The cities of gulls.. Trip to Porto and Coimbra, Portugal

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In three hours we reached Porto, the second city of the country, usually from Ciampino airport.
We were in the north of Portugal only 3 days, but we made a first impression of this country, full of contrasts and dignity. It 'was a bit' as I had anticipated many: does not affect the number of monuments, but for the life and soul that pervades the streets of the country!
But let's ordine.Appena arrived at 8.30 in the morning, we headed towards the subway that would take us into città.Da one hand, there is the efficiency to find conductors that explain how to make the ticket machine and how to use brand new .. and then train the other hand, there is the inconvenience that this line runs every half hour at least and takes at least 40 minutes to get downtown. Take the purple line, direction and descend to Bolhao Estadiou Dragao, the name of a decadent art nouveau attractive local market, 1914.Usciti opened in the metro, we are faced with the first church completely covered with tiles, the Most Holy Trinity: wonder ! We meet Rua Santa Catarina, pedestrian street full of shops and nerve center for individuals, we walk for a few hundred meters and the road to the left is our modest but dignified guesthouse: Residencial Belo Sonho. Outdated furniture, double bed small, but cheap (60 € 2 nights, 2 people), central and clean.
Let's say that for me, this guest house with its owner, an elderly couple who wore clothes with my grandparents and they did all their own, has represented the entire country: poverty and dignity, cleanliness and order and, simultaneously these people seemingly out by time and fashion, you could generate internet for free.
We left everything in the hotel and we started to explore the città.Intanto, we had breakfast: pastellerie features are the cake shops with bars attached, where a variety of sweet triumph indescrivibile.Famoso, but expensive compared to other cheaply, in the Cafe Majestic Rua Santa Catarina, in the style we started liberty.Poi vagare.Si can reach everything on foot, but the idea is nice and convenient to take the bus and Hip Hop, which is an extensive tour of the city to the sea, which costs 13 euros, that is 2 days, every 20 minutes from where you can get on and off whenever you want. Of course, the earphones are also given, through which various information is given on the way, even in Italian.
Of the many churches visited, mostly in the Romanesque style and then "converted" to baroque, there are a lot Piasca the Igreja S. Francis, with adjoining catacombs, the Dos Clerigos and the Cathedral, with its cloister and the museum will see what we could annesso.Non of Santa Chiara, which the guide of the bus, there are bellissima.Poi famous squares and is particularly Sao Bento station, whose entrance is lined with tiles and resting on an ancient monastery. The characteristic is that the city is made up of many small parcels, so there are many ups and continue.Inoltre discs, is full of narrow streets, even decadent enough: some travel story, I read that recalls the Neapolitan low for me was not so, because I remember the alleys of the castle, wonderful historic district Cagliari.Comunque, falling down, you get to Ribeira (which I guess means "" bank "), similar to casetorri qurtiere of houses, which overlook Finally the river Douro.Questo "spin" of colored houses with pitched roofs in front of a nice walk and has many places where mangiare.Alla decide his left is Luis I Bridge, on 2 levels, to connect the various "levels" of altitude of 800 cities and built by architects at the end of the school of Eiffel. When traveling through it, in fact, seems to staresulla parigina.Di front of the Ribeira famous tower, is the district of Vila Nova de Gaia, where are the famous wine cellars Port Wine Storage: is a distinctive area with warehouses reminiscent of the industrial area where a lot is produced Guinness in Dublin. On Saturday we went by train to Coimbra: apart from the University NICT more of the country, the city does not we liked and it was too uncomfortable reach, because we had to change 2 times: in fact, the main line of the railway does not pass into the center of any of the 2 cities! On Sunday we have walked a long way through the narrow streets of the city, we arrived ocean, lined with beautiful bike paths and sidewalks full of people enjoying the day, too much too Maera built, with large apartment buildings to the sea.
We are back in town to enjoy the Ribeira lunchtime and then we went back to the hotel to pick our luggage. In conclusion, the first taste of this country has been the soundtrack of our gusto.E, constant, beautiful, was the screeching of seagulls.
Next time we will focus further south to see if it's true what I said a lady Portuguese, namely that "it works in Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon is studied dance."