Yesterday we took a bus ride to Porto. We had several stops along the way, including a 2-hour lunch. The most scenic stop was this castle. I suppose one could claim that riding the bus to the top of the hill was less authentic than walking up. Nobody in our group complained.

The chapel in the castle is still an active church. It isn’t used weekly but is used for weddings and such. The most striking image is the one of Mary below. The artist shows her pregnant. I never thought of this before. I am so used to seeing the Holy Mary. Of course, she was pregnant just as was any other woman carrying a child. According to our guide, there are only two statues of pregnant Mary in all of Portugal. I think the artist did a good job of portraying how a pregnant woman carries herself.

After we arrived in Porto, we took a quick walk around the block and grabbed a sandwich for dinner.