Day No. 43 - Porto in the rain

Porto is certainly a beautiful city when the sun is shining. But today we want to test whether the city can also impress in the rain? - As we stand on the Ponte de D. Luís, Porto has already cast its spell over us. The view up and down the 60-metre-high arched staircase is simply overwhelming. If you look to the east, you can see the Ponte Maria Pia railroad bridge, which was built by Gustave Eiffel's company, about one kilometer upstream. It is not surprising that the two bridges are often confused when you know that both bridges were constructed by the same partner of Eiffel, who later parted company with Eiffel. Looking west, you can see Porto's old town on the right and the port distilleries on the left.

Walking across the bridge, the first thing you notice is Porto's wide range of alternative transportation options. We took an Uber to get here. When we stop, we see the first cabs, so far normal. On the left, a cable car descends to the riverbank. If you don't want to cross the bridge on foot, as we did, you can take the metro on the upper level or a car on the lower level. If I have seen correctly, there is also a streetcar downstairs. But I'll check that again tomorrow. On the other side, you can choose between the rack railroad or the elevator to get down. A little further on is a stand for tuk tuks. We see a cycle rickshaw a few meters further on. Only e-scooters seem to have spared the city. But maybe it was just the weather. - We continue to explore the upper town on foot. What catches the eye is that many of the houses are partially dilapidated and uninhabited. Some of them are real treasures. The whole thing reminds me a little of Havana. On the other hand, they offer large areas for really cool street art.

As the first rain is already falling, I take the opportunity to visit Barbearia Porto, at Praça da Liberdade 114. I can only recommend the guys around Rocky the Bulldog, "to feel like a real man".

A fresh shave whets the appetite. That's why Torgit and I visit the Do Norte Café by Hungry Biker at Rua do Almada 57, where you can sit under a roof in the back courtyard. - It's great in the rain. Just as it stops raining, we continue our walk. Then suddenly it starts to rain heavily. It's great that we're near the Café Majestic at Rua Santa Catarina 112. Not only does it look cool, but J.K. Rowling allegedly wrote parts of Harry Potter here and was inspired by the coffee house style. Unfortunately, half of Porto seems to have had the same idea. There's a long queue of people in the rain outside the café, hoping to get in.

We prefer to go a few steps further, to C'alma Specialty Coffee Room, at 44 R. de Passos Manuel. Both of our coffee houses today are highly recommended. We couldn't have done without either. As the rain gets worse and worse, we break off our tour. Even my freshly waxed jacket was no match for the rain. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the night. This could be bright.