Porto is one of my favourite cities: it is compact, vibrant and stimulating. I look forward to my next visit. From Porto it is a very easy three hour trip by train to Lisbon. We made this trip on July 14th 2019, and during the journey listened to the BBC cricket commentary of the Cricket World Cup Final, a victory for England over New Zealand in what is regarded as being the greatest one day cricket match in history.
AZULEJOS, SIDEWALKS AND STREET ART
A unique and beautiful museum to visit in Lisbon is the Museo Nacional do Azulejo (The National Tile Museum). Painted, glazed ceramic tiles are an important part of Portugal’s cultural and architectural heritage and are visible on building facades both in Lisbon and elsewhere in Portugal and its former colonies. The museum collection spans eight centuries of tile manufacture and includes examples from across the world. Housed in a former convent it is an exhaustive and thorough collection: I found the museum itself to be slightly predictable and old fashioned, it did not inspire me as much as I had anticipated, but the tiles themselves are at times breathtaking.