We had a nice chat with a Brit vacationing in Porto about this, that, and everything. He was just back from parental care in Florida and was hanging out here with no particular destination in mind. We recommended Sevilla.

The weather was trending dodgy but the sky had a bit of sun so we thought we’d make our way to Igreja Santo Ildefonso, up the hill (no kidding) and behind the cathedral. Google Maps showed a preposterous route, so much so that it looked nothing like what the physical map showed. Erring on the side of having been burned by technology already on this trip, we left the coffee shop, made our way to São Bento station (cutting through to avoid the torn-up sidewalks,) and went out a back exit in the direction of the church. What came next was the single-worst ascent of our week. A steep cobbled alley (the once car parked along the curb had chocks behind its wheels) followed by a miserably long and winding flight of stairs. I know you’re getting bored hearing these stories, but I assure you we are not wimps and my words are understating our suffering.

Thankfully, the church was just at the top and only demanded two more flights of stairs to enter. It was one Euro to get in, and feeling generous I paid for the woman behind me. She was stunned

Santo Ildefonso was built in 1739 on the site of an ancient hermitage and rebuilt in 1819 after it was severely damaged in a gale and again in 1832 following artillery damage suffered in the Siege of Porto. Its dominant feature is its exterior, extensive azulejos installed in 1932. The interior follows the typical style – lots of gold and suffering, but like the two churches yesterday, it was relatively modest.

We found an easier way home (thankfully) passing by the cathedral from the other direction. And wonders of wonder, it didn’t rain!

After lunch, it was time for some serious touristing – a tour of the Calém Port Wine Lodge across the river in Nova Gaia. We know that route pretty well now, and how to avoid an unnecessary up and down. Walking through the tunnel above the waterfront, we simultaneously commented on how wonderful it was to be walking on a totally flat surface. We were able to stretch out a bit as though we were doing our regular morning walk at home, a feeling we’d nearly forgotten. Gratefully the level walking continued across the river and to the Calém site despite being buffeted by gale-force winds coming up the river from the Atlantic which has been on a “Severe Coastal Event Warning” for the past few days. No kidding.

The Port tour was really great. After spending a few minutes in an interactive museum learning the history of the wine, a guide led us through the cellars where we saw the different aging barrels, varying in size from 60 to 74,000 liters. They were labeled by product type and the year they were harvested and casked. The oldest barrels were from 1958. After the cellar visit, we were taken upstairs to a tasting room where we were given 3 wines to try; a white, a ruby, and a tawny. Our impressions of the white and ruby were that they were interesting and unique. The white was wine-like with apple overtones. The ruby began tasting like a medium port and ended like Rioja wine. It tasted like a blend. The tawny was exactly what we’re all accustomed to – syrupy and sweet – exactly like every port we’ve ever tasted.

The wind was still howling up the river so we wasted no time retracing our steps back to the apartment.