Wednesday, June 5, 2024 – Day touring Porto

My good friend Don Kane sent me a New York Times article on things to do in Porto. Today I decided to visit a few of the sites recommended by the New York Times.

The first place on my list today was the Jardins do Palacio de Cristal. This is a 10 acre park with beautiful flowers and trees. I am staying in the lower part of Porto along the river. This garden is in upper Porto. It took me an hour of walking and serious hill climbing to get to this garden.

Peacocks were strutting their stuff all over the park.

The park was beautifully landscaped and maintained.

Great view to the west from one of the observation points in the park.

The second site on my list was the Porto Cathedral.

What an amazing altarpiece. All carved wood that has been gilded in gold leaf.

Some Portuguese chruches have these walls made up of hundreds of intricately painted tiles.

After touring the Cathedral I visited the Bishop’s residence. Bishops back then lived a very luxurious lifestyle. The Porto Bishop’s residence was amazing.

There is a grand staircase as you enter the residence and if you look up you see this skylight and the beautiful painted ceiling.

Now it’s time for lunch. I stoped by a stir fry place and got a garlic pepper chicken stir fry topped with an egg.

After lunch I visited the last site on my list, the Church of Saint Francis. This church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason. The carved and gilded altar pieces are stupendous.