Porto, Portugal

November 2021

My friend Susan and I met up in Porto.  It is a town where I slowed down, and we just wandered aimlessly.

Church of São Francisco

One visits this Gothic church for two things its over the top Baroque inner decoration and its catacombs.

It has an 8 euro entry fee, with no photos allowed.  It is difficult to describe and as I do not violate no-photo policies I have taken these pictures off of the internet.

It would be difficult to find a square inch of this church that is not carved and then gilded.

One of the more interesting altarpieces is “Tree of Jesse”. Carved by Filipe da Silva and António Gomes, between 1718 and 1720. The carving is a family tree of Jesus with twelve kings of Judah connected via branches of the tree to the body of Jesse. On the top of the tree is Joseph, under an image of the Virgin and the Child.

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The church is located in the historic center of the city, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Imperial McDonald’s

Opened in 1995, this McDonalds now occupies a space that once held the Cafe Imperial, a famous coffee shop from the 1930s. Its amazing Art Deco architecture had McDonald’s retain a good portion of the important architectural features when it took over the location.

Mercado Ferreria Borges

Built in 1885 and siting in the center of town, the Mercado Ferreria Borges was meant to replace the old Mercado de São Sebastião in the Ribeira neighborhood. It never had a chance because retailers were hesitant to leave the old market. It  is now used for cultural exhibitions and fairs.

The name of the market pays homage to José Ferreira Borges, a jurist and politician from Porto who supported the liberal regime in Portagallo.

Praca de Almeida Garrett

This area is named after a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist and politician.  The area is filled with the most stunning architecture.  The area appeared to be the financial district of Porto, but I could find very little about it.

Recycling

All through Portugal I have been fascinated with the recycle collection.  There is not individual recycling like in the US, businesses and citizens take their recycles to a neighborhood site.

The actual collection bins are under the street in Porto, and the system tilts back so the machine can pick them up, and place them over the collection truck. Once they are properly in place a worker pulls a cord at the bottom of the bin and the recycles come pouring out.

Walking around with no goal in mind:

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