HK Independent Traveller Blog

March 2012 We enjoyed our first half day in Porto by starting with the Clerigos Tower .  It is atop a climbing street, can be seen from everywhere in the old centre, as an orientation of where one is.  The Clerigos Church is built in 18th century (Baroque style) by an Italian architect, Nicholau Nasoni .  The best of visiting the church is to climb the tower to enjoy an awesome panoramic view of the city.  It's best to come in the late afternoon, gentler sunshine shining throughout and best shots allowed. Browsing around the city, going up and down of the streets in the centre is a pleasure. The different styles of houses, various tile panels, striking colours, contrast of new and decadent buildings, darkened alleys.  All as beauty in the eyes.  A sense of melancholic but happy in the heart. Strolling towards the river comes the Unesco site Ribeira .  Clusters of building, bars and restaurants dominate the waterfront.  It is the mos...

March 2012 Porto is my first door to Portugal.  It is the second city after Lisbon and located more on the north of the country.  We were blessed with sunshine, in March which is normally chilly and raining.  Porto is a hilly city. Streets are up and down. Take a pair of comfortable shoes.  This article aims to share some practical information for planning a trip.  I'll talk more on the city separately. ACCOMMODATION We were blessed with an excellent apartment and a landlord. Our apartment is at Rua dos Caldeireiros, near Sao Bento Station, the Clerigos Tower for a panorama view of Porto and key sightseeing points. Wifi internet access is free. Our apartment is quite big and well equipped. It is colourful too, different colours for different rooms. Our landlord, Cesar, welcomed us warmly with a bottle of white wine and 5L water. Basic cooking ingredients were provided. Cooker, utensil, toaster were available. What a blessing! Our one week's...