Porto...and some final thoughts on our travels

We both agree that our home for three nights in the city of Porto is the best of all. On the waterfront of the Ribeira District, in the heart of the old town, our modern main floor accommodation hides behind a weathered wooden door in the middle of a long row of multicoloured apartment units. Wrought-iron balconies of each apartment overlook the pedestrian path along the river and are typically laden with colourful laundry. During fiestas or religious holidays, residents will add streamers, ribbons and other relevant decor. A Unesco World heritage site, the Ribeira waterfront is vibrant and teeming with tourists and locals enjoying the energy of this old world port.

Looking across at our apartment

Iconic apartments along the Duoro River in the Ribeira District

Our considerate landlords have left folding chairs and a small table for us to put out on the walkway above the pedestrian path. Each evening before and after dinner, we sit outside with a glass of wine and enjoy the scene. With the lights of the port cellars, restaurants, boats gliding by, the traffic on the bridges and, strangely, the gondolas that glide silently from one end of the opposite shoreline to the other, we have much visual entertainment.

Porto is a city of hills, steps and ramp ways. Other than walking the path along the river,  you are either going up or down. We spend our first two days doing just that, while checking out the main historical sights,  including some churches, the Stock Exchange Palace and the Clerigos Tower. Wandering along the narrow alleys, sudden stairways and tiny plazas, it is easy to get lost. It is even easier to reestablish your location, as downhill means you are heading to the river. And for us, that meant home.

The rooftops of Old Town Porto

Directly across from our accommodation we can see large buildings with illuminated signs marking the cellars and public tasting rooms of the big port wine producers. Len wants to experience one more tasting, so we follow a recommendation for a tour/tasting combined with a Fado performance. Fado is a form of Portuguese song that is believed to have originated in the early 1800s. It is characterized by mournful tunes of resignation about the harsh realities of life and is usually accompanied by two guitars.

Fado Singers

We agree that a Fado performance combined with a wine tour is probably very touristy, but the price and timing is right. After an informative tour, we sit back in a large hall to drink our port samples, expecting a mediocre performance. But we are pleasantly surprised at the  professionalism and excellence of the singers and instrumentalists. We enjoy both the port and show, agreeing it was a great way to end the evening.

Our last day is spent walking about 5 km along the river towards the ocean. The sun is shining and we want to check out the beaches and see another, more modern side of Porto.

He caught an eel! And it's for dinner!

The residential area near the beach remind us a bit of the West End area in Vancouver. Characterized by modern low-level apartment complexes with views of the river's mouth and ocean, we surmise that the cost of living in this district is similar, relatively-speaking, to our west coast city. After an enjoyable beer break in a cafe on the beach, we take the old trolley, built in the 1920s back to town. 

Old time tram

We have a short time to relax before dinner. We sit on our "deck", watching people of all shapes, sizes, colours, and languages stroll by, many stopping to take a picture our way (because of the apartments being such a symbolic Porto sight). I begin to reminisce about the whole European experience.

Nerja will always be a special place for us, a place we can slow down our explorations, put temporary roots down and feel a part of something. There we have the opportunity to meet others, both travellers and locals, because we are not on the move. We look for ways to integrate, either by frequenting our favourite places, taking part in festivities and even striking up conversations with strangers (and in two languages!). I am glad we spent a month there and I know we will return soon.

Portugal, too, has many things, both historically and geographically, for us to appreciate.  We always feel at ease and welcome by the locals as we explore. The people, no matter what their lot in life, quietly and efficiently go about their day. In the Old Town, where the tourists congregate, souvenir shops and restaurant patios are set up and dismantled like clockwork daily. Streets are swept, garbage rarely piles up and we see only a few sad beggars unobtrusively seeking handouts. Since 2014, the Portuguese economy has been growing, while unemployment is declining and there is an optimism in the faces of the people. We talked briefly to the owner of the restaurant where we ate our last meal before leaving for home, and he told us his business is doing extremely well (this may also have to do with the excellent food and service he offers). He also proudly tells us that his daughter is set to become a manager of the first Hard Rock Cafe in Porto. Tourism and tourism-related products has increased by over 12% in the last year and this is a good thing for a country that only a few years early suffered a severe recession and received a bailout by the EU.  

Old Church -- just love the tiles on the front!

Of course, being on the move for three weeks in this country, we had little opportunity to meet other travellers nor did we expect to. Surprisingly, on our last night, we do meet a lovely couple from Winnipeg at dinner. They are sitting next to us and, being from the same country, it is easy to strike up a conversation. We keep the conversation going throughout the meal--we have a lot in common and similar travel philosophies. We do not, however, exchange email addresses, but wish each other a great holiday as we leave the restaurant, assuming that we will never see them again. But as we tell them we are information hosts in Whistler and to look for us if they come our way, we see a spark in their eyes as they tell us it is a place they've always wanted to visit. So...the brief connection that was made in a lovely restaurant in the Ribeira District in Porto, Portugal may live on! With travel, anything is possible...

Visitors eating Tapas on the deck next to our apartment--can you guess what the water gun is for? (hint: think feathers and wings)