The Romans were in Porto a long time ago. They established the village of Portus on one side of the river, and Cale on the other. Little did they know that someone would later concatenate the two into PortusCale (as a software developer or a marketing person would have written it) - and expand the name into a nation that ruled half the world. Or rather: Portugal.
There's a lot to be said for - and about - Porto. This is not the time and place. Except for a few personal highlights.
A few years ago, I tore out an article about Porto from a Sabena inflight magazine. It told you the general facts about the city and the wonderful port wine, but what really caught my eye was the brief mention of a recidencial, a boarding house, with a tower and its own chapel. Called Castelo Santa Catarina.
To make a long story short, I booked a single room (30 euros) and asked the friendly bus driver to drop me off as close as possible - fearing thre worst, as Castelo Santa Catarina had the address Rua Santa Catarina, 1347 - which sounded like halfway to Santiago de Compostela.
The bus meandered miraculously through the narrow streets.and double parking - and let me off. I was not disappointed:
