Postcard from Portugal – Guimarães

Guimarães, about 50 k north east of Porto, is where Portugal began with the first king, Alfonso Henriques, in the first half of the 12th century. There is a lovely medieval centre and castle. Guimarães, qui se trouve à une cinquantaine de kilomètres nord-est de Porto, est le berceau du Portugal où naquit Alfonso Henriques, …

Postcard from Portugal – Bom Jesus do Monte

Braga, Portugal’s third largest city, is 80 k north of Porto. Its most important monument is the sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte. We walked down the 650 steps but took the funicular up. Braga la troisième plus grande ville du Portugal se trouve à 80 kilomètres au nord de Porto. Son monument le plus …

Postcard from Portugal – Aveiro

We took the train to Aveiro today, 80 k south of Porto. We loved the old train station, unfortunately abandoned. The rest of the town was disappointingly dilapidated. Nous avons pris le train aujourd’hui pour aller à Aveiro qui se trouve à 80 kilomètres au sud de Porto. Nous avons beaucoup aimé la vieille gare …

Postcard from Porto – São Miguel

Today we hired bikes and went for a ride along the seafront but the bikes weren’t wonderful and the bike path didn’t start until the lighthouse built in the 16th century, one of the oldest in Europe. We had lunch at the main port north of Matosinhos where there are lots of little restaurants with …

Postcard from Porto – Sãn Bento Station

naThese friezes and murals made of azulejos tiles are in Sãn Bento train station built in the centre of Porto at the end of the 19th century. They depict a large number of scenes taken from Portuguese history. Ces frises et muraux en “azulejos” se trouvent dans la gare de Sãn Bento construite au centre …

Postcard from Porto – Capela das Almas

This was the first azulejos fresco we saw in Porto, in the street we are staying in, Fernandes Tomas. Called Capela das Almas the chapel dates from the 18th century and was restored and extended in 1801. In 1929 the outer façades were faced with tiles by Eduardo Leite, produced by Fabrica de Ceramica Viuva Lemego. …