The next port of Leixoes, Portugal, snuck up on us..…again. During the accumulating amount of printed port info on our desk, the port guide for this city was lost. The only info we noted was that the intended stop here was really for the city of Porto, the second largest city of Portugal. The population is around 250,000 residents, but if the surrounding areas are taken into the mix, there are up to two million people.
The Leixoes cruise terminal was created in a most modern design, and opened in July of 2015 at the cost of 50 million euro. And as the port regulations forbid pedestrian traffic, a shuttle to the terminal gate was provided. From there, we would be on our own to take a taxi or a bus to the city of Porto, a 5½ mile ride to the center of town.
The Amsterdam arrived to the pier at 8am to overcast skies, and much cooler than yesterday in Lisbon. It sure reminded us of the weather in San Francisco. All aboard was 3:30pm, so that would not give us a lot of time to explore. Of course the ship offered tours, most around 4 hours. Many were tours in Porto, with a few taking a ride to the outlying areas. And because today was Easter Monday, it was likely that many establishments would be closed. Since we had such a long and vigorous day in Lisbon just yesterday, we decided we would stay local to see what Leixoes had to offer. And during breakfast, we chatted with friends Mike and Nancy, who gave us some valuable tips on how to find the info people at the port gate. They intended to also explore locally, and we thanked them for the good directions.
Getting to the terminal via a tunnel exit from the ship, we entered the ultra-modern structure that is called the terminal. It was quite spacious, but left us with an empty feeling. It seemed to be designed to move many cruise passengers in an orderly manner. On the upper level there was a minimal shop of souvenirs, but down the escalator, we did find a desk with very helpful people with good maps. One was of Porto, and the other was a detailed map of Matosinhos, a little bit of an old fishing village, and an area of beaches and hotels. More of a vacation destination with restaurants and apartments with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.
The info girl was most helpful, circling the areas we should walk, but warned that not everything would be opened. The best part of this map was that every street and avenue was labeled, and the same was true with the street signage…every alleyway, avenue, or street was well marked.
The part of town we entered from the shuttle stop was like a real fishing village with row and row of eateries. Fresh fish were being wheeled in carts to the cafes. Talk about fresh.
We made our way through the narrow streets to the local Mercado (market), but it was closed today. The only places opened were tiny coffee shops, but for the most part, the streets were empty. It was much more of a holiday here than it was on Easter Sunday in Lisbon.
The original harbor cut into the city, but was connected by a drawbridge named Ponte Movel. The river, Rio Leca, flows into the harbor at the far end. Crossing the bridge, we made our way to the long stretch of beach where we spotted huge waves of the Atlantic with surfer braving the cold water. This Avenida da Liberdade was designed somewhat like the Great Highway in San Francisco, but with added wide walkways and a great bike path that is separate from the walkers or runners. And it is scenic as well. On the ocean side, we passed by a series of tidal pools between the rocky shoreline and the ocean. It must be used during the warm summer months. There were some waterfront cafes and bars along this stretch, but not opened today. We had not intended to go too far, but there was a huge lighthouse at the end, and we figured we had the time…let’s do it. One of us ventured further up to see a historical chapel facing the ocean, with a tea house next to it. That was closed also. At this end was a tribute to a local poet.
Walking back, we noted that the entire avenue was lined with apartment buildings and perhaps some hotels with a killer view of the mighty Atlantic. The lower level of these buildings were filled with boutiques, small businesses, cafes, bars, and restaurants.
Back where we began, we circled around the restaurant area, but found nothing open. We did see the ruins of a fortress called Forte de Nossa Senhora Das Neves and Largo do Castelo. The name was bigger than the actual structure. Across from that was the marina and sailing clubs.
Passing the original Cruise Terminal North, we discovered that the Ponant’s Le Champlain had docked alongside there. Crossing back over the bridge, we began hearing alarm bells going off. Even though we did not see a waiting vessel, eventually the drawbridge did rise up vertically. Fun to watch, but had we been stuck on the opposite side, we might have had a 20 minute wait.
Our hopes of having lunch or even a beer were dashed when we saw the number of locals crowded into those restaurants we had passed earlier in the day. Each café had glass enclosures to serve about 25 diners outside on the sidewalk. Every seat was filled with a line of a dozen folks waiting. The big draw? Obviously, it was the fresh grilled fish we had seen earlier. Most cafes had barbeque grills outside the diners, and openly grilled the fish. Guess you could say fish to plate.
Back at the shuttle stop by 3pm, ate a quick Lido lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos. Tonight was a special one for the President’s Club members. Eight new inductees, having achieved the required 1400 pure sea days sailed, got their coveted pins at a 5pm cocktail party held in the Piano Bar. Each of us were greeted by the President of HAL, Orlando A, and posed for a photo with him. The remainder of the receiving line included Captain Mercer, Gerald B, the Mariner Director, along with his assistant and more reps from Seattle. Several officers ushered us into the Piano Bar, where we were offered a drink of our choice. Except for one of us who prefers a good scotch. That had to be OK’d by someone else we guess. Eventually Twinkle the assistant beverage manager, came by and within seconds, she had the drink….and it was a double. With this growing group, we think a better venue would be in the Explorer’s Lounge, as this place has cubby holes where some folks were not part of the group it seemed.
Anyway, the pins were handed out with another photo op with the head guys, and by 5:45pm, we were invited to make our way to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner. Seating was assigned with everyone having their name card where they wanted you. We lucked out being seated with Barb, Don MacD, and Captain Jonathon and Karen as our hosts. Later in the evening, Karen made it clear that she and Jonathon had requested the four of us as their guests. We considered that a nice compliment.
The meal began with flutes of Dom Perignon champagne, no less. Ice cold, we toasted to another successful world cruise, thanking the Captain for keeping us safe. Conversation flowed easily, since we all know each other well. The napkin rings had been specially created for this event by duplicating ones that had been used in days of old. They will be gifted to us in sets of two later in the cruise. The menu began with the pouring of white wine from New Zealand, Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc. Starters were baby fennel panna cotta with Sevruga caviar. Lobster salad with a black truffle, Dutch potato confit, white asparagus, sea fennel, and baby lettuce followed. One of us was served a mushroom dish in place of the seafood. Next was a smoked tomato and coriander soup. The wide bowl was spanned with a strip of a crispy chip with dots of crème and micro greens.
Then we had a choice of beef tenderloin, black cod loin, or a baby beet ricotta tortelli. The fish won for first, followed by the beef at or table. A mango panna cotta with mango sorbet and gel ended the ample meal. During the main course, a red wine, Silverado cabernet sauvignon from California was freely poured. The more wine that was consumed, the more we all laughed with some hilarious subjects being discussed. Even when the party began to break up by 8pm, we all stayed for another hour.
The clocks had to be set ahead an hour tonight, which we do not prefer. However, tomorrow will be a day at sea, and we plan on doing as little as possible.
Bill & Mary Ann
