Blog 22: We made it to Portugal!

It was a perfect day for passage-making in the Atlantic when we finally left the lovely Rias Baixas in Spain and headed south towards Portugal – that is if you didn’t want to sail!!  
It was calm when we left at dawn.
There was no wind at all and just a bit of a swell in variable directions … 
… but blue skies and sunshine all day so an easy passage and no complaints!
Changing courtesy flags from Spanish to Portuguese.
Viana do Castelo
There are fewer safe harbours along the Portuguese coast than in Spain, but our first port of call was the delightful little town of Viana do Castelo.  We were curious about the big church on the top of the hill.
We tied up at the Visitors’ Pontoon in the river and I set off on the 15-minute trek to the marina office to find it closed for lunch!
Things happen in a different time-zone here although it’s not that far from the Spanish border – Portugal is an hour behind Spain and they seem to have lunch at a normal lunchtime, rather than having a long siesta from 2-5pm, and then eat dinner at 8 ish instead of 10-11pm!
The Ponte Eiffel Bridge across the Rio Lima was designed by Gustave Eiffel (of Tower fame) – though I’m afraid it’s not a patch on the Tower!
Cars on the top level, trains below
We took ourselves on a sort-of self-guided walking tour of the town …
Attractive old part of town, whitewashed walls and granite door and window surrounds.  
The Malheiras Chapel is one of the most beautiful examples of Portuguese Rococo architecture.
Praça da República – the main square in Viana do Castelo – with its 16thcentury fountain which, for hundreds of years, provided drinkable water for the inhabitants of the town.
The Igreja da Misericórdia or Mercy House dates from the 16thcentury
Blue tiled decoration round the windows – often you have to look up above the shop fronts to see interesting architectural features
The old Paços do Concelho was created out of the walls of the city in the early 16thcentury and resembles a fort, but is in fact the former Town Hall and is now used for temporary art exhibitions.
This is the tiny Capela das Almas, originally constructed in the 13thcentury but rebuilt in 1719. It was Viana’s first Cathedral before the construction of the much larger current one …
The present-day Cathedral dates from the early 15thcentury – it is quite large and hard to get far enough back to get it all in the picture!
This is the Palácio dos Abreu Távora, or Casa da Carreira, a beautiful manor house. It is remarkable for its doors and windows which are in Manueline or Portuguese Late Gothic style – a sumptuous, style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century.  The palace is now used as the Town Hall.  

I spotted ornate windows even in quite ordinary buildings
We took the funicular railway up the very steep hill to the Santa Luzia Basilica, which we had noticed as we entered the harbour as it has such a commanding position overlooking the city. 
It’s actually quite modern, completed in the 20thcentury and an example of revivalist architecture – blending elements of neo-Roman, neo-Byzantine and neo-Gothic styles in a harmonious way.  It is a truly impressive monument from the outside. 
Inside it is lovely and light and airy, with blue and gold decoration …
… and an impressive domed ceiling and stained glass windows.
But the most impressive thing about the Santa Luzia Mountain is the spectacular and breathtaking views over the Rio Lima, its estuary, the coast and the surrounding countryside.
This is looking south down the coast
This is looking over the city of Viana do Castelo
This is looking upriver and inland
This is the hotel at the top of Santa Luzia Mountain which must have spectacular views!
We went out for dinner at Os 3 Potes down this typical little side street …
… where the speciality was delicious Fondue Bourguignonne which seems to be served in quite a few restaurants here despite not being traditionally Portuguese.
We notice that English is much more widely spoken in Portugal than in Galicia – presumably because Portuguese is so impossible!
Thick fog the following morning – we can hardly see the Eiffel Bridge at dawn …
… and this is the view looking towards the sea!
So we left with our eyes glued to the radar and expecting the sun to burn off the early morning mist.  We were so lucky to have had a lovely sunny day yesterday to see Viana do Castelo at its best.
However, it actually remained foggy and windless for the whole 7-hour passage to Porto!  In fact, we have often ending up motoring or motor-sailing along the Biscay and Atlantic coasts – there seems to be either too much wind to even set out, or too little!
It was so foggy, we had to look on the radar to spot lobster pots!  It would be hard to avoid them otherwise!  Apart from that we saw 1 fishing boat and 2 yachts during the entire passage …
… plus quite a few friendly dolphins.
A gloomy, foggy arrival in Porto at 2.30pm in the afternoon …
But we received a very friendly welcome at Douro Marina and by 7pm the sun had come out and we could celebrate our safe passage in the traditional way!
And by 8.30pm the view from the marina was like this – beautiful evening sunshine!

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