Day four.  Last day in Portugal.  Wake up early even though I wanted to sleep late.  Rush breakfast and set off in early morning sunshine for Roman archaeological remains.  Walk around in circles for a while, then find striking structure covering the series of small walls. 

Receptionist very nice. 

“Entry is one euro.  Or... are you a teacher?”

“Yes.  I am actually...”

“So entry is 80 cents.”

“But I teach Physics.  It is not relevant to Roman history, so I don’t mind paying one euro. ”

Have Mrs Doyle style fight over how much I should pay.  Look around the series of small walls.  Rusty steel structure covering the remains of more interest to me.  Though they have a very good interactive touch-screen presentation.  

Last look around Braga.  Poznan supporters arriving in large numbers, all wearing blue colours.  Decide I’ve seen enough of Braga and need to make most of time left in Portugal.  Ask at tourist office.  Told that Famalicao, half way to Porto, is very cultural so catch train there.

Famalacao described in tourist leaflet as ‘cultural and commercial centre of the region’.  Arrive and station seems a little way out of centre, so start walking.  Very sunny and warm.  See old building now used as a university building – very pretty.  Modern church building opposite must have quite stunning in its day. 

Find centre.  Not much there. 

Find Centro de Estudios del Surrealismo (Surrealism Studies Centre).  Have to wait for long staff lunch break to finish before I can enter. 

Surreal bookshelves

Ladies very friendly, one in particular, who can speak excellent English, is very excited about having a foreign visitor and I am made to feel very welcome.  The centre has an exhibition gallery, a library, bookshop and a few staff.  Look at various drawings of metamorphic forms (trees/people; people/chairs) and have a quick look at bookshop.  Friendly woman seems a little disappointed I took only twenty minutes to visit. 

Walk down street to find tourist information office.  Panic as I enter.  Even more panic as I ask if anyone speaks English.  Two woman smirk and gesture to each other as bloke points out the town highlights to me.   

“Here, the museum of surrealism you have been too. Here, a church.  And over here... the library.”

Tourist info office is an interesting structure, built around a preserved weighbridge.  Door is an unusual shape and hinges part way in; decide that is most interesting thing in whole town.  Take photos of door.

Decide to leave Famalcao and go back to Porto.  Catch an old diesel train back to Porto and try to think of other places to visit.

Back at Porto train station and catch metro towards edge of town.  Get off an edge of town station.  Nothing on edge of town, so go back to centre within ten minutes.

Walk up to trendy university area.  Find another old bookshop.  Interior is amazing.  Lots of people taking photographs of ornate stair case.  Books more Sussex Stationers than Foyles, so rather disappointing. 

 

Have a nice vegetable lasagne at one of the cafe bars frequented by trendy people.  Ate inside with old drunks, rather than outside with trendy students  -  a little more entertaining. 

Catch metro back to airport and complete trip to Portugal.