Photoblog

While discovering the northern Portugal some colleagues at work and me visit the cities Valença Baiona and Vigo.

Valença first announced as a city 1217 next to the boarder to Spain and therefore surrounded by fortified walls. In fact the city is very charming with its old streets and buildings.

The Statue of São Teotónio the first Portuguese Saint:

If you look to the floor you do not really wonder to have the felling being pulled back some centuries:

Also the buildings give you that feeling:

View into the directions of where the cannons were pointing to – Spain:

One of the old cannons:

Now arrived in Baiona and taking a look to Virgen de la Roca, a statue built between 1910 and 1930. It stands around 100m above the sea and using the staircase that takes you to one of its arms you can get a wonderful view of the great ocean:

Video: Wonderful views over Baiona and the ocean (4MB)

View from the Virgen de la Roca to the Castle of Monte Real with its Clock Tower. It was built in 1510 with an alarm bell inside to warn in case of enemy attack:

View to the rocks surrounding the Castle:

The Pinta, one of the ships from the fleet of Columbus arrived on March 1, 1493 in Baiona, making the town’s port the first to receive news of the discovery of the New World called America. Every year this event is celebrated and a replica of the ship can be visited:

Painted tiles show the routes taken by Pinzón and Columbus with their caravels Pinta and Niña:

The replica of the Pinta:

Memorial stone:

Narrow alleys of the old town of Baiona:

This statue is welded out of mechanical parts:

View through the streets of the nearby city Vigo: