The "Cafe Majestic"

The Majestic is a historic cafe, located in Rua de Santa Catarina, in Oporto, Portugal.

Its relevance stems from both cultural ambience that surrounds it, particularly the tradition of coffee get-together, where he met various personalities of the cultural and artistic life of the city, as well as its Art Nouveau architecture of identity. In 2011, it was considered the sixth most beautiful café in the world.

In the biography written by Sean Smith about JK Rowling,  he refers that the  writer spent much time at Café Majestic work on the first book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (though the writer had left the city of Porto in 1994, and the book just have been published in 1997)

The House Tait

The property, also called Middle Farm, was acquired in 1900 by William Tait, a merchant of Port wine and possessor of a considerable fortune, and who devoted himself to the study of flora and fauna, has introduced some plant species in the country. Located in space isolated and protected by high walls, Casa Tait presents a retreat from city life. Only on the river side has windows, giving a privileged view over the river Douro.

Muriel Tait succeeded William Tait as the owner of the house, selling it to the Porto City Council with the condition of being transformed into a public green space.

According to readings the house has served as a school for english boys who lived in Portugal in ca 1890.

The Tait house is situated next to the crystal palace

Open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 12:30pm and from 2pm to 5:30pm

St. Anthony Hospital in Porto city

Started building on July 15, 1770 on vacant land at the time, on the outskirts of the city, the Hospital de Santo António is the most Palladian buildings of Portuguese, English design architect John Carr.

John Carr (1723–1807) was a prolific English architect. Best known for Buxton Crescent and Harewood House, much of his work was in the Palladian style. In his day he was considered to be the leading architect in the north of England

The first floor is indented, having balcony and balustrade, laterally to the central body, with several doors crowned by triangular and curved pediments. The decor is very brief, limited to some (few) sculptures, urns and classical architectural elements.

The English Factory House in Porto

The English Factory House is a building located Rua do Infante Dom Henrique in Porto, Portugal.

Built between 1785 and 1790, according to a draft of the British consul John Whitehead, the English Factoring is inspired by the Palladian style, being the only Factory House has survived to the present of several that exist worldwide.

Inside are to emphasize the beautiful staircase with its skylight, the ballroom and the monumental kitchen. Situated on the top floor, this kitchen still retains all the original equipment and the primitive tableware. The English Trading Post also offers an extensive library and a remarkable collection, with Chippendale furniture, porcelain and earthenware quality.

The Rabelo Boat

The Rabelo boat is a traditional Portuguese cargo boat that for centuries was used to transport people and goods along the Douro river.
Native from the Douro region, it does not exist in any other place of the world. Its history is closely linked to the production and trade of port wine. Before the arrival of the railway, the rabelo was the fastest and the most efficient means of transport between the Douro Valley, where port wine is produced, and the city of Porto, where it was traded and exported world wide.^[1]
Although not in use anymore, still today we can admire these graceful vessels belonging to the Port Wine Companies in the banks of the Douro river, in the cities of Porto and Gaia.
Every year on June 24, St. John's Day, is held a race of Rabelo boats, an important and popular event of the festivities of Porto city.

Prices:

50 Minutes tour costs 10 Euros pro Adult, childs until age of 10 are free

Hour: From 10:00 ro 18:00

The "Ferreira Borges" Market

Very close from the "Stock Exchange Palace" stays  a building from the steel time, or steel architecture. This become very important  at the end of the 19th Century. Compare also with the bridge Dom Luiz or even the Eiffel Tower. It was just the big steel time which prevailed around the world at the time.

It is from the inside not so Sumptuously as the "Stock Exchange castle", but no less interesting, you won´t pay any fee this time.

This market was buildet  at that time in the year 1885  to bring  the dealers out from the street, but then when ready it never had come to use.

Today there is a coffee bar and there are art exhibitions, and other events.

Next to the building is a police station, and important for the visitor to know ... a public toilet.

The new Customs Office

The "new" Customs Office is located on the Ribeira zone in Miragaia and was built in 1859. It had become necessary because of rising shipping in the 19 century, and thus solved the "old customs office" from.

In the year of 1888 there was an own railway connection with its own track to Campanhã railroad station . Even today, one discovers hidden tracks and Tunels which were then used for the transport of goods, a distance of about 3 Km.

Today, the "new" customs office is used exclusively as a museum and for exposure , and it has underground passages which are shown once in the year to the audience.

This customs office was closed in the 30 years in the 20th Jahrhudert because the whole port operations was replaced in Porto from the new port in Matosinhos.

Stock Exchange Palace

The Palácio da Bolsa is located beside the St Francis Church of Porto, which was once part of the St Francis Convent, founded in the 13th century. In 1832, during the Liberal Wars, a fire destroyed the cloisters of the convent, sparing the church. In 1841, Queen Mary II donated the convent ruins to the merchants of the city, who decided to use the spot to build the seat of the Commercial Association.
Building work began in 1842 following the plans of Porto architect Joaquim da Costa Lima Júnior, who designed a Neoclassical palace of Palladian influence, inspired by previous structures built in the city. Most of the palace was finished by 1850, but the decoration of the interior was only completed in 1910 and involved several different artists.

See also   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal%C3%A1cio_da_Bolsa


In our times it is used for cultural purposes and tourism, but also sometimes used for state visits.

A visit is highly recommended, particularly the Magnificent Moorish hall.

Entrance fees cost about 7 euros for students about 4 euros, it also has a luxury restaurant with menus from 20 or 29 euros.

The visiting hours are:

  April to October 9:00 to 18:30

  November to March: 09:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 5:30 p.m.



Here I leave a very interesting link where you can view images in 360 ° angle.

http://www.360portugal.com/Distritos.QTVR/Porto.VR/vilas.cidades/Porto/a3_palaciobolsa.html

The Luis I Bridge

The Luís I (or Luiz I) Bridge , is a metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. At the time of construction its span of 172 m was the longest of its type in the world.


Often it is called the Eiffel Bridge, but in fact   Théophile Seyrig, a belgian engineer who worked with Gustav Eiffel until 1947, planned the project for the construction.

There is a myth saying that the bridge is called luiz, and not "Dom luiz "because the king had not appeared at the inauguration.

This building replaced the old suspension bridge called Pencil bridge.

The old Customs Office

 walking from the Ribeira in Porto  towards "Palácio da Bolsa" (Stock Exchange House), you quickly pass by the old customs house.

It is one of the oldest buildings in Porto, the birth place of Infante D Henrique (Henry the heir to the throne)

The building was built in 1325 as a warehouse  but it was considered the place to tax all arriving goods.

1990 were due to renovation work and excavations, evidence of Roman occupation have been found, among other Roman mosaics.

The customs office has to work until 19th century until it was finally replaced by the "new Customs office."

The Pencil bridge

The Suspension Bridge, officially called Ponte D. Maria II, was a suspended connecting the two banks of the Douro River between the city of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal Bridge.

Its construction was delivered to the French company Claranges Lucotte & Cie, owned by Count Claranges Lucotte, entering into the construction plan of the future road that would connect the Porto and Lisbon. The project was designed by the engineer Stanislas Bigot with the collaboration of the engineer José Vitorino Damásio. The Mellet and Amédée Carruette engineers collaborated during their construction.

The bridge was  opened without ceremony on 17 February 1843, during the occurrence of large floods of Douro that forced urgently to dismantle the Bridge of Boats.

 

 

 

Nowadays one can see the remains of the bridge next to the bridge  Dom luiz . The pillars of the ruin of the old guardhouse

There is a beautiful bar overlooking the river