Last Tango in Porto

Our tour is winding down now, and we spent this morning walking through the lovely city of Porto. This three-hour march through town was certainly a light hike because a bus took us to the top of the highest hill in the city and then left us to walk downhill to the pier, where a river taxi took us to our ship. This walk was different from one we took at dawn during a previous visit here. Hundreds of shabby old buildings that looked as if they had been untouched since the earthquake of 1755 have been rebuilt or refurbished since we last saw them. UNESCO has laid down harsh penalties against altering the exterior appearance of these structures in any way. They must be restored to look exactly as they did when they were first built. The same materials must be used if possible. The interiors may be changed, modernized or consolidated. So you have one modern hotel, for example, whose exterior extends across what appears to be twenty separate waterfront apartments. Inside, however, it is one, single, modern contiguous hotel. Our guide was repeatedly complimentary of UNESCO for funding this transformation. However, I do wish she had mentioned the fact that over one quarter of the funding for that organization comes from the United States government. One interesting result of this renovation is that the people who have maintained their residence in the restored buildings are very unhappy. Strict regulations prevent them from putting a flower pot on a balcony, and they certainly cannot hang out their laundry. Many have chosen to move to cheaper apartments on the south side of the river. Nevertheless, the new houses are beautiful, and the project is moving ahead relentlessly.

In the afternoon i chose to stay in our stateroom to shake off this cold I have picked up from my shipmates. We are looking forward to one last dinner with the new friends we have made on this trip before we fly home tomorrow.Read more