I’ll admit I had a struggle the first week we were here, adjusting. Maybe a bit of culture shock. New location, new weather, new rhythm of living. The Sunday that was one week after being here, despite being the hottest day up to that, was the day when things suddenly felt normal again. Turns out, I think I needed a museum hit.
Not only that, Trevor luck was in full force because the Casa do Infante (Prince’s House) is free on Sundays. Recognized as the birthplace of Henry the Navigator, he was the third born son of King Joao I and Phillipa of Lancaster. (The British born sister of an English King that sealed the deal on the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, which is still in place today. Yeah, that old nut – the longest lasting diplomatic treaty in recorded history). Henry is considered the patron of Portuguese exploration, having pushed the initial forays to explore (and kinda conquer) places in Africa and beyond. I didn’t realize he developed the lighter and maneuverable caravel which was pretty key to the Portuguese search for the spice islands.
The museum was wonderful. The building itself dates wayyy back and was at one time a customs house (being essentially on the Douro River) and a mint. Mercifully, signage was bilingual and also in English. One of my favorite exhibits was a diorama where you choose your language, push a button for a feature, and a recording gave you some info while a laser dances around the spot in question. My former museum educator self loves a good interpretive display and this was all that.
The other nice thing is that there wasn’t too much. The building you were walking through, aside from being mercifully cool, was itself a marvel. There were coins from the mint, but not too many. Tools they salvaged, but not cases and cases. Pottery and tiles, yep. Enough to remind you of the vast trading from northern Europe (think Scandinavia and England) as well as the Mediterranean and beyond that passed through here.
Leaving the museum, we decided to walk to the famous bridge crossing the Douro River from Porto over to the Vila Nova de Gaia. On our way there, across it, and back, there is so much eye candy.
