Porto May 07
I went to Porto the first bank holiday of May and was surprised by how poor- with its multitude of abandoned houses in complete ruins- this city seems to be considering it is a large European city. Whilst I have visited other modest areas of Europe, Porto displayed neither the “joie de vivre” or “dolce vita” lifestyle of the cities I visited in Southern Spain & Italy, nor the drive and dynamism of the cities I visited in Croatia. Of course the poverty is relative- the range of cars I saw around for instance was not dissimilar to the range one would find in the UK or France and the subway, in sharp contrast to the housing, was ultra modern- I intuitively (perhaps wrongly) sensed I was riding on European grants. Grants which, from what I was able to observe, seem to have fuelled more growth in countries like Ireland and Spain suggesting they perhaps invested the money with a longer term view.
Although more decrepit than any UNESCO sites I have visited, the UNESCO world heritage historic centre is rich and the famous Dom Luis I bridge worth the trip! The original bridge, designed by Gustave Eiffel, is now closed and the Dom Luis I bridge, a few hundred meters from the old Eiffel bridge, links Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia. The bridge was inspired by the design of Eiffel but I must admit I find the new bridge, with its two levels, even nicer than Eiffel’s original work- it is as though the Eiffel tower had been laid horizontally: truly fascinating!
Although more decrepit than any UNESCO sites I have visited, the UNESCO world heritage historic centre is rich and the famous Dom Luis I bridge worth the trip! The original bridge, designed by Gustave Eiffel, is now closed and the Dom Luis I bridge, a few hundred meters from the old Eiffel bridge, links Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia. The bridge was inspired by the design of Eiffel but I must admit I find the new bridge, with its two levels, even nicer than Eiffel’s original work- it is as though the Eiffel tower had been laid horizontally: truly fascinating!