The Universe 5th August 2016

FRIDAY 05.08.16
port cellars (all, apart from Taylor’s,
require an appointment), while most
historic sites are on the opposite side
of the river.
The city is built on a series of hills
with narrow, cobbled backstreets
trailing from the tourist-packed riverside.
So the following morning, I take
a scenic cable car (five euros, one
way) to the double-decked metal
arched Dom Luis bridge and cross the
less busy upper level.
Blue and white azulejo tiles glint
from the facades of grand, wellweathered
buildings, with the most
impressive display found in the concourse
of the 1900s Sao Bento train
station. My favourite spot, though, is
Livraria Lello, a bookshop said to
have inspired Harry Potter’s library at
Hogwarts (author JK Rowling lived
and taught English in Porto in
the 1990s).
A fairy-tale crimson staircase spirals
like a nautilus shell to reach a mezzanine
floor and stained-glass skylight,
which depicts a monogram belonging
to original owners, the Lello brothers.
It costs three euros to enter, redeemable
on the purchase of books,
which include rare editions from when
the shop first opened in 1906.
There are numerous viewing
platforms throughout the
compact, crumbling city,
and in the absence of
skyscrapers, 18th
century Torre dos
Clerigos still occupies the highest
point. There’s a 25-minute queue to
reach the top (visit early or late in the
day to zip up quickly), where views
stretch along the Douro. The sound
of seagulls mewing is a reminder the
ocean is close by.
A beacon for sailors, the tower also
served as a telegraph, with flags
hoisted to announce the imminent arrival
of the English Royal Mail Lines
carrying payment for port wines
traded by merchants.
Today, though, the destination itself
is the Douro’s greatest commodity.
Travel facts
Sarah Marshall was a guest of
Classic Collection Holidays (0800
294 9323; classic-collection.co.uk)
who offers two nights at the Vintage
House Hotel (vintagehousehotel.com)
and two nights at The Yeatman
(the-yeatman-hotel.com) from
£999 per person. Price based on
two adults sharing on a bed &
breakfast basis. Includes return
flights from London Gatwick
(other UK departure airports available)
to Porto and all private transfers.
Departs 16th September.
British Airways
(www.britishairways.
com) flies from
Gatwick to Porto
from £37 one way.
An estimated 1.4 million people will
stay in the UK for a holiday this year
so they can take their dog with them,
according to a new study.
A survey found that 8 per cent of
holidaymakers planning a domestic
break in 2016 are doing so because
they do not want to be away from
their dog. This is twice as many who
are choosing this option in order to
watch the Olympic Games, which
accounted for just 4 per cent.
The North East was found to be
the biggest dog-loving region with
15 per cent wanting to go on holiday
in the UK with their pet, followed by
Scotland at 10 per cent.
Taking a pet abroad can be a
complicated process involving
vaccination and quarantine,
as countries are concerned by the
spread of diseases such as rabies.
Post Office Travel Insurance
commissioned a survey of 2,072 UK
adults for the research. It found that
79 per cent of people intend to take a
UK-based holiday this year.
Cornwall was the most popular
destination for those holidaymakers
with 16 per cent heading to the county.
Scotland was in second place at
15 per cent, with London, Yorkshire
and Devon joint third at 14 per cent.
Airport alcohol sales to be
reviewed following drunk
passenger incidents
The way alcohol is sold at airports is
to be examined amid a spate of
incidents on planes involving drunk
passengers, a minister said.
Lord Ahmad, aviation minister,
pledged to consider what more can
be done to make air travel an
“attractive sector for all” which is
“safe and secure”.
He made the comments as an
airline handed a passenger a
£12,000 bill and a lifetime ban
after his “abusive and aggressive”
behaviour led to a plane being
diverted to Manchester.
Joshua Strickland, 21, of Tadcaster,
North Yorkshire, “illicitly” drank
alcohol he had brought onto the
aircraft and threatened a family on
board the 13th July flight from Leeds
Bradford to Larnaca, Cyprus, budget
carrier Jet2.com said.
The airline added that when a
member of the cabin crew attempted
to calm him down he made “physical
threats towards her and also began
to punch the seats”.
A spokesman for Greater
Manchester Police said he was
u • TRAVEL 13
1.4m choose UK holiday to be with dog
charged with acting in a way to
endanger an aircraft or a person on
that aircraft.
Jet2.com has a “zero tolerance”
policy against disruptive behaviour
by passengers. More than 500 of
its customers have been refused
travel, with over 60 of those given
lifetime bans.
Recent police statistics show
hundreds of passengers were
arrested on suspicion of being drunk
on a plane or at an airport in the last
two years.
Figures obtained following freedom
of information requests showed at
least 442 people were held between
March 2014 and March 2016.
In an interview with the Press
Association, Lord Ahmad said:
“If you’re a young family travelling
on a plane you want to go from
point A to B, you don’t want to
be disrupted. I don’t think we want
to kill merriment altogether, but I
think it’s important that passengers
who board planes are also responsible
and have a responsibility to other
passengers, and that certainly should
be the factor which we bear in mind.
“In terms of specific regulations
of timings of outlets (which sell
alcohol) and how they operate,
clearly I want to have a look at that.”
Lord Ahmad, who was appointed
aviation minister by Theresa May
when she became Prime Minister
last month, also highlighted the
value of screening travellers before
they board planes.
“I think that it’s important for the
safety and security of all passengers
that we ensure that regime is
actually fit for purpose,” he said.
He added: “I want to certainly
look at what more can be done in
terms of making aviation a very
attractive sector for all, so whether
you’re a businessman making
travelling arrangements or you’re a
family planning a holiday, you can
do so ... knowing that once you
board the plane it’s going to be an
environment in which you’re going
to be safe and secure.”
A code of practice on disruptive
passengers was published earlier
this week following collaboration
between airlines, airports, the police
and retailers.
It includes airport shops advising
passengers not to drink alcohol they
have purchased before or during
their flight, and training staff in bars
and restaurants to limit or stop the
sale of alcohol if they are concerned
about disruptive behaviour.
Trade bodies representing UK
airlines and airports said incidents
of disruption are “a very rare
occurrence”, but warned they can
lead to “serious consequences”.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive
of the British Air Transport
Association, and Ed Anderson,
chairman of the Airport Operators
Association, said in a joint statement:
“These incidents can be costly and
cause delays.
“With air travel proving more
popular than ever, and passenger
numbers expected to rise across the
whole of the UK in the coming
years, now is the time to tackle this
problem collectively.”