Sé do Porto

Before leaving Porto, I wanted to visit the cathedral, not least to collect their stamp in my credencial.

My first task, however, was to pack my bag and check out. Fortunately, the hostel were happy to hold onto my bag until I was ready to set off.

I’d tried to go to the cathedral yesterday but there was a huge queue. This morning at shortly after 9.30am, there was no queue at all.

The cathedral isn’t huge in comparison with some cathedrals but has been here since the 12th century, with various Gothic alterations in the 13th to 14th centuries, followed by a Baroque remodelling inside and out in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Gothic changes included the addition of a cloister and the later additions brought lots of blue and white azulejos tiles especially in the cloister.

It was good to pause and pray for a while in a place that’s echoed with faithful worship for centuries.

I then took a turn around the 2 level cloister, which is particularly nice, before tackling the granite stairs to the top of one of the towers. The views around Porto, Gaia and the Douro were lovely as you can see.

I had a quick pitstop for a coffee near the catedral before returning to collect my bag and set off on the Caminho Português.Read more