Porto


Porto and Lisbon have many things in common: a proud history as being important to the establishment of the country of Portugal; being large economic centers; being port cities at the mouths of major rivers; historic churches, castles and monasteries; old neighborhoods rising above their riverbanks and accessible through narrow streets and steep stairways. Also, a dependence on tourism for a portion of their economy.  They seem to differ most in the emphasis on each of those things.

Porto, Portugal's second largest city, and its neighbor across the Douro River, Vila Nova de Gaia, share a busy tourist trade along the waterfront. Port wine caves just uphill from the waterfront are a major attraction in Vila Nova de Gaia. The center of Porto offers well-preserved churches that go back to the Middle Ages (as Porto was not devastated by the 1755 earthquake), and azuela covered buildings (such as the São Bento Train Station) attract flocks of tourists. The Ribeira on both sides of the river is lined with restaurants, bars, tour boats and buskers.  

Outside the tourist area, however, Porto is more business than pleasure. Everywhere you look there are construction cranes rehabbing old buildings that they are not allowed to tear down - mostly for inserting tourist rentals (like Airbnb) rather than housing for the people of Porto.  Strict preservation laws make it costly to modify (and nearly impossible to tear down) buildings - so most building rehab is done for the lucrative tourist market. The result is that many structures are vacant facades on the verge of falling down, and there is a strong smell of mold in some neighborhoods from the crumbling old mansions waiting for an investor.

Porto just generally seems less playful than Lisbon. In Lisbon, with huge cruise ships dropping off thousands of tourists almost daily, there is a larger portion of the city that caters to the tourists' schedule. While you may not get a full menu at a restaurant at 5 p.m., you will undoubtedly find a "Happy Hour" special from 4 - 6 p.m. in Lisbon. In Lisbon you will be approached constantly be maître d's  offering to show you a menu if you'll just stop into their restaurant. You will be able to find a table even after 11 pm in some parts of the city.  In Porto, you had better have your foot in the door by 8:30 p.m. if you hope to get seated (outside the main tourist areas). Once inside a restaurant (or seated at a patio table) you are welcome to relax as late as you please, but if you are looking for a table (at someplace other than a bar) at 9 pm, you'll find yourself playing ocular hockey with a waiter while standing in the doorway for 15 minutes trying to find out if they are still seating people. The waiter who is avoiding you will eventually look in your direction and let you know that they are not. You will eventually find a tasca that stays open late and serves amazing homemade soup and espetada (grilled skewers) of veal or octopus. Get to dinner early, and you may find yourself treated to a seafood "salad" that is an amazing array of fresh seafood on top of 2-3 lettuce leafs - my kind of salad!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We, the bones that are here await yours

Image
It's either the creepiest example of recycling ever, or a sobering reminder of how fleeting this life is. Either way, the  Capela Dos Ossos, or Chapel of Bones, in Évora is among my  favorite Portugal side trips, so far. The bones used in this chapel are those of the inhabitants of the area who were disinterred from the local cemetery to make room for newer corpses.   Beyond the somewhat macabre idea of creating a chapel from actual human bones, the place held a weird beauty, as well. The bones weren't simply stacked to make a space - the chapel is laid out meticulously in the same baroque style as the cathedrals of the day - with "decorative" columns of human bones and high arches outlined with skull and filled with bone filigree. There was something oddly peaceful about the place. The only bones that were even slightly disturbing were the complete human skeletons laid out in display in one room - a reminder that these are not simply architectural elements, bu
Read more

Procuro um apartamento em Sesimbra

Image
Quando nós fomos no Sesimbra, nós visitamos uma corretora de imóveis. Nós procuramos um apartamento barato. Nós queríamos um apartamento com três quartos, uma cozinha pequena com os moveis, um elevador, e um terraço mas não uma varanda. Sesimbra tem uma boa praia, nós queríamos de ver a praia de nosso terraço. Quando nós retornamos de Estados Unidos, nós  conversamos regularmente com essa corretora de imóveis. Nós temos esperança de um apartamento perfeito. When we went to Sesimbra, we visited a real estate agent. We're looking for a cheap apartment. We wanted a three bedroom apartment, a small kitchen with furniture, an elevator, and a terrace  - but not a veranda. Sesimbra has a beautiful beach, and we wanted to see the beach from our terrace. When we returned from the United States, we talked regularly with this real estate agent. We have hope to find the perfect apartment!
Read more

Everything is Uphill

Image
Three of Portugal's four major largest are situated on major rivers. Lisbon sits near the mouth of the Tagus River, Porto at the mouth of the Douro, and Coimbra on the Mondego. Only Braga is more or less landlocked, lying between the Cávado and Este rivers. The landscape of Portugal's river cities rises rather steeply from the shoreline, with one or more major hills defining both the low town (baixa) and high town (alta). For the traveler, this means wonderful vistas and a LOT of uphill travel. There are, of course, elevators/funiculars to get to the top of most hills, but the views are much better from between the buildings and among the staircases.   In Coimbra there is one major hill that leads up to the area where the University is located. The hill is very steep, although the view over the river is beautiful. There is also a "shortcut" - a very old, very steep set of stairs up the hillside to the top of Coimbra Alta with no handrails, just stairs carved int
Read more