We walked on an old Roman road, in the rain, with occasional glimpses of the sea, in anticipation of our arrival in Porto. Porto did not disappoint. An eclectic, dynamic, colorful (even the graffiti are beautiful) city, dripping with a long history dating back to the 1st century BCE and more recently the 9th century during the reconquista period.

Porto became a fabulously wealthy city through ship building, providing many of the caravels that were used during the age of exploration. It became known for Port wine when wine shipments from France were interrupted during the War of Spanish Succession (17 something to 17 something). English merchants looked to Portugal’s Douro wine growing valley for substitutes but the wine would sour on the way to England so they started adding Brandy to stall fermentation. As a result, many of the English port houses are based here.

We are going to enjoy our 2 night stay in Porto.