I like to go through the places where history has left its mark. Walking the story is the best way I know about trying to understand it, Titans task sometimes. It should never be forgotten the past, either to proud him and try to live up or not to repeat it. I am grown to visit sites where history is mistreated by the politicians on duty, as regularly with culture. Therefore, The trip to Guimaraes, Cradle of the kingdom of Portugal, It was so rewarding. Addition, We ate very well and enjoyed a full nature walk. Little more can be asked.
From Port, where we can get in Cheap flights, The trip to Guimaraes by closure train is comfortable and cadencious (6,20 euros round trip adults and 3,10 children although, eye, There is no single round trip ticket, So you have to get two titles per person, one by journey). In just over an hour and a quarter, With many stops, The comboch travels almost 50 kilometers that separate both cities.
From Porto, The trip to Guimaraes by closure train is comfortable and cadencious
Once in the Iron paths, We will move on foot to travel the entire historic center. By Avenue D. Joao IV We will arrive in ten minutes to a small square where the church of S is built. Gualter, From which the long -winning do Brazil will take us, On a pleasant walk, to the old walls of the city. At his side, leaving aside the dedal of streets of his historic heart, We started to overcome the Altozano (of. Alberto Sampaio) In search of the castle, Obligated stop on our tour after the wake of the first king of Portugal, Alfonso Henriques.
There are many ways to visit Guimaraes to dig in the historical entrails of Portugal, course, But if only one day is my advice is to start with Castle To continue descending the hill in the direction of the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza and the historic center, leaving the end Mount Penha. So we did.
If only one day is available, My advice is to start with the castle
The climb must be taken easy, To enjoy enclaves as another time as those offered by the long martins sarmento, that leaves us at the doors of the Ducal Palace, that at first glance it looks like a decoration of a Disney movie. From here the castle silhouette already appears, from which only the Field of Sao Mamede, where 1128 Alfonso Henriques's troops beat the hosts of his widowed mother, Countess Teresa de Portugal, backed by the kingdom of León. A family tear that illuminated the birth of the kingdom of Portugal. The widow countess of the Count of Burgundy died in exile two years later, Who knows if dejected by military defeat or by the bitterness of your child's betrayal (although in the Middle Ages betrayal was a way of doing politics).
Built in the eleventh century, In this seven -towers castle, Alfonso Henriques was supposed to be born, that would have been baptized in a Romanesque chapel, of Sao Miguel do Castelo, located in the vicinity, Hill below, Between fortification and the Ducal Palace. Entrance costs two euros (Free children), But thanks to 50% familiar (They could already take note in many museums in Spain) We pay only half.
The palace of the Dukes of Braganza seems to first sight a decoration of a Walt Disney movie
The most interesting thing is to travel the path of Ronda de la Fortification, With the very industrial Guimaraes at our feet, and lose a few minutes in the tribute tower, that houses an exhibition about the life of Alfonso Henriques (including a fun video for children). Back to the courtyard and its intriguing tombstones (supported by the walls like those old furniture that we leave on the portal to take them), There is nothing left but to bring down the decrease that, After a brief stop in the baptismal battery where the first king of Portugal would have been baptized, takes us to Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Again we benefit from the family reduction of the 50% And we only pay five euros for entering the four).
The palaces have always bored me. And this was not going to be less. The succession of halls, Tapices and porcelain has never captivated my imagination and less when they are traveled in a must -see india row for the abundance of visitors. To make matters worse, The proximity of the eating time began to issue your law, making me more and more prone to admire a plate of cod than a furniture entered centuries.
The palaces have always bored me. The succession of halls, Tapices and porcelain has never captivated my imagination
If there is something that exasperates me, it is to merode from a restaurant in restaurant while the rugen guts. We enter the first with which we stumble upon the historic center, the You see (Rua Serpa Pinto, 268) And the choice is the most accurate: tasty homemade food at a good price (The cod, As in almost all of Portugal, It is the specialty of the house) and superblock beer (A euro and a half a third!) very cold to resume the day reconciled with the stomach.
The Recoleta is born right there Santa Maria Street, where the via crucis stations, Authentic shop windows, They live with interesting craft stores. This is, certainly, the street with more personality of the historic center and now, early in the afternoon, With a tranquility that adds even more attractive. After the town hall square (Old Convent of Santa Clara), The road passes under the Arc house is, With merit, The most recurring photography of Centro de Guimaraes.
The Recoleta Rua de Santa Maria is, certainly, The street with more personality in the historic center
We flow into the medieval Santiago Plaza, With his lively watchmen on the cobbled floor and his old houses, that seem traced to squad and bell. From there, linking a length after another, We walk to the cable car that goes up to Monte da Penha (5 adults and half the children's round trips), A park a 600 meters, crowned by a sanctuary, full of intricate trails that open step, sometimes unlikely, Between large moles of stone. We look at the dos Varanda varanda, stunned by a voluminous dog excrement (or so I want to think). It is a feast of nature that relieves the industrial march of the current Guimaraes and a family recreation place on weekends.
The quarter past seven. Maybe we still arrive in time to enjoy the spectacular sunset from the Ponte de Dom Luís.
