Portugal 2024
Day 12: Sunday 29 December 2024
Coimbra – Oporto
The Atlantic! We left Coimbra towards midday and the line passed through farmland, forest and scattered settlements, until it skirted the beaches.
The bridges over the Douro River. I snapped this shot from the train on a glorious sunny day. We passed over the Ponte de St. Joao (1991), and in the foreground is the Ponte de D. Maria Pia (1877, attributed to Gustave Eiffel). In the background is Ponte Dom Infante (2003), named for Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460), who was born in Porto.
The buildings in Porto are impressive. The city was not affected by the 1755 earthquake which devastated Lisboa, so has a greater range in age and style. These buildings are typical of the facades and narrow balconies we have seen throughout Portugal.
An angelic statue in Porto
The old centre of the city is on a steep slope down to the river, providing stunning views of layers of buildings at every turn.
The Douro River has a series of bridges across. This double-storied bridge is the Ponte do Luis I (completed in 1886), an icon of the city and very well frequented by pedestrian traffic. At its time of construction it had the longest span of a bridge of its type in the world: 172m. In the background is Ponte do Infante, which we had glimpsed from the other side as we crossed the river by train earlier in the day.
The south side of the Douro River has a cable car transporting tourists and locals to the high level, where a light railway can take them over the higher level of the Ponte do Luis I.
A plaque commemorating the tragedy in 1809, when Napoleon´s French troops under Marshal Soult attacked the city. A pontoon bridge across the river sank under the weight of the fleeing hordes of civilians, and many were drowned.
As night falls the bridge and riverside lights up to great effect
Ponte do Luis I from the southern bank
Oporto from the southern bank at night. This is a magical view of a magical city.
In the main square of Porto, flanked by the two branches of the Avenue dos Aliados, where our hotel is, there was the San Silvestre 10km fun run. There must have been many thousands of runners. One was even dressed as a dinosaur, and a team of firemen ran in full gear and oxygen tanks on their backs.
Travel Diary
The Livraria Lello bookshop was inaugurated in 1906. The building’s exterior has a mixed architectural suggesting Neo-Gothic, and Art Nouveau elements, and in the interior, implied Art Deco elements.
The Treaty of Windsor, signed in 1386 between Portugal and English, making it the world´s oldest military alliance. The marriage which sealed the pact took place in Porto in 1387, between Joao I (House of Aviz) and Philippa of Lancaster (sister of Henry IV of England), whose palace we visited in Sintra. Their son was Henry the Navigator, who promoted the expansion of knowledge of the west coast of Africa.
It was thanks to the help of English longbow archers at the Battle of Aljubarrota, that Jaoa was recognised as the undisputed king of Portugal. This battle was a major turning point in history of Portugal. When King Ferdinand I of Portugal died in 1383, he had no son to inherit the throne. He instead made a treaty with King Juan I of Castile, which stipulated that his daughter would marry Juan, which would result in the incorporation of Portugal into Castile. The ensuing 1383-85 succession crisis led to war between Castile, supported by France and Aragon, against Portugal and its ally, England. The victory for Portugal established the House of Aviz as the new dynasty, and Portuguese independence was ensured.
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Pago em dinheiro
Numbers from ten to twenty
Números de onze a vinte = onze, doze, treze, catorze, quinze, dezasseis, dezassete, dezoito, dezanove, vinte
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