Portugal Part 1 - Porto

October 2008

Well then, kling klang we're back! This time we returned from Portugal. Impressions - a small but proud little country, with a rich history, many sea-faring discoveries, talkative people, delicious port wine and fish dishes, fado and the Atlantic Ocean.

So, everything in order. A sunny but damp October morning - without a jacket there's no point going outside. Time difference with Latvia - 2 hours.
Official information about Portugal can be read at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal - but seen through iinuu eyes it looks as follows ...

Porto - they say it gave its name to all of Portugal.

A reminder of bygone times - small wooden boats with little barrels of port wine - also the city's calling card. It used to happen that during floods the barrels would be washed out from warehouse cellars, so sailors who came upon port wine rolling in the waves were utterly delighted.
The two-storey iron bridge was made by that same Eiffel. The Douro river, from which one has a view of the steep banks, densely and colourfully inhabited.

The black colour characteristic of the Portuguese is now only seen in folk costumes and the dressing style of older people, more so in the smaller towns. The characteristic black headscarves with embroidery of flowers in vivid base colours (ranging in price from 7 to 80 EUR). Shoes on a high but sturdy heel. By the way, Portugal is also famous for quality leather goods. From experience I can now say that dropping into a local market one can buy decent leather shoes for 30 EUR. At first glance they seem slightly old-fashioned, yet original and interesting.

 

Port wine tasting - an indispensable event. We visited one such winery - OFFLEY PORTO.

It turns out port wine was invented only 300 years ago, when an English merchant transporting red wine from Portugal to England had the idea of adding spirits to it. The English took so keenly to port wine that Porto became the main port city from which the produced wine was transported to Great Britain.

We tried Tawny porto and Ruby porto - the first is light with a nutty flavour, the second - red grape with a fruity bouquet. Quinta da Boavista Vintage is said to be the finest and most mature (40–60 EUR). In an ordinary supermarket port wine could be purchased starting from 4 EUR.

Porto's residents consumed port wine rather actively, so there was even a law issued that the ruler and his retinue were not to stay in this city for more than 3 days. Presumably so as not to start enjoying life too much and forgetting about affairs of state.

In restaurants it is more advantageous to order wine (both in terms of quantity, quality, and price), which is brought in a carafe for two people, rather than juice, which in terms of quality is a name only. Well yes, the fish there is truly first-rate! The national culinary pride - bacalhau à braz - cod with garlic, also with a crispy slice of ham on top, with white bread and olives.

In Porto one can visit the Church of St. Francis, notable for the fact that approximately 200 kg of gold was used in its interior decoration.

In the basement, distinctive catacombs for church servants. The wooden floor with rectangular raised sections is in fact burial mounds.

The architecture of the city's old quarters has been greatly influenced by the Arab style. On every corner, house walls are covered on the outside with patterned, glazed tiles.

The city's narrow lanes lead now uphill, now back down. In one quarter grand buildings alternate with thoroughly run-down ones.

In Porto we also heard a cheerful and "catchy" little Portuguese melody. You can watch and listen to it here -