Monday, June 24, 2013

Running in Portugal #3: Porto's North-West shore

After the previous two posts (Porto-Gondomar and Porto-Espinho), here is a short account of my third and last run in Porto, the morning before our flight to Paris, France. This is the other run along the Atlantic Ocean shore, this time on the right bank of the Douro then toward the North of the city, the maritime terminal/harbor.

The run is mostly on a bike path although not in as good of conditions as the one to Espinho. I didn't have time to run more than 15 miles that morning so I turned around at the freight terminal, which isn't of course the nicest place in town, except if you are looking for the most fresh fish, directly from the fishermen.

Here is the route on Garmin Connect, pretty straightforward to follow.
If you want to mix some competitive running with tourism, check the Porto Half Marathon website (or on Wikipedia), it must be a great one given all the Kenyans and Ethiopians participating and taking the top 10 spots, year after year. It runs on both sides of the Douro and under the famous bridges of Porto for some great views of the city. And, at 10€ the early-bird registration fee, that's a bargain. Like the 3-course meals you can find throughout the city for 5 or 6€, or bottles of Porto wine at that price... Yes, Portugal is in dear need of tourists and you won't be disappointed, the Portuguese are extremely welcoming, warmhearted, and proud to share their culture and long history heritage with you. Add to that several low-cost companies flying to Porto, just get on a plane!

No comments: