Porto

Having had enough of the cold weather, and our fill of beer and sausages, we headed south (and west) from Germany to Portugal. We arrived in Lisbon on January 16th, and took a train straight to Porto. We were welcomed with warmer weather, and heavy rains. But, in spite of the wet weather, we managed to keep ourselves dry and warm by taking in the local sights, culture and fortified wine.

On Friday, we went to a Portuguese football (soccer) game at Estadio de Dragao. FC Porto (the home team) took on Coimbra and took the match with a single goal in the second half. Fans were relatively tame, since the match was a cup game (as opposed to the regular season) - however the “supporters sections“ were as enthusiastic as always. In an effort to fit in with the crowds, we followed suit at half time and sampled what seemed to be the most popular snack - popcorn. Though not popcorn with salt and butter like we usually eat it in North America, this was lightly sweetened and crunchy, we quickly realized why it was the most popular snack at the game.

Traveling around town on Porto’s new subway line also helped to keep us dry as we visited two of Porto’s newest buildings: Casa da Música (above), and Fundacao de Serralves (Museu de Arte Contemporânea). Though we didn’t make it to a concert at Casa da Música (disappointing), we did tour the building from top to bottom, and were just as impressed as the Times critics who called the Rem Koolhas-designed building “insane” and “brilliant“. With two concert halls and tickets priced equally for any seat in the house, the building hosts a diversity of concerts from Fado (traditional melancholic Portuguese singing) to electronica.

The contemporary art museum at the Fundacao de Serralves is a minimalist building designed by a leading Porto-based architect, where exhibitions are the main attraction. On display during our visit was an exhibition by a Portuguese modern artist named Juan Munoz, (above) which seemed to attract locals and tourists alike, particularly on a rainy Sunday when entry was free.

Even more impressive than the exhibition however, was Parque de Serralves, the 18-hectare park that surrounds the museum. The park was beautiful enough to entice us to venture out into the rain for a stroll. From lily ponds to special scented gardens and even a small farm area, the park was glorious even in the rain.

Amidst the rain, we were also able to tour some of the historical sights in Porto, including many of the churches that dot the historic old city. In order to keep this post to a manageable length, please feel welcome to browse the rest of our Porto visit in the photo gallery.

In a final effort to ward off the cold, damp feeling , we ventured across the Douro River to Vila Nova de Gaia, where we arrived in the land of Port. History says that 17th century British merchants, at war with France, turned to Portugal to fill their wine demands. After discovering that the Portuguese wine did not travel well on their journey back to Britain, the British added brandy to the grape juice, thereby creating Port. It is for this reason that some of the big names in Port (Taylor’s and Graham’s) are British, rather than Portuguese.

This area is like the Napa valley of Portugal, except here it is possible to walk from one Port Lodge to another, since the actual grapes are grown in a region further east along the Douro (we’ll get to that in our next post). After being picked, the grapes are then traditionally moved along the river (now sent by truck) to Gaia for aging in casks in the Port Lodges. Though there are many Port Lodges to chose from, we restrained ourselves from visiting them all, and we chose to visit Taylor’s and Graham’s. At both lodges, we learned about (and tasted) the difference in ports, from LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) to Tawny to Vintage Port. We have been known to have a bottle of port on hand for late-night guests and now we will be able to supplement our drinking with some actual first-hand knowledge of the product. Pleased with what we had learned (and tasted), we invested in a bottle of Graham’s 20 year tawny to take with us on the next leg of our adventure.

On the food front, generally the food in Porto left something to be desired. For example, in our mind, french fries and rice don’t necessarily need to be served with every single thing on the menu at lunch and dinner, and salad with vegetables other than iceberg lettuce, pale tomatoes and cooking onions would probably be a welcome change. In spite of this affinity for fried potatoes and sad salads, we were able to seek out a few choice meals and snacks including fresh seafood stewed with rice, crispy roasted chicken with piri piri sauce, and an assortment of delicious Portuguese pastries. It’s a good thing we packed our running shoes and have been making good use of them! We did splurge on one night of fine dining at Foz Velha, (photo above is of Kristi's shredded salt cod salad) one of the top restaurants in town, and one of the few that has tailored its menu to 21st century tastes. This was certainly a memorable dinner with some great twists on local traditional fare.

After Porto, we continued on a 5-day road trip through Northern Portugal and ending in Lisbon. Looking forward to updating the blog with the details soon.

Cheers,

Kristi + Jon