Porto

 

Stock Exchange Palace

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city. We did a bus tour of the central city. We toured the Stock Exchange Palace which took 68 years to build on the site of a Franciscan Monastery. The building still houses the Commerce Association of the city. The most spectacular room is the Arab Room decorated with 20 km. of gold in a Moorish style. 

The Arab Room

Then we walked to the Sâo Bento Train Station decorated with twenty thousand tiles telling the stories of the area: from kings fighting wars to the commerce of the city. 

Mural in São Bento Station

We finished our tour at the quay before our ship arrived. People filled the quay enjoying the lovely weather.

Portuguese Modern History

On October 5^th, 1910, Portugal went from a monarchy to a republic, but it had 42 different governments until 1926 when the army took over. They asked Antonio Salazar, a finance academic to become the finance minister. He took over full control of the money and the government. A new constitution was written creating a dictatorship dedicated to God, family and nation. Portugal began the colonial wars with their colonies in Africa: they restricted the press and travel, women were subservient to their husbands, but on the good side, crime decreased and the economy stabilized. Salazar died in 1968 and was followed by a second dictator for six years. The military tired of fighting wars, began a movement on April 25^th, 1974 signaled by the playing of national songs on the radio. They took over the air waves, the airport, and government buildings. The dictator resigned. Meanwhile a woman who was bringing carnations to her café, started giving carnations to the soldiers, hence the name “the carnation revolution”. The army nationalized industries and reformed the social life. But from March to November, 1975 there were several coups, unrest, and bombings. This is when Maria’s family was jailed. Eventually a Democrat constitution was written and in 1986, Portugal entered the European Union.