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Located along the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European cities. The history of Porto dates back to around 300 BC. Our visit started on the Douro River as we navigated the steep streets that are literally across the street from the river. The extreme age of the landscape and architecture was what grabbed our visual senses. This city is old, no doubt. Like most cities we have visited on the Iberian Peninsula, Porto is no different being extremely clean. Graffiti artists have left their mark with some of the hillside walls and alleys decorated with street art. Some of it is exceptionally creative and other creations a bit uncreative.
We navigated our first set of ridiculous medieval stairs toward a church we could see from the river. After about an hour of what seemed like endless climbing, we reached the top. Turning around we got an amazing view of the Douro River and a real feel for the age and tightness of the city’s architecture. The church actually turned out to be a courthouse. Having three potential directions to go, from our location, we asked one of the courthouse guards which route would give us the best bang for our buck. He suggested we venture off to the right and down the very steep cobblestone street back towards the river. So off we went following the cobble-brick road through a very old residential neighborhood. Apartments with exterior displays of potted plants and clothes hanging out to air and dry dotted the cityscape with unique patterns and colors. People of varying ages leaning out on windowsills and sitting on fire escapes and balconies enjoying the conversation below and the slow-paced morning as it approached mid-day. It took us a while to get down along the riverfront due to the treachery of the steep streets but, without incident, we made it. At the bottom we came upon numerous eateries and cafes. We were looking for custard tarts called pasteis de nata. These are without a doubt the most famous and breathtakingly delicious pastries we have had. The best way to eat them is fresh and hot and for about 1 Euro you can’t go wrong. These custard pastries were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at Saint Mary of Bethlehem in Lisbon. They used large quantities of egg whites to starch their clothes and had an equal amount of egg yolks to dispose of. Rather than throw the precious commodity out, they developed this culinary treasure. Long story short, we had some pasteis de nata in Porto and again on our visit to Lisbon. Holyyyyyyy…smokes, nuff said. Lunch in Porto is a journey in itself. With so many choices of places to eat and so little room in our stomachs you have to roll the dice and go with your instinct. Instinct is what guided us, along with the menu. We found a little indoor-outdoor café a block in from the riverfront. They had what we were looking for, so we took a chance. Our choice was, Francesinha, a sandwich made with bread, cured Iberian ham, linguica, chipolata which is a sausage and covered with melted cheese. It is placed in a bowl with thick, hot tomato and beer sauce. Also, on our list was Chorizo al Infierno, flaming Chorizo, served with crusty Portuguese bread. What to drink with that tummy yummy food? Port of course. A glass or two complimented another Holyyyyyyyy…smokes experience. After lunch we took a leisurely walk along the Douro River people watching and architecture ogling. A few street musicians complemented the sounds of the city and with the sun out warming the temperature the experience was all that more enjoyable. We really enjoyed being in Porto. Not having been there before it proved to be a city we would most certainly like to come back to. The welcoming people, architecture, culture, food and oh yes, Port wine rounded our exploration of this medieval city on the north coast of Portugal.
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October 2022
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