Portugal with Pals
We took a group trip with some of our expat friends, Emily and Matt Kirsch, to the totally awesome country of Portugal. We stayed in great AirBnB’s (our preferred method of accommodation) for our trips to both Porto and Lisbon. We decided to do a multi-city trip using the trains between cities (European trains are phenomenal- it is just SO easy). We flew into the port city of Porto, but that is not where it gets its name from. It gets its namesake from the port wine that is stored in the caves of Vila Nova de Gaia. The city is split in half by the Duoro River which is what the Portuguese historically used to transport port wine from the Duoro Valley (exclusive producer of port wine) to the caves in the city.
We decided to visit this lovely place in the middle of August, which sounds crazy, but Porto typically does not get too hot because it is a coastal city. That being said, we arrived in the middle of a heat wave (of course) which caused forest fires and one hazy horizon. As many people find out on their first trip to Europe, air conditioning is not common and our AirBnb was no exception. After a traditional lunch, we changed for the evening and walked through the historic streets of Porto in the general direction of the all the Port caves. The walk through the Old Town was really nice with colorful homes and historic architecture (UNESCO world heritage site).
We headed towards our first port wine tasting at Cockburn’s in the early evening which ended up being quite a hilly excursion. Walking through the facility was a really interesting and enlightening process. We mostly learned about the characteristics and production of port. Port wine is definitely an acquired taste. You don’t drink it like you would a “regular” glass of wine. It is poured in much smaller portions and usually after a meal. It’s very sweet and sometimes quite alcoholic in taste. The older the smoother. I (Jill not so much) actually enjoyed tasting the various aged ports to compare and contrast the differences of each one.
After this excursion we headed back down the hill to the riverside and had some vhino verde– green wine (green as in young, not color)- with snacks like the traditional pastel de nata (YUM!). Then we began our stroll back along the riverside and found a street vendor selling the “best” mojitos and caipirinhas in town (biased opinion I think). We decided to enjoy the hazy sunset with our cocktails before dinner. We got more than we bargained for because RUA Tapas Bar also had live music at midnight. This traditional Portuguese music, Quintal do Samba, is similar to Latin/salsa music! It was made even more enjoyable by delicious tapas, sangria and porto tonico!
Day two was our designated beach day, which made Jill very happy. We took the tram out to the beach, and stopped by the local grocery store for snacks, wine (one liter box of vhino verde = 1.99 euros WHAT!?!) and beer to make a relaxing beach day even better. We originally planned to do some surfing lessons, but the waves were no bueno due to the heat wave. We had to cancel, and thank goodness we did, because the water was FREEZING! Like, make your legs tingly and numb freezing. Afterwards we tracked down a great little hole in the wall seafood restaurant. All the grilling was done outside right next to our table. We shared some fish dishes- including octopus and a Portuguese stew- and the restaurant owner let us try traditional grilled sardines. The whole fish is grilled, so he had to demonstrate for us how to eat them as we were completely clueless.
We had a guided port tasting tour scheduled later in the day which took us to three different venues. We learned a lot more about the wines and also about cork- the largest export of Portugal…like literally ALL the cork. The venues were mostly rustic, but our last stop had a much more modern vibe. The best part was it’s rooftop terrace that gave us an amazing view over the river. Our guide gave us a terrific recommendation for dinner, a place called All in Porto. The food, the wine, the mood…all incredible. You could tell they took the time to find quality products and were proud of what Portugal had to offer. The olive oils, cheeses, fruit and wines were SO amazing. My mouth is watering just typing about it…
After a little shopping the next morning, we hopped on the train and headed south to Lisbon. Lisbon is the oldest city in western Europe and one of the oldest in the world. You can tell immediately by passing old forts and palaces that the city holds numerous cultural wonders and a tumultuous history. We THOUGHT we had just a short, easy walk from the train to our AirBnB…but Google maps lied. Unbeknownst to us, the shortest route took us up the steepest hill in Portugal and we stumbled all the way up with our luggage in tow. Totally over that hill and out of breath, we arrived at our sweet little place on a quiet street in the Bairro Alto district.
The city had a lot of elevation changes and typical European cobblestone streets. One most always wear comfy shoes…forget about heels ladies. There are beautiful churches and colorful buildings around every corner. The variety of architecture tells the city’s story of the Roman era, the capturing of the city by the Moors and the reconquering of the city by the Christians during the second crusade.
We found several restaurants that we wanted to try out during our visit to Lisbon, and had tapas again (obviously) the first evening. The restaurant, Madame Petisca, had a fantastic menu and a great view of the sunset through open windows that we thoroughly enjoyed with our sangria. Seeking a lively atmosphere to end the evening, we went to the party district in Bairro Alto. It is one of the biggest bar districts in Europe, so we definitely weren’t disappointed. The streets were full of people, the music was great and the mojitos were delicious. Our second night at dinner was a bit of a disappointment food-wise, but not view wise.
We decided to be a little more serious (and more touristy) the next day and signed up for a general walking tour via Sandemans New Europe. They operate in 18 major European cities and are led by experienced guides. The tours are FREE, but they suggest generous tips at the conclusion of the tour. Totally worth it in our opinion. We learned so much about the history of the city and the current political and economic environment. Bonus: we randomly stumbled across some fellow K-Staters! We ended up joining a second tour through the oldest part of the city and stopped at an old lady’s window to sample the local cherry liquor.
On our last day we enjoyed a quick breakfast in one of Lisbon’s oldest and most famous cafes, Cafe A Brasileira, known as a meeting place for many a famous intellectuals, writers and artists. We ordered tasty pastries and Brazilian coffees and learned that standing at the bar to eat breakfast is a thing. When we travel, we try to find a piece of art to bring back with us as a souvenir. In Portugal, we thought tiles would be the perfect reminder of the city, so we visited antique tile shop, Sant’Anna, to pick out a few. (Unfortunately, we couldn’t take any pictures inside the shop.) We chose some with floral designs although many were simple geometric patterns. This is because during the time of Moorish rule in Lisbon, the Muslim faith prohibited people from drawing living things. To conclude the trip, we took a rocket ship taxi to the airport and headed back to Amsterdam.
Overall we thought Portugal was a great country to visit! It was a relatively short trip, but we felt like we were able to experience a good deal of what the country has to offer. We certainly enjoyed the sunshine (although I know Jill would have enjoyed another day at the beach), and are really missing it during these cold, dark days in Amsterdam.
-Jon
#hermesinholland 