Portugal - Braga

Braga is a wonderful city in Northern Portugal. It used to be the capital of the old (from 409 AD) Kingdom of Galicia (not to be confused with present-day Galicia, the autonomous community in Spain whose capital is Santiago de Compostela).  The Kingdom of Galicia included most of northwestern Spain and northern Portugal.

The Metro from Porto doesn't reach Braga - instead one has to take the train.  It's about an hour away from Porto Campanha station (if you happen to have Hugo at the ticket counter, please say Hi to him from us - Hugo was very helpful with our several day trips).

Our first stop was The Cathedral of Braga.  From Wikipedia: The Cathedral of Braga (Portuguese: Sé de Braga) is a Roman Catholic church in the northern city of Braga, Portugal. Due to its long history and artistic significance, it is also one of the most important buildings in the country. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Braga and of the Primate Archbishop of Portugal and Spain.

(Click on the photos for more detail.)

Notice that it's not entirely symmetrical. Can you spot the asymmetry in this romanesque structure?

UCLA has a similar asymmetrical romanesque building, Royce Hall.  One reason why certain architects supposedly didn't make perfect-looking buildings was because for them, only God can make perfect things.  Click here for a virtual visit to the Cathedral.

The ice cream here is delicious!  This is Pappa'lab, a family-owned business. Martha's family own an organic farm and she conceived of this business to showcase the organic dairy produced by their cows. All the offerings are made right in the shop with all-organic seasonal ingredients.

Walking around town.

We took a bus to the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Get off at the top if you don't want to climb the stunning baroque stairway that climbs 166 meters (381 feet). The stairway's 583 steps were traditionally climbed while on your knees.  

Many of the churches we saw in Portugal featured a ladder-like altar.  It's supposed to be a representation of Jacob's Ladder.

The Sanctuary is surrounded by a large park with restaurants, hiking, and even boat rentals (there is a lake).  More info is available at the Bom Jesus website.

Back in the city. Braga is famous for its flowers.  The city centre is filled with them.

    

        

Victor and Carlos at the Tourism Office gave us a lot of tips. (Another really helpful Tourism Office is the one in Povoa de Varzim.)

Victor (or was it Carlos? I didn't take notes) even walked us to a bakery when we asked him to recommend one when we felt hungry for some bread.

Theatro Circo - another beautiful building in Braga.  It's a venue for movies, plays, dance, music concerts.

More flowers and beautiful buildings.

This is the Arco da Porta Nova.  We passed by here on the way from the train station to the city centre, and it's also on our way back.  According to Wikipedia, it was used to present the keys to the city to the dignitaries and celebrities (we didn't get one).

Victor and Carlos over at the Tourism Office told us which street hosted restaurants with authentic Braga cuisine, and this street happened to be just outside the Arco da Porta Nova.

We saw this nice-looking restaurant, but it seemed expensive, so we didn't go in.

We heard some construction noise just a few steps away from O Alexandre and we were curious and so we walked in and we met Mario Barbosa.  He had just bought an old restaurant and was hurriedly getting it ready for a November opening (we met him late October).  Looking at reviews on the web now (August 2023) it seems to have become popular and successful.  It is now called Aguas de Bacalhau.

Since Mario wasn't ready to sit us (there were still no chairs, no chef, no menu), he suggested another restaurant and he even walked us there. (Braga residents impressed us with their hospitality.)

Mario took us to Adega Malhoa (aka Adega Poetica).

The interior of Adega Malhoa is very warm and inviting.

Adega Malhoa is a family-run business and is presently managed by Renato the owner.

Renato suggested we try a famous dish from Braga.

It's called Arroz de pica no chão (I think it translates to rice of chicken on the floor, or maybe what a chicken picks up on the floor).  Here is a recipe for it I found on the web.  It was delicious.

Portugal - Matosinhos

Matosinhos isn't very far from Porto.  From our usual station at Bolhao, it's only about 28 minutes on Metro Line A.  Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela taking the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugues) pass by here if they take the coastal route from Porto.

Matosinhos is famous for its beaches and excellent seafood.

Click here for the latest happenings in Matosinhos.

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.