The name "PORTUGAL" is derived from OPORTO's Roman name PORTUS CALE.

And this beautiful, cultured country could not have a more fitting city to showcase its name.I had lost my heart to Oporto,the city of bridges,the very first time a shuttle bus ferried myself,my best friend and fellow travellers from the Independence Of The Seas to the city centre.Not far from the drop off point there was an eaterie the likes of which I had not seen before.All cooked food went straight from the oven onto the one long wide table and there you picked and chose what you wanted.And we wanted to taste everything,each mouthful better than the last.The coffee was poured the American way - the cup re-filled time and time again.The restaurant owner made us promise we would come back the next time we were in the city and back I would go in a flash, if only I could find the darn place!Since then I have been to Oporto twice, with Cunard and now P % O, but neither company uses the same drop off point as The Royal Caribbean.One day...Oporto has coffee shops aplenty.But finding a really good one is a question of luck. And this time I was not lucky.The schnitzel sandwich was warmed up but it stil was not enjoyable to eat and I left most of it,the orange juice was freshly pressed,but before I said Jack Robinson,the server used the old bar-tender's trick- piled ice half way up the glass and topped up with a bit of juice. Coffee Amricano was so so.But the weather was lovely,at 23 perfect for walking and this I did.I found my way to some quality boutiques I had patronized on my previous visit to the city and walked out from Intropia and Max & Co with three linen and silk dresses and very stylish sunglasses to replace a pair by Balenciaga I had broken and cannot find anyone to repair.I have fondness for Balenciaga, their perfume was one of the first designer perfumes I had bought myself,they are classy and smell like a meadow. It is worth knowing that Oporto's Historic Centre - RIBEIRA - was declared a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE in 1996.I have seen Oporto from a tour bus, took a train ride on one of those lovely little colourful trains, walked through the streets. What I have not done is climbed the 220 steps in a spiral staircase at the Torre dos Clerigos, and I don't think I ever will, 220! I have not visited a port wine lodge either.