Portugal - Vila do Conde

    We visited another ancient city - Vila do Conde.  It's about 42 minutes from Bolhao station in Porto on Metro line Bx.  It's just south of Povoa de Varzim and is part of the metro area of Povoa.  Vila do Conde is also part of the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugues) to Santiago de Compostela.  For what's happening in the city, please click here.

(Click on each photo to enlarge it.)

One thing you'll notice right away as your train approaches Vila do Conde is a Roman-looking aqueduct towering over the city.

This is the Aqueduct of Saint Clare (Aqueduto de Santa Clara).  Construction was started in 1318 and at its peak had about 999 arches.  For more of its history, please click here.

We soon found our way to the sea, and anchored to the harbor is a sixteenth century carrack.  From Wikipedia: A carrack (Portuguese: nau; Spanish: nao; Catalan: carraca; Croatian: karaka) is a three- or four-masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal and Spain. ... In their most advanced forms, they were used by the Portuguese for trade between Europe and Asia starting in the late 15th century, before eventually being superseded in the 17th century by the galleon, introduced in the 16th century. 

There's an interesting story to this carrack.

At the harbor, we met Claude from South Africa.  He's on a month-long bikepacking trip with his daughter.  Claude has been bikepacking for 21 years.  (In this trip, he's initiating his daughter into the world of bikepacking.) He started when he was 55, and his first month-long bikepacking trip was to Ireland.  Before Portugal in 2022, he was bikepacking in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2021.  His bike got damaged but fortunately it is a steel bike, and the big advantage of steel bikes is that anywhere in the world, there's always a shop that can fix one.  The bike in the photo is Claude's original bike from 21 years ago.

We are now at Igreja Matriz (the Mother Church), dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It started to get built in the last years of the 15th century.

Climbing up a hill, we reach the massive Monastery and Church of Saint Clare (Mosteiro de Santa Clara). This view of the sea is from the front of the Church. 

Lovely flowers on the way back to the train station.

The streets are well-preserved.

And there are poems on the doors.