Porto
Tuesday December 28, 2021
I keep thinking I should have come here when I was visiting Portugal in 2017. Even though my first day in Porto was wet and miserable, I got lucky with the forecast on the second day and I got to walk around in the sun. The city is absolutely beautiful, I love those orange roofs and white façades adorning the cliffs overlooking the Douro River, the smattering of greenery in amongst the buildings and the magnificent steel arches of Pont Luis I. Even though the temperature was only around 15 degrees, it was warm enough to walk around with jeans and t-shirt, and a welcome change from the icy slush and bitter air of winter in Canada.
It wasn’t easy to get here. After doing my PCR test on Thursday morning, I thought that would be that and I’d get the results the next day with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately the technician didn’t screw the cap on the sample correctly and it leaked, so I had to visit the pharmacy again on Friday to redo the test. I was a mess of anxiety because I knew it normally takes 24 hours to get the results and I’d have to leave for the airport in 27 hours. I kept calling LifeLabs to request an expedite and ensure they knew there was a deadline.
After helping out with cafe and the Christmas Eve service, I still had no idea whether I’d be allowed on the plane or not, and I was feeling a bit dejected about the whole situation. We went for Korean BBQ though and that cheered me up immensely.
On Christmas morning, I was up early because I couldn’t sleep; every time I woke up I looked at my phone to see if anything had come through during the night. Finally at 7.30am, the test came back - negative! - and immediately a wave of relief just washed away all the stress of the previous week.
Sarah and Emilio were kind enough to drop me off at the airport after doing pancakes for the community at cafe on Christmas Day. Pearson was not as busy as I was expecting and I made it through security with no problems. The flight was very short, but I did pass out for a good four hours out of seven. I didn’t even have a chance to watch any movies! I transited through Lisbon smoothly, and then I passed out again on the flight to Porto.
After checking into the hostel, I began to walk around town. Though the rain was heavy, it seemed like a fashion faux pas to wear this obnoxiously touristy poncho I used in Peru, so like the locals, I opted for a €5 umbrella for the day. I wandered around the area where I was staying, Bolhao, spotting some amazing bakeries and Amorino, one of my favourite dessert places that crafts their gelatos into flowers. I continued on past Trindade, the central transport hub of the city and made my way to the Crystal Palace where I found the “Porto” sign - apparently this moves from place to place so I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon it by chance. I needed a break before dinner so I walked back to the hostel and chilled out for a bit before grabbing a feed at O Afonso, a place that sells Porto’s famous francesinha sandwich. I couldn’t resist getting some wine with it, but I wasn’t expecting such a massive pour of rosé for €1.50, and on top of that, they gave me some port on the house as well. Great start!
The next day, I was out the door at 9.30am to pick up some pasteis de nata from Porto’s finest, Manteigaria. I walked to Ponte Infante Dom Henrique for a magnificent view of Pont Luis I, then followed the south bank over to Jardim do Morro. I crossed back to the north side and walked up to the cathedral, then back down to the riverfront, following the road all the way to the lighthouse overlooking the mouth of the Douro River at the Atlantic Ocean. I was planning to walk back into town for lunch but conveniently the old tram was about to depart from Passeio Alegre, so I rode that instead.
Lunch was another mega meal that I wasn’t able to finish. I needed to walk it all off, so I wandered around town again, seeing a bunch of the famous churches and buildings that I had passed by in the rain. I went up the tower of Igreja dos Clerigos which boasted a magnificent 360 degree panoramic view of the city. As night fell, I visited the Crystal Palace again to view the Christmas lights, then stopped by Porto’s oldest chocolatier, Arcadia, to pick up some port wine dark chocolate, and then a local patissier to pick up some breakfast for the next day.
I walked down to the river front to see Pont Luis I lit up at night, and got some dinner in the area. Honestly I was still kinda full from lunch but I powered through the Portuguese specialty, bacalhao, and finished off with a glass of port and a delicious egg custard meringue. Food in Porto is very rustic, hearty and home styled, with big portions, and of course, the wine is absolutely fantastic, even if I can’t handle that much. I’d love to see some of the countryside and do a wine tour if I come back, which will hopefully be a summer trip.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:46am on Tuesday December 28, 2021 :: 0 comments :: 
Lisbon
Sunday June 4, 2017
My last stop in Portugal has been in Lisbon. I knew very little about the city driving in, but as we drove over the Ponte 25 de Abril, which looks remarkably like the Golden Gate Bridge, I was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the city - glistening blue water, pristine white houses reflecting in the sun, greenery everywhere, and a Christ the Redeemer-lookalike statue blessing the city from its south bank. As we continued, we saw the massive aqueduct stretching over one of the many valleys in the city.
