Europe 2026 - A Film Set and a Weekend in Porto

Friday 20th March

We slept well as the church clock was silent during the night, though we did wake up to rain. We were due to visit Guimaraes but couldn’t see the point in the rain.

I had read in reviews on the site that the showers were good and hot, so I treated myself! It was nice to be under a continuous flow of water! I went back and told Richard how good it was so he went over. He came back saying that the water was cold - had I used all the hot water ☹️

The rain stopped so we decided to revert to plan A and go to Guimaraes, but first we had to find someone to pay for our pitch. We started walking up the drive to the house and came across Senhor who we duly paid. He was quite insistent that we go up to the house and see it and the gardens. The only problem was that a film crew were there with lots of equipment, but we didn’t see a soul!

Guimaraes was only a stone’s throw away. We parked up and headed for the old town. It was certainly charming. We had lunch in one of the squares which was very tasty. We both had shrimp risotto and it was full of pieces of shrimp.

We wandered back to Kiwi and set off for Porto. If you are a regular reader you may remember that last year we went to Porto to meet up with my second cousin, Kathy. We had two days of rain but this year the forecast was looking good, so we were hopeful of seeing Porto in the dry.

We arrived at our site for the next three nights. We stayed at Istas Garden last year too. It is a little haven in the built up area of Gaia, on the south side of the Douro River.

Here is a bit of history on Guimaraes. It is widely known as the "Cradle of the Portuguese Nation" (Berço da Nação). Its history is the story of Portugal’s transition from a small county to an independent kingdom.

Before it was a kingdom, the area was a small settlement called Vimaranes. In 959 AD, the powerful Countess Mumadona Dias founded a monastery. To protect the monks and the local population from Viking and Moorish raids, she ordered the construction of the Guimarães Castle on the "Sacred Hill" (Monte Latito). In the late 11th century, the Burgundian knight Henry of Burgundy was granted the County of Portugal by the King of León. He made Guimarães his seat of government, setting the stage for independence. However, the most pivotal moment in the city’s history occurred just outside its walls. 1128, the young Afonso Henriques (son of Henry) led a revolt against his own mother, Countess Teresa, and her Galician lover. Afonso wanted total independence from the Kingdom of León. After winning the battle, Afonso Henriques declared himself Prince of Portugal. By 1139, he was acclaimed as the first King of Portugal, and Guimarães served as the fledgling nation's first capital. As the "Reconquista" (the push to reclaim land from the Moors) moved south, the capital eventually shifted to Coimbra and then Lisbon. However, Guimarães remained a religious and aristocratic hub.

In 2001, the historic center was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for its "taipa" (timber-frame) construction and exceptionally well-preserved medieval street plan.

Saturday 21^st March

There was a cockerel quite close to us which decided that dawn was about 3am!  It then proceeded to crow hourly about 8am, when it stopped! 

We got an Uber into Gaia, which is on the south side of the River Duoro (Porto is on the north side).  I hadn’t done my research properly and the taxi dropped us off in entirely the wrong place to where we wanted to be, in fact 2 miles away.  Not realising quite how far it was we set off walking along a wooden boardwalk which was built over the sea.  It was a highway for joggers who held no regard for walkers at all and were super annoying.  

The plan had been to get a trip boat and do the 6 Bridges cruise, but the queues were quite long, so we gave it up as a lost cause.  Anyway it was almost lunch time and we chose a pizza restaurant. The pizzas weren’t brilliant, soggy bottoms, but we got talking to two American couples on the next table who were very interesting and who took the edge off the, not so brilliant, pizzas! 

We met up with Kathy and took the cable car up to the upper deck of the Luís I bridge and walked over the river, peering 148 feet down to the river and houses below.   We walked up to the Cathedral Square but didn’t go into the cathedral, it didn’t look very inspiring. From there we went to the Church of Santa Clara but they wanted cash and we hadn’t got enough.  At that point we decided that sangria sounded a much better option than sightseeing, so wandered off to a cafe that served a mean sangria 🤣.  

While we were at the cafe we could hear drums and then Police seemed to descend. There were a crowd of people waving flags of the  Portuguese Communist Party (PCP – Partido Comunista Português).  From the other direction came a march by people with pro-life banners but they turned off in a different direction. Next minute the PCP crowd had moved off along with the police.  I had wanted to go to the Mercardo de Bolhao and on our way we came across a huge march (to which our little crowd of PCP people were heading), and that was where all the police had gone to as well. 

We finally made it to the market and left Richard just inside the door while Kathy and I had a quick look round. I got a phone call from Richard saying he had been chucked out as it was no dogs - we couldn’t find a sign that said that and as it is semi open air it was dubious as to whether it was dog friendly or not. 

