Looking at Porto(VIII) – From Cedofeita to Palácio

[By Paulo Mendes, Symposium Correspondent, in Porto]  Only
a few days for the big event. When walking around the center, I can
see already some very concentrated people seated on their stools or on their café tables, struggling with the complexity of these streets and
architecture. So does it make sense to keep showing the city when
many of you are already discovering it by yourselves? Well, at least I
didn’t want to end this series without sharing one of my favorite hideaways:
The lovely Palácio gardens.

One
of the simplest and more interesting trajects to get there is via Cedofeita street. It starts
in Carlos Alberto square, which can be accessed by following the
beautifully tiled right side of Carmo church, shown previously here.

Cedofeita
is an old, pleasant commercial street. With plenty of shops and cafes, its
pedestrianized section is shorter and narrower than Santa Catarina,
but also busy in its own scale. I made this sketch from a café while
taking a refreshment and enjoying the afternoon end atmosphere in the company of my friend
sketcher Hugo.

A
cross street to Cedofeita is Miguel Bombarda. You may wonder, what’s
so special about this street? Well, it’s a very special one: It’s the
heart of the Bombarda Art Block, home of several art galleries and
creative shops. Six times a year, on a Saturday afternoon, all
galleries open their new exhibitions simultaneously, something that
became one of the most interesting cultural events in Porto. And now
that you know how special this street is and walked all over it, turn left
at the end, and Palácio will be only a few steps away.

Palácio de Cristal owes its name to the former granite, iron and glass
building, inspired by the Crystal Palace of London, built in 1865 to
host the Porto International Exhibition. Sadly, it was demolished in
1951 to make room for the actual domed pavillion, being now itself restored to become a congress center. The beautiful frontal garden,
designed by landscape architect Emil David, prevails as a
reminder of that time.

Palácio
gardens are a lovely place to relax among fountains, old shady trees,
small corners, and the ducks and peacocks that run freely across the
area. It also offers great views to the Douro. There is a library
and art gallery. Several events and concerts take place here across
the year, including the annual Book Fair. To the right from the
charming box garden in this sketch, you can also access the neighbor
Quinta da Macieirinha and its Romantic Museum.

And
speaking about great views, this is another amazing one that speaks
by itself, hard to resist for a sketch. No wonder this is one of my
favorite places. How could I fail to share it with you?

Welcome to Porto: Enjoy, explore, sketch, be inspired! We’ll see each other soon!