We checked into the hostel and had lunch nearby, and then got driven to the waterfront to explore the city. We said our goodbyes to Alan and Miguel, our bus drivers, and wandered the streets of downtown Lisbon. Naturally, our first stop was a six pack of pasteis de nata, the Portuguese egg tarts. We got some overpriced sangria (that wasn't even alcoholic!) and met back at the Arco de Rua Augusta for a walking tour of Alfama.
It turns out Lisbon is the second oldest capital in the world after Athens. No wonder then that it has such a rich story to tell. We learned about the castle up on the hill, the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed much of the city, its split from Spain, the rise of the Portuguese empire, and the dictatorships and resulting revolution that made Lisbon - and Portugal - what it is today. Of course, no walking tour is complete without a few pub stops along the way. The month of June is a festive one for Portugal, as many holidays fall in this month, so the party was already beginning as we walked around - and it showed. The streets were alive with decorations and roadside stalls selling delicious barbequed foods. We got ourselves some sangria and beer for the walk, as well as the most delicious pork roll, and we were treated to ginja, very similar to port wine, except Lisbon doesn't like Porto very much, so they made their own.
We finished the tour at the Time Out Market, a massive warehouse of high quality food stalls, then we retired to the hostel, saying our final goodbyes to our Busabout group. I'll miss these guys. I've had such a good time touring the Iberian Coast with them, and couldn't have asked for a better group of people. After travelling for so long by myself, it was refreshing to have friends to dine with and explore with.
The next day, a couple of us headed to Belem, a suburb to the west of the city. We got some good views of the harbour from the tower, and wandering around the monastery for a bit, but for me, the main objective was visiting Pasteis de Belem, the first place to sell the Portuguese egg tart. Such incredible texture and flavour! I will remember this for years to come.
After splitting up, I went to the south bank to visit Cristo Rei, the Lisbon version of the Christ the Redeemer statue. The weather had started to cloud over and become very windy, but the view of the city was stunning. To the west I could see the Torre de Belem, where I had just been a few hours ago; to the east, the Vasco de Gama bridge, a 17km long cable bridge that is the longest bridge in Europe. The statue of Christ itself is something to marvel at, a 30m tall statue sitting at 100m elevation above sea level on an 80m pedestal.
Overnight, I learned of the tragedy that unfolded in London. How weird and unsettling it is to see all these familiar places in the news, except now they're devoid of people and filled with sirens and emergency vehicles. I hope everything calms down when I'm back in the UK. May those affected find peace and comfort.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:21am on Sunday June 4, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Lagos
Friday June 2, 2017
Lagos is a pretty little town on the south coast of Portugal overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, near the mouth of the Mediterranean. We've been staying in a villa with a pool, and generally just relaxing around. We're almost at the end of our Busabout tour, and I'm going to miss some of these people, even if they are Australians!
Our first night was quite wild. We had dinner at Nah Nah Bah, known for its innuendo-laden menu and very highly rated for its burgers and garlic chips. And thus began our pub crawl. Lagos is party central. All the bars have happy hours and we basically hopped from happy hour to happy hour, enjoying cocktails, wines and beers for only a few euros. At one bar, there was a nine shot challenge which a few of the group participated in, and totally nailed. Someone pole danced at another. I was relatively controlled throughout the night, but I had heaps of fun.
We were up early the next day, despite all the hangovers, for a kayaking trip around the coast. So good to be back out on the water, soaking up the ocean spray and the glorious sunshine. The coast is full of rock formations, natural archways and caves that you can kayak through and into. The other group had to cut short their trip because they were seasick (and hungover) and on our way back, we met up with them at a nudist beach they had stopped on. There were definitely some nudists out in full force. Yep.
It was a quiet afternoon and I basically just slept until it was time to go for dinner. We had ice cream afterwards and then retired to the villa, many of us still exhausted from the previous night's shenanigans.
We're continuing to Lisbon today, for the final night together.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:13am on Friday June 2, 2017 :: 0 comments ::