Thursday, March 30, 2017

Colorful View (Porto, Portugal)

Oh that colorful Porto! How this place is just inspiring and how it makes you think on every single step while passing the narrow streets full of shabby facades with widely open windows. Only a two days in this special city is really not so much time to spent especially if we take into account some fascinating important historical sites, but it is really enough to delight the view from the Dom Luis I bridge, eating the local Portuguese specialties in couple of taverns and drink sweet Porto wine. Besides that its art colonies & exhibitions which are often located in local houses can rarely be seen anywhere else in Europe.

Colorful View on Porto by Igor L.
(Nice Colorful View, Porto)
Photo taken by Igor L.

Our trip went from a dark Braga by train towards Porto. After the arrival on the main Porto train station, murals composed of ceramic tiles already thrilled me! So much art in one place is very difficult to imagine while colors of the buildings are changing while we are moving from street to street. Eventually we appeared in front of Monumento a Dom Pedro IV and passed square that surrounding him from where we waited the other group of people to join us and to check out all nearby hostels in search for possible free places. After a short time we had lucky because one hostel in the center remained slightly free and inside of it tourists watched the Eurovision song contest screaming from all their voices after each nonsense composition...

Árvore Escola Artística by Igor L.
(Árvore Escola Artística, Porto)
Photo taken by Igor L.

So far in my life I have seen close by myself the various well-known world universities but unlike the others Árvore Escola Artística looks brilliant from the outside where on the wall you can see various paintings, pictures, slogans and artistic ideas. Students are given complete freedom of expression as it should be and possibly this is something most creative I've seen recently. Good weather has finally dawned and after a small neighbourhood observation we went to "Cais da Ribeira" street next to the river, across the Dom Luis I bridge, sitting having a coffee while seagulls not afraid of anything slowly walked around our tables.

Clérigos Area Houses by Igor L.
(Clérigos Area Houses, Porto)
Photo taken by Igor L.
 
Stroll across the Dom Luis I bridge, view that extends all over the Porto, Douro river on the summer sun, Fernando fortress walls, couple of pictures for a long memory and time has already passed so quickly... It only stays to visit the main city attraction, for which many people will also say that is the symbol of Porto. As we approached the cathedral of São Pedro dos Clérigos I just could not take my eyes from houses that stood next to each other in a different colors very close to cathedral itself. Extremely nice scenery reflects and almost unreal cathedral tower, which is visible from all sides of the city and in Baroque style spirit finding its own places all around the world like a recognition for Portugal and his pride. Inside of cathedral exudes an atmosphere of peace with spaciousness but also and timelessness of important spiritual things.