from average grapes, aged at least 2 years - red, sweet, rich, fruity flavor
• Tawny: from average grapes, aged 2-7 years in wooden casks - mahogany color, drier than ruby, nutty flavor
• Aged tawny: from higher quality grapes, aged in wooden casks - tastes more like brandy or cognac, silkier taste
• Vintage: finest grapes from only one year (not every year qualifies), aged in barrels for two years, then bottled for at least another 10 years (up to 100 years or more) - dark ruby, fruity taste

Before we enjoyed a delicious taste, we took a lot of pictures of Porto at night from the terrace.

I hope to see more of Porto when I return in June.

Bussaco

20-30 minutes away from the highway is the secluded "Floresta do Bussaco" (Forest of Bussaco). 

The area is walled off and contains more than 700 different varieties of plants and trees that were found in the countries discovered by the Portuguese. Monks took care of the plants for centuries.

In the middle of the forest, King Carlos I built a palace that is extravagant, kitschy with turrets, arched windows, statues, glass windows, blue tiles and a lush park à la Versailles. 

The fairy-tale like palace was completed in 1907, but the dynasty fell three years later. Today, the palace is a luxury hotel.

Óbidos

Óbidos is a village surrounded by complete wall and so lovely that the king gave it to Queen Isabel as wedding gift in 1282. This legacy continued over the next 600 years. 

The wall was constructed by the Moors as fortification and is more than 1 km long. I took a walk around the whole village and enjoyed fantastic views.

 Several gates lead you to the streets of whitewashed houses.

tiled entrance gate

On the hill sits the old fortress-like castle from the 15th century that was later converted in a palace and serves today as a hotel.

Castle - Palace - Hotel

Churches in and around Óbidos

 

Sintra

Just 30 min away from Lisbon to the west is the little town of Sintra covered with lush greens. Also here jacaranda trees dot the town.

The two main sights were both created by the Moors.

The Palacio Nacional de Sintra with its twin domed chimneys is seen from afar.

Palacio Nacional de Sintra

Inside the palace has features from the Moors as well as from several royal periods.

entrance portal with moorish tiles

In the Sala dos Brasoes, you will find 72 shields of the leading families of 16th century Portugal that crown the ceiling.

Sala dos Brasoes 

The palace also showcases gifts received from other royals in the world - like this Chinese pagoda set in special made vitrine.

Palace chapel

Towering over the palace and the town is the Castello dos Mouros - a castle built by the Moors on the 492 m high hill top. To reach there you can take a bus or cab or you take the scenic lush green walkway. After two kilometers the castle is in front of you.

The castle dates back to the 9th century and its mainly the outer walls that have survived as ruins till today. Most of them are accessible and you can walk around for the best view.

view on pace & town