Day 24 - Viana do Castelo to Porto (89kms)

Another day in Paradise.  And I say that despite our overnight campground being in a car park, against a derelict building, with that waft of ship diesel in the air because the port is beside us.  I say it because we are also next to a beautiful beach - Praia do Cabedelo, there’s not a cloud in the sky and a forecast of 28 degrees, and we are on holidays together as a family.  What more could you ask for?

I started the morning with a walk to the beach.  Madi I and did some investigating last night after dark, but we only got the beach at the river mouth, which was not the real beach.  This morning it was a walk along a few hundred metres of boardwalk to a beautiful deep white sandy beach with azure blue Atlantic ocean beyond.  On the way back there was a beach equipment hire place and shop that was closed, but I could see that they had a sun deck on the roof that might offer better views.  So as you would, I walked over and to the stairs and started the climb them when an alarm went off.  Needless to say I was out there as fast as I could - despite not having any ill intent.  Just didn’t want to get locked up in a foreign country.

After breakfast we drove back into town, at first along a beautiful elm lined street and then across the river - Rio Lima, where we eventually found a bus/car park down toward the beach - this time on the northern side of the river.  We then walked through parks and some narrow old town streets, past a church then the town’s railway station to another funicular.  This funicular goes up to the summit on Monte de Santa Luzia at 220m where there is yet another church - Templo do Sagrado Coracao de Jesus (Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) for us to visit.  National Geographic magazine has ranked the view from the top as the third best panorama in the world.

The church was built between 1904 and 1959 - making it very relatively modern considering the churches we hav visited on the trip so far.  Architecturally it is consider to be of Romanesque-Byzantine construction, and it was stunning inside.  More like English and French churches inside than the white interior of our first Portuguese church, it was probably the best church we’ve been inside of to date.  The rose windows are the largest on the Iberian peninsula and the second largest in Europe (to the Strasbourg Cathedral in France).  It also had a large chandelier hanging in the middle of the church, and together with the murals and spectacular stone work, I feel like this is my favourite church we’ve been in. 

After having been inside the church we also learnt that you could climb the to top of the cathedral for an even higher view.  With Sierra complaining of a sore ankle after she rolled it yesterday on our steep descent, we took a lift up as high as we could go, before walking two staircases to the very top.  The first a metal spiral and then the skinniest staircase I have ever been in.  SO much so, it was one-way at a time, utilising a traffic light system so people didn’t try and travel in different directions at the same time and not be able to pass.  The stone stairwell was as a fraction wider than (my) hip width, so there is no chance an obese adult would even get up.  I enjoyed climbing the stairs, but you would not want to be claustrophobic.  The view from the top of the church provided unimpeded 360 degree views of the town and coast and it was well worth the effort.  

After descending via the funicular, we walked back past the front of the town’s train station, which was a beautiful building with a plaza out the front, and the central avenue running all the way down to the river.  It was yet another pretty town on our travels, that would be good to spend more time in, but Porto was calling.

The hours drive to Porto was along yet another tollway, except this time it was a electronically tolled ONLY.  Meaning that without the equivalent of a toll-tag in your vehicle, you have to get off the road, by credit and link it to your car rego.  That was fun - NOT.  Ten Euros of credit cost my 10.74.  Go figure!!  I think we encountered 6.70 in tolls to Porto.

Once in Porto, it was straight to the only caravan park listed in our camping apps, as we need to charge devices, do some washing and the kids (big and small) deserved a little WIFI time.  The caravan park at first glance was lovely.  It had a swimming pool that overlooked the beach and Atlantic ocean beyond and a playground for the kids.  We were a little disappointed to learn after checking in that the only washing machine was out of order (and had been for some time apparently), and the WIFI was terrible - only worked at the office & tv room, and then it was sketchy at best.  You get the feeling that with summer over, the park is no really being maintained, but at least its open.

It was a fairly lazy afternoon with everyone having a swim and chilling out by the pool before a sunset walk along the beach.  Our first on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula.