Snoozing

Ronnie with his full sleeping gear, trying hard to catch some z's

Cafe Majestic

An elegant, baroque cafe where we got hooked on galao: a shot of strong Portugese coffee with milk

Ribeira district

Porto's old quarter had ageing houses crammed together along narrow, steep cobbled streets

Pre-fiesta dancing

Locals were bursting with fiesta spirit, driving even old ladies to hold impromptu jamming sessions (with kitchenware) on the streets

Douro river

Views of the river could be seen from the top of the Ribeira, with the traditional boats on display for the fiesta

Tumbling streets

To get to the boats, we had to find our way through a tangle of streets rolling down towards the river

Praça de Ribeira

We finally found the river and promenade offering a great view of the Ponte de Dom Luís I bridge

Up and away

We struggled up the church tower for more hair raising views

Cathedral square

A heady view of Porto's red tiled roofs and the main cathedral square

Other side (high view)

We took a metro across the river and found ourselves on top of the bridge with a panaromic view of Porto. Now, how do we get down?

Other side of the bridge

We trespassed on private property to get another great shot of the bridge designed by the same architect of the Eiffel tower

Other side (low view)

This picture shows a calm, picturesque evening along the river banks

Bonking mayhem

But all around everyone was attacking everyone else with plastic hammers. The old tradition was that being bonked meant you had to kiss the person bonking you. But now it is just pure bonking madness!

Fiesta crowds

Along the riverside promenade there were concerts, dancing, drinking, eating and about every being in Porto waiting for...

Grand fireworks display

The finale of the street party was capped with a big boom