Our trip took us to the beautiful city of Madrid, a city of 3.46 million people, but in the entire metropolitan area, 6.8 million people. The first notable thing in the city is the traffic, but the second are the trees, everywhere. There is a warmth that is created by the trees that helps deflect the traffic and the wall-to-wall people. Everywhere. They are up late at night, love to celebrate and party, and do not hold back on life enjoyment. The streets are lined with every type/nationality of cuisine and people. The city continues to steadily grow as it is driven by international immigration, economic opportunities, etc. We visited the Prado Museum, AKA the Museo Nacional del Prado, which is considered one of the most significant cultural institutions globally. It boasts an extensive collection of European art from the 12th to the early 20th century, with a heavy emphasis on Spanish masterpieces. For me, it was the preservation of these masterpieces as much as the masterpiece itself.
As much as anything, though, just witnessing the beauty of the architecture in the city, the Botanical Gardens, and people enjoying themselves with delectable cuisines and great music. I didn't see a lot of shopping bags, etc, I saw people on scooters, motorcycles, cars, walking, and in buses just enjoying the day chatting, laughing and enjoying life surrounded by elegant, tall trees and each other.
So, to know me is to know I am naturally curious as is James. We decided to take a flight to Italy, spontaneously, 50 miles outside of Rome in a hill town in the Lazio region of Italy. (Pictures will be in Facebook, Barbara Cooney Marrelli). The towns’ population is approximately 6500 with origins dating back to 7th century BC. It had to have been one of our best stops as there is not a lot to do besides, eat, rest and indulge in walking around the town and appreciating the architecture. We had rented a car to get out of Rome but just stayed in our little oasis. We found one little restaurant that fed us both nights indulging in pasta, wine and people wanting to have the same Italian experience we craved.
Next, fly back to Madrid for one more night before we moved on to Portugal. I realize I didn’t enjoy Lisbon as much as I had hoped to, but I was pretty sure that Porto would be a new experience.
That takes me up to today. Porto is situated in northwestern Portugal along the Douro River, and the ocean. The city itself hosts 249,633 residents and the urban area 1.3 million. It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It wasn’t until 1990s that attention to preserving the historic center accelerated. They saw rapid growth in 2010 fueled by low-cost flights, interest in the Port wine, architecture and food.
There is now a great concern about the tourism industry taking over Porto. I, for one, found the crowds a bit overwhelming. Everywhere you walk there is a tour which brings an enormous amount of people fighting for the same space on the sidewalk. But all that being said, the 36 churches, the 6 handsome bridges, one being a duplicate of the Golden Gate in SF, the historical buildings, it was an enchanting city to visit. Just be prepared for the crowds. Plan to walk as you see more, wear shoes that are not old and worn out, and carry water. We took a 4 hour walking tour and that is clearly the best way to see it, feel it and get a narrative review of the history which is well worth it. Watch out for the hills. We totaled 7 miles of walking.
The best? architecture
The worst: the crowds are overwhelming.