Photos

Porto is a very beautiful and colorful city. It runs down a hill to end at its lowest point at the shores of the Douro river. As other cities close by (Braga, Guimaraes) houses are covered in eye-catching tiles (as can be seen on the front buildings here). It also has some very narrow charming streets.

This is a view from one of the highest points of the city. It was a very foggy day. I increased contrast.

"Porto (in English also Oporto), formerly Portucale, population 263,000 in 15 parishes, with 1,551,950 in the metropolitan area, is Portugal's second city. It is the seat of the Porto district and capital of the Norte region. It is situated in the north of the country, on the northern bank of the Douro River, just in from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

The country of Portugal and Port Wine (Portuguese: Vinho do Porto) owe their names to the city of Porto.

One of Portugal's most internationally appreciated products is Port Wine. Its name comes from the fact that it ages in cellars in Porto's southern sister city Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river Douro. Port Wine gets its distinctive taste from brandy that is added during the fermentation process. This additive causes fermentation to stop, allowing for much of the sweetness of the grape to remain intact. The results of this process were discovered quite by accident by British traders who added the brandy to the wine simply to fortify it for long sea voyages back to England."

Source: Wikipedia