Torre dos Clerigos - The Clerics Tower

You see it from all around the city - at least the old city.

It stands 76 meters tall (about 250 feet) and was the tallest building in Portugal 

for hundreds of years. 

Maybe they had Psalm 61 in mind when they designed this beautiful strong tower.

Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

Salmos 61:1 Ouve o meu clamor, ó Deus, atenta para a 

minha oração. 

2 Desde os confins da terra eu clamo a ti, com o coração abatido

; põe-me para a rocha que é mais alta do que eu. 

3 Pois tu tens sido o meu refúgio, 

uma torre forte contra o inimigo. 

It is on the West end of the Clerics' Church - A Igreja dos Clerigos. 

Both the tower and the church are in classic Baroque style. 

Construction of the tower was from 1754-1763. It was the bell tower 

for the church which was built about 20 years before it.

After winding your way up 240 steps you'll reach an area where you can walk around 

and get a 360 degree view of the city.

Chris and I at the top!

The view of Porto from the top of the tower is incredible!

Rio Douro

Our friends waited for us at one of the cafes below.

(Just under the tree to the right of the cut out triangle.)

Around the top of the tower they have markers to tell you what buildings you are seeing in the distance and then they had this one that compares the height of the Clerics Tower to other famous tall buildings. The Clerics Tower is the first little building on the marker.

I'll share pictures of the inside of the church in another post

(It is gorgeous inside).

The Swallows of Portugal - As andorinhas do Portugal.

You find them all over Porto - and from what I've read, all over Portugal. Pretty little black ceramic swallows. As andorinhas are in the beautiful ceramic shops, gift shops (tourist shops) and are sold by street vendors all over Porto. They are everywhere! I've seen them each time that I've traveled to Porto. This year I couldn't resist them anymore.

2 of the 7 swallows that are now in Tennessee!

I did a little research about the swallows of Portugal. (Which means I googled and read some posts. ha!) And it looks like a ceramic/pottery artist named Bordallo Pinheiro made the first ceramic swallows in the late 1800s.
You can read more about him here - Bordallo Pinheiro

The swallows are migratory birds that return to the same place each year. They love the sunny countryside of beautiful Portugal. Because they mate for life and always return to the same location each year they became a symbol of love, devotion, family and home.

There's a hallway in my house where I've painted a tree - a family tree I suppose - and in that tree I've hung pictures of my seven grandchildren. While in Porto this June I bought 7 ceramic swallows to fly through the family tree reminding everyone of the love and devotion we have as a family.

Do you see all seven swallows?

 The swallows also reminded me of something Jesus said.

Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent. 

But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

 Don't be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

Não se vendem dois passarinhos por um asse? e nenhum deles cairá em terra sem a vontade de vosso Pai.

 E até mesmo os cabelos da vossa cabeça estão todos contados.

 Não temais, pois; mais valeis vós do que muitos passarinhos. Mateus 10:29-31

Beautiful Architecture

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95:5

Seu é o mar, pois ele o fez, e as suas mãos formaram a serra terra seca. Salmos 95:5

These are just two of many pictures that I took while over in Portugal. These have to be two of my favorite due to the architecture. Seeing all the beautiful work that was created by someone left me awestruck. Seeing this work reminded me that God created everything on earth and even gave the people who designed and built these structures the talents to do so. The details on every building in the city as well as the details of the bridge are so amazing and beautifully done. God took the time to place every detail on earth and that is something I try and praise him for every day.

More Photographers from Tennessee

We started this blog last year with a few photographers who had visited Porto, Portugal.

This year another group of photographers visited Porto. Here's a picture of Lyndel, Chris, Zack, Zach, Lisa, Cinde, Shari, and our friends who live in Porto, Andy, Michelle and Ethan.

This picture was taken outside the magnificent Sé do Porto - Porto Cathedral.

We'll be posting pictures of Porto over the next few weeks. You'll want to visit Porto after you see what a beautiful city it is. You will also love the Portuguese people when you visit. They are kind and welcoming. 

#VisitPortugal

You can see the Porto Cathedral in this view from the clérigos tower. It's the big building by the river. 

Frutas Frescas

When you visit Porto you have the opportunity to fill yourself up on delicious fresh fruit. Practically every street has a small fruit shop. There are also large market places where you can get fruits and vegetables and handmade items - like beautiful table clothes.

Here are some pics to get your mouth watering! (Not just fruit pics)

Roses - Rosas do Jardim do Palácio de Cristal

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

William Shakespeare 

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

muito linda, não é?

"O que há em um nome? Isso que nós chamamos uma rosa
Por qualquer outro nome cheiraria como o doce. "

The Crystal Palace Gardens in Porto have a beautiful rose garden within the bigger garden area. 

Genesis 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

Gênesis 1:12 A terra, pois, produziu relva, ervas que davam semente segundo as suas espécies, e árvores que davam fruto que tinha em si a sua semente, segundo as suas espécies. E viu Deus que isso era bom.

The Blue Tiles of Portugal

Portugal is famous for its blue tiles. Almost every building - at least it seems this way to me - has a tile facade. The tiles are part of what makes Porto such a beautiful city.

Here's a picture collage I made from a trip to Porto a few years ago.

The train depot has some amazing tile scenes that tell the history of Portugal.

You can read about the blue tiles - called Azulejo - here Azulejo on Wikipedia