"Porto, for the Port wine, of course." a Porto Travel Page by dabidc

Porto, located near the mouth of the Douro river, is the prime location for a vacation in the rolling green hills and vineyards of Northern Portugal.

The part of the country which is famous for the rich red wine called Port. A wine well known in England, a wine that helps to warm the body in that country with a cold North Sea climate.

Why not combine a visit to the old world charm and history of Porto with the splendour of Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrim's goal for more than 1000 years, just over the border with N.W Spain, in Galicia.

Thus the history of two corners of countries each with a rich sea faring history and a geography that at times is tough and uncompomising. The sea has played a vital role in the history and development of these two areas.

To start with the Porto city centre is a vast square made up of two smaller squares, one is Praca da Liberdade and the other is Praca General Humberto Delgado. The main street on the east side is Avenida dos Allados and it forms the major street for bus connections to all parts of the city . The two squares offer some places to rest with the City Hall building to the north.

The buildings surrounding the square are of the late 19th Century in appearance with domes and cupolas gracing the tops of the offices and hotels.

My hotel stood on the west side and my view was across the square to a similar series of buildings to the east, but with a glimpse down towards the river and the old town.

The ebb and flow of people continued well into the evening, for the centre was not like many in N America where the places close as the workers go home.

My visit coincided with a lot of construction in the city, not so much new buildings, more the infrastructure, the gas and power and other utilities underground and better roads and side walks.

The square itself sloped gradually from North to South, but as you walked into the old town to the south the streets got very steep and continued that way with narrow cobbled streets, lanes and stairways, until the river was reached.