Avenida dos Aliados (Avenue of the Allies), Porto

In 1147 English Crusaders assisted in the liberation of Portugal from Moorish occupation. Having done this, the British hustled off to save the Holy Land. But their contribution was not forgotten. In 1373 the two countries forged an alliance that has endured through every trial to this day. The Anglo-Portuguese Treaty is the oldest alliance in the world that is still in force.

The alliance of Portugal and the United Kingdom is memorialized in the Avenue of the Allies. This grandiose boulevard was developed from local streets in 1916. The Avenue is lined with buildings in architectural styles ranging from neoclassical to Beaux-arts.

All the buildings are of granite. Many have skylights, domes and spires. The center of the Avenue is covered by a mall paved with cobblestones. On the sides of the mall are entrances to Metro Line D. Construction of the line caused reformation of the avenue.

At the top of the avenue is the imposing Town Hall with its clock tower 220 feet above passers-by on the street below. Before the Hall is the General Humberto Delgado Park, a wide, tree lined square connecting to roads on each side.

The avenue leads past the granite facades to the most famous landmark, the venerable Cafe Imperiale. It has the imperial eagle over the door but the inside is McDonalds.