Marégrafo (Tide Gauge) Foz do Douro

Hi all :)

During a walk along the Douro River, we took a detour to see the state of the old Marégrafo (Tide Gauge) that is there equipped with that true "technology" of not very distant times, but already outdated.
Although it is no longer useful,i would expect more consideration and care for its integrity, taking into account the usefulness it had and the security it conferred on those who departed from there towards the sea.
Nearby there were some fishermen and they certainly shared the same displeasure as i did in witnessing the negligence and visible vandalism of the small building.
The Tide Gauge is an instrument through which it was possible to measure the height and variation of the tide of the waters of the bar, thus being possible to know the average water level and to prepare tide tables through which they were guided to determine the conditions that allowed the navigation of ships.
In the photos it is only possible to visualize the huge ruler, but the analog measurement was made through a buoy that ran along the ruler marking the positions of the water.
Today, everything is done digitally, just as the vessels themselves have built-in systems that already measure water depth, which is why the building is inactive.

The place next to the building was practically empty and, judging by the photos, no one could never even imagine the number of people who walked around and remained sunbathing on the edge of the river.
Definitely, that small building is of no interest to anyone passing by.
Unfortunately, it only seems to be of interest to the vandals who go there, quite possibly at night to empty a few more cans of paint :(
However, plans for the rehabilitation of the space have already been announced, we can only hope that conditions are created to preserve and prevent the space from continuing to be vandalized.
Next i share some photos i took on the spot, during a sunny day.
Hope you like it :)