As we travelled away from the coast, we ended up going up north to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal.  The city ended up begin amazing, yet tiring at the same time.  This was due to the hilly city which forced us to scale the small city roads up to beautiful scenic points.  We ended up having one day here, but were able to get a really good taste and gave us an appetite to come back to Portugal.  We were really impressed, compared to Spain, because of it’s livelihood and welcoming people.

We arrived in Porto at the Rail Station Sao Bento, where we had an early morning train ride from Lagos.  The walls were lined with very interesting tile, which showed some graphic history of Portugal.

And we were dropped off at a prime location.  As always, we prepared for our following day during our ride to our destination, and also had a few suggestions on where to go here.  Porto was known for their Port Wine, so we had to figure how to fit in a wine tour while we were here.

But we first wandered the streets and was amazed by the architecture of the area.

It was difficult to get a really good view of the town from the north side of town, because of the congested, yet beautiful buildings that were usually adorned with colorful tiles.

And a view of Clerigos Tower, as we could see that this was the tallest part of town.

We headed to Porto Cathedral and took a tour inside as well.  Nothing says Europe like a Cathedral tour.

It was funny, because we knew that it was a very hot time to visit Spain and Portugal, but the kids of the area really knew how to escape the heat.  Here are a few kids playing in the fountain by the Porto Cathedral.

We ended up heading down the hill, to look for a few shots and city views of the area.

A view from above of Zona Ribeirinha.

Our typical walk through the city looked like this, an easy way to get lost in a city you aren’t used to.

We ended up making it to the river walk and busiest area of Porto, Praça da Ribeira. This is one of the most iconic areas, with a plaza full of restaurants and shops for tourist.  But it was the interesting contrast between the buildings that really catches the eye.

View of the Plaza.

And as we decided to cross the Douro River Estuary, the main waterway that cuts through the city, we found a beautiful bridge.  The brige was named the Ponte de Dom Luís I.  We could easily see that there were a few kids on the bridge, which I thought was just for fun.  They  just needed to find relief from the heat.

But instead, as we found out while watching the kids jump, they all were looking for some money from people, just for them to jump.  Seems kind of counterintuitive to me, why I would want to pay them to jump.  I would have wanted to do it myself!

And a view from the other side of the Duoro river, a beautiful city.

We had to decide on which wine tour to take, and all the information lead to Taylor’s port wine cellars.  It was a beautiful setup and definitely a place for wine lovers to visit.

We just missed a tour, and they offered the tours in many different languages.  So Melody and I decided to get a few drinks ourselves and see if we could join an English tour.

Mel and Kel’s Port tasting.

And some random people watching, with great light inside the cellars.

And as the sun began to set, I figured we should go up and get a grand view of the city and get a few sunset shots.

View of Vila Nova de Gaia.

A view down the Duoro River

And as the sun began to set, I got a little less contrasty view of the city.

And as the night fell, it was time to go to bed, and get ready for our next adventure the next day.