A Portuguese Love

Porto city by the river Douro and iron bridge Magnet Porto city view across Douro River , Portugal Postcard Douro River and Ribeira , a view of the city of Porto from Vila Nova De Gaia. Ribeira sits on the riverfront of the Rio Douro and Rabelo boats and it’s a typical place filled with winding medieval streets and small cobblestone alleyways. The view across river Douro makes it possible to appreciate the architecture of the old city with characteristic colors and monuments. This is one of the most photogenic places I have ever been.

Portugal in photos - Oporto D.Luís bridge by aportugueselove Browse other Portugal photo Postcards My favorite Portuguese city has just been chosen Best European Destination by 212.688 voters who have made their choice online. 20 selected towns were competing for the prestigious title of Best European Destination 2012 . After a three weeks period of online voting, Porto is elected the Best European Destination 2012 and won the title ahead of 19 big European cities! Congrats to Porto, the best place in the world...for me it is! Discover it and you will fall in love with this old city too! With the variety of resources available Porto conquers all its visitors, from those who want it for its history and authenticity to the ones who seek to explore a new, more cosmopolitan, and contemporary city. Discovering Porto means discovering what makes it different: the famous Port Wine, a Historical Centre designated World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, Museums, Enchanting parks and ga...

Many of the ceramic Portuguese traditional pieces are hand-painted by incredibly talented artisans. If you're looking for something that is still faithful to tradition you'll find it for sure at Oporto stores. But contemporary pieces are also available. Most popular national brands have preserved the classics and developed new creations. Ceramic and porcelain are used both for household utensils and decorative pieces. Some are rustic, and others are exquisite. Since the turn of the XIXth to the XXth century, the factories in the Caldas da Rainha area have been specializing in porcelain pieces. They create caricatures and many pieces that are unusual for their humor and imagination. Look at this example. They are often inspired in Nature, by animals or plants. I love it! Lots of different pieces on this shop. I think I'll have to write new postage for each one of the ceramics represented here. They come from several different Portuguese regions. This balcony is o...

A few weeks ago, you know, I went to Porto. As usual, I try to make the best of my time when I go there. As the weather was fine I crossed D.Luis bridge over the river Douro and went to Gaia, the city that stands in front of Oporto. The view from there is superb. In Gaia, I found this super cute store that sells contemporary handicrafts. The store is very small but packed with beautiful crafts. And the girl in the store was so very nice. I really enjoyed our little chat while watching all the pieces on the display. Quite an exquisite selection of modern handcrafted dolls, necklaces, purses, and toys. If you have seen my previous post now you can understand where some of these modern crafters get their inspiration - the heart shape you can see on the store wall is from a traditional filigree heart. I loved a purse with this shape and a necklace too. Unfortunately, my souvenir budget was already spent by the time I reached the store. The name of the store is Amor de Galo ( Roost...

Hello again! This week I went up north to Oporto. As many of you know Oporto is my favorite Portuguese city for sightseeing and taking photographs, shopping, enjoying cultural events, having fun and so much else. I am trying hard to find a job there so I can go back and stay for good. I lived there twice and I believe I will get a third chance. But so far I had no luck! When I go to Porto sometimes I stay with friends and sometimes I book a hotel. I tried three and four-star hotels and other accommodations. But lately, I can't afford that anymore and I constantly search for affordable alternatives. I am sharing with you some photos and my opinion about  Residencia Pedra Antiga , the place I booked this time. It's located on Sta. Catarina street is one of the biggest and most popular streets in the city with a large number of shops on it. It's in Porto downtown which means you're near important monuments, theatres, and bars, and maybe some 15-20 minutes away fro...

Travel+Leisure picked the 16th most beautiful railway station in the world. S. Bento's Oporto railway station made the list. You know, a list is just a list made by people. But most buildings picked are really awesome. You can check it here . "While the exterior is certainly beautiful—and brings to mind 19th-century Parisian architecture with its mansard roof and stone façade—it is the front hall that will make you gasp. The walls are covered with 20,000 splendid azulejo tin-glazed ceramic tiles, which took 11 years for artist Jorge Colaço to complete."

Portugal has got the Sixth most beautiful café in the world. It's Café Majestic! This is what UCITYGUDES - The ultimate travel guides - wrote about it: "It's in the country's second city ( Oporto ) that we find the most stunning of all cafés in the nation and one of the most attractive in the world. From its façade to its interior, Café Majestic remains a beautiful setting for cultural events, making it more than just a tourist attraction. It continues to live up to its name with a wonderful Belle Epoque atmosphere in its main room and attractive winter garden which have guaranteed it a spot in every café-themed coffee table book." Here's the list. 1 - Café New York, Budapest 2 - Café Florian, Veneza 3 - Café Central, Viena 4 - Café Imperial, Praga 5 - Café de la Paix, Paris 6 - Café Majestic, Porto 7 - Café Confeitaria Colombo, Rio de Janeiro 8 - Caffé Gambrinus, Nápoles 9 - Café Tortoni, Buenos Aires 10 - Caffé Greco, Roma

My Oporto   Facebook photo album Just a few things I like at Oporto - River Douro - Gustave Eiffel's Dona Maria Bridge - Rem Koolhaas' Casa da Música - Port wine and wine cellars at Gaia - Lello’s bookshop - Riverfront at either side of the Douro river - São Bento Train Station's tiled walls - Charismatic old quarters - Soares dos Reis’s Art Museum - The gigantic shovel by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen at Serralves - Shopping on the street stores and not at shopping centres – Festival of Saint John's Day - The bronze cube surrounded by coffee tables at Ribeira - Bolhão market - Café Majestic - Sweets from Arcádia - Siza Vieira's Serralves Museum and its exhibitions that have included "Andy Warhol: A Factory," "Francis Bacon: Caged - Uncaged," and "Paula Rego." - The way people talk...my Oporto friends.

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