It was then home time. The march had caused traffic chaos so we walked to the Praça do General Humberto Delgado where the City Hall is and got an Uber back to the campsite.

We were exhausted - we had walked 4.7 miles, which is a long way for two people who don’t really walk very far!

More tomorrow!

I discovered later that the big march had been organized by the "Casa para Viver" platform, and was part of a coordinated protest across 16 Portuguese cities to demand government intervention regarding the cost of living and housing rights.  The PCP were just gate crashing the event!  

Sunday 22^nd March

Either the cockerel has a lie in on a Sunday, or I didn’t hear him until 7am.  

It was an early start for me as I had a washing machine booked for 9am. Last year when we were here it was a free for all with the free washing machine and tumble drier. This year they are charging and you have to book it. I guess it is a better idea.

Once the washing was finished, I called an Uber and we set off to visit the Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) where we to meet Kathy.  I had bought tickets online so went in to book our guided tour.  I had to queue up with people who hadn’t got tickets which was annoying.  I was almost at the front of the queue when a booth opened for online tickets!  Our tour was booked for 1.30pm so we had an hour to kill.  Kathy suggested that we go to the Church of Saint Francis which was just round the corner. 

The Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco) is a spectacular Gothic church renowned for having one of the most extraordinary gold-leaf interiors in Europe. While its exterior reflects a sober 14th-century Gothic style, the interior was transformed during the 17th and 18th centuries into a masterpiece of Baroque "talha dourada" (gilded woodcarving).  Almost every surface of the church—including columns, altars, and the ceiling—is covered in intricate gilded woodcarvings, using an estimated 300 to 400 kilograms of gold leaf.  Below the church lies an extensive ossuary and cemetery where Franciscan friars and noble families were buried.  There is also a "bone pit" which you can see through a glass floor, but we missed it! The church is amazing but sadly there is a no photographing rule, so I borrowed a photo from the internet.

We stopped for a drink and some chips, then Richard and I went for our guided tour of the Palacio da Bolsa.  The building was started in 1842 with money from Queen Maria II and it took nearly 70 years to complete, with Maria’s great grandson, King Manuel II.  Maria was the first monarch of Portugal and Manuel was the last.  The building is widely considered one of the most beautiful 19th-century buildings in Portugal. It serves as the headquarters of the Porto Commercial Association and is a centerpiece of the city's UNESCO World Heritage.  The undisputed star of the palace. Inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, this room took 18 years to complete. It is covered in intricate Moorish-style carvings and over 18 kg of gold leaf.  The Nations' Courtyard (Pátio das Nações): This is the grand entrance hall, The Nations’ Coirtyard (Pátio das Nações) features a massive glass-and-iron dome that floods the space with light, surrounded by the painted coats of arms of the nation’s Portugal traded within the 19th century.  The Portrait Room is famousfor its "floating" table—a masterpiece of wood marquetry that creates an optical illusion (sadly I couldn’t get near it to take a photo).  There is also a monumental granite staircase (The Gold Staircase) decorated with ornate sculptures and chandeliers, which weigh over a ton each.

Kathy very kindly dog sat Rio so that Richard and I could do the two visits.

We took an Uber across the city to the The Church of Santa Clara (Igreja de Santa Clara) which is often called the "Golden Churchl.  It is one of the most stunning examples of Portuguese Baroque, specifically the style known as Talha Dourada (gilded woodwork).  The church was founded in 1416 during the reign of King John I. At the request of Queen Philippa of Lancaster, a community of nuns from the Order of Saint Clare (the Poor Clares) was relocated to this site within Porto's city walls.  There is also church was completed in 1457 when the original Gothic-style church and the adjoining convent were completed. In the 17th and 18th centuries was the time of the Golden Transformation when the church became what it is today.  Following the Liberal Wars in Portugal in 1834, religious orders were abolished. The convent was eventually closed, but the church remained a place of worship and was later designated a National Monument in 1910.  In 2021 a €12 million restoration project was completed, cleaning centuries of dust and grime from the gold leaf and restoring the vibrant colors of the statues.  Today it is a real wow church.

From the Church of Santa Clara, we just happened to pass the cafe where we had had a sangria the day before, so we had another one!  Well, it would have been rude not to have done really 😂

Michal was waiting for us back at his and Kathy’s apartment, so we wandered down.  It was lovely to see him again and, as last year, he had made a lovely table of tapas.  We sat and talked about all sorts and before we knew where we were it was time to get an Uber and send our way back to Kiwi.  We were both shattered when we got back so both has an early night.

We had had a wonderful time in Porto.  We enjoyed it last year even in the rain but this year, in the sunshine, it was a whole different place.  Of course, the company made it even more special.  Kathy is my 3rd cousin on my mother’s side but not only is she a cousin she is now a special friend.  Thank you Kathy and Michal for making our time in Porto so special.