Porto - Praca da Liberdade

Here's one of the first photos I took of Porto, Portugal, which is approximately six hours' drive from Madrid, Spain. This one is of the Praça da Liberdade, located in the historic center of the city and not far from where we stayed. 

The city, the second largest in Portugal after Lisboa, if often described as an overgrown village. In fact, the city center is a blend of medieval and Victorian/Edwardian styles, with the oldest sections a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the other hand, the effects of the Eurozone crisis are much more evident here than in Spain. Even in the center, many of the buildings were in various states of decay, with grass even growing on some rooftops. No wonder then that the traditional rivalry between Portuguese and Spanish got even more heated even though they were both affected heavily.

Still, it does give the city a very lived-in charm of its own. It also helps that many Portuguese seem to speak very good English...