PORTO, PORTUGAL
We started our stay in Porto at Virtudes Lofts which is a local hotel that is located in the heart of the old town Porto. It is a four story building with only eight studio Lofts. Each has a Kitchenette and our loft is on the second floor which also has a small outside patio. This is a perfect location to get the local feel of Porto.
After arriving and unpacking, we were ready to unwind a little and have a drink and dinner. We didn't have to go too far, because right next door was a family owned restaurant that served typical Portuguese fair called Taberina Santo Antonio. We arrived around 5:30 and I ordered a beer and MK ordered wine. There were no beer or wine lists so MK ordered red wine and I just ordered a beer. The red wine was quite good light but full bodied and fruity, the beer was the local brand Super Bock which was very flavorful but still a light beer with similar hints of the taste of a brown which I really liked. While we were drinking an Australian couple were seated at the table adjacent to ours and we engaged them in conversation. They were back in Porto for a short vacation and had specifically come to this restaurant because it was one of their favorites from when they stayed in the Virtudes City Lofts. We shared travel experiences with them while we waited for the kitchen to start serving dinner at 7:00. We are now travel friends with Mel and Richard and are looking forward to meeting up with them again in our travels.
Photo of the front of the restaurant from their website
We started off with four different Empanadas Shrimp, Fish, Beef and Pork which were absolutely delicious. I had the beef and MK had the pork. The meats and potatos were so flavorful and well prepared.
We ended the meal with a scrumptious chocolate cake. The meals were prepared by the mother of the family and was very traditional Portuguese fare.
Enpanadas
Porco com Batattas
We took a bike ride across the bridge over the Douro River to Gaia. we immediately went to the Monastery that was perched on the top of the hill overlooking Porto. Of Renaissance design, the Monastery of Serra do Pilar is the only one in the Iberian Peninsula endowed with a circular cloister. it was built in the sixteenth century, with a dominant and strategic position overlooking the Douro, it played a crucial role in the Portuguese resistance during the French Invasions, as well as in the Siege of Porto during the Liberal Wars, having been transformed, still in the nineteenth century, into a military barracks.
The view of Portugal and the Duoro river from the plaza in front of the monastery was truly spectacular. Down below you can see the rail and pedestrian bridge over the Douro river designed in the traditional style of Eiffel by one of his students. The wind was so strong that day that we were almost blown off the plateau plaza while observing the view. The strong winds curtailed out bike ride so we returned to Porto and decided to go on foot.
Not so sure walking was much better than riding because Porto is built on hills and our residence was midway up the hills in the city, so there were many uphill streets and roads that we had to climb to get around the town. The stairs pictured were only one set of stairs down to get to the riverwalk.
Later in the evening when we were walking along the pathway by the Douro River in the evening I took this photo of the Monastery looking from the Porto side. It is so much more imposing all lit up at night. You can see how it sits majestically looking over the river to the old town of Porto.
While walking along the Riverwalk we we stopped by the Cafe Do Cois for some appetizers and beer, We were able to try the negra dark version of Super Bock, advertised as "The Beer of Portugal", which we found to be a flavorful Brown Ale, which is very similar to Steiner Bock which we like to drink in Austin Texas. We invited a couple from Great Britton to join us at our table who were looking for a place to sit in the crowded cafe. We found that they were John and Josie Davis from Kent south of London and they visited Portugal often, We had a great time talking with them about their travels and about Lagos which they have visited. We shared this travel blog with them and they will look us up when they travel and we may look them up when we are in the UK.
Douro Valley Wine Tour
The Quinta de Marrocos, is one of the oldest wineries in the Douro Valley. It has excellent views over the River Douro and contact with the marcos de feitoria, the solid granite pillars that were set up in 1757 to demarcate the region and which still stand there. The name comes from a Franciscan monastery called Marrocos which was built here from the 17th century. At that time they used to say, cross the river, from North to the South in order to find some shelter amongst the Franciscan’s, food, work, and new opportunities were available in the place of Marrocos. As soon as it became a farm and due to the all history behind, the name was kept. In very old maps you can find “Lugar de Marrocos” which means “Place of Marrocos”.
The grapes are all grown, pruned, and harvested by hand on the terraced hillsides. The vines in the photo are over 200 years old.
The base for Port is made like any other wine. Grapes are grown, pressed and fermented with yeast, which converts the wine’s natural sugars into alcohol. The pressing is done by feet and not mechanized so that the grape and its skin are better mixed into the juice. With Port, however, there’s an additional step. Before all the sugar has been converted to alcohol, a neutral grape spirit is introduced to the wine. This process is known as fortification.
For Port, they add a liquid commonly called aguardente, which translates to fiery water to the fermenting wine. It is a high alcohol spirit similar to a brandy. The fiery water kills the remaining yeast and stops fermentation. The resulting wine retains some of its residual sugar, resulting in the sweetness, and higher alcohol.
Wines are stored and aged in barrels before bottling. We were able to see some of the aging barrels that are over 100 years old and were able to see how the fiery water is introduced to stop the fermentation.
We left the winery for a typical Portuguese lunch at a nearby restaurant before taking a river cruise through the valley on the Douro River. It was relaxing as we drifted by the hillsides lined with vines and the names of the famous Port wineries, Taylor, Grahams, Dow and Sandman on their buildings and on signs in the vineyards.
After the relaxing boat ride we visited the Croft winery which is one of the bigger Port producers and one of seven brands in the company who own Taylor for a tour of their facility and a tasting of their wines. There we discovered a new product that is being tailored to the younger generation called Pink & Tonic. It is a blend of Port wine with tonic water. We have seen similar port cocktails in some of the Bars where they mix port with soda water and lime, We bought some to try. After tasting the Pink & Tonic we think that the tonic is too bitter and lean toward the Port and soda or a drink called the Port Lemonade made with ruby port, vodka, lemon and simple syrup.
It was a partial cloudy and breezy day so we decided to take a 5 mile walk along the Douro River from the Old town to the Beach where we would have lunch at a restaurant that our host recommended. We walked a scenic pedestrian walkway all along the riverfront with restaurants, parklets and shops and scenery of the river and the ocean,
Shops & Restaurants
Wide Pedestrian Walkway
Traditional Wine Boat
The historic wine boats are on display along the old town waterfront. They were used to bring the barrels of Port down the river from the valley to market them in Porto.
Views of the River
The Arrabida Bridge
While passing under the Arrabida Bridge we noticed signs for a walkway. The walkway climbs the bridge archway underneath the supported roadway over the river. It is one of a few bridges in the world where you can actually walk over the concrete support arches legally. We decided that walking the hill of Porto was challenging enough for us so we chose not to climb the bridge,
Green Parklets with Tulip flower beds
Eventually we reach where the Douro River joins the Atlantic Ocean. The water is rough due to the wind today. We can see the undercurrents crisscrossing beneath the waves to crescendo into spectacular sprays and roiling surf.
Castelo do Queijo
Looking behind us from the roiling waters, is the Forte de Sao Francisco Xavier named Castelo do Queijo. In a dominant position over the Atlantic Ocean and across from the mouth of the Douro River, it is also known as Castelo do Queijo because, according to tradition, it was built on a rounded granite rock, with a shape similar to that of a cheese.
The Beach and Boardwalk along the Beach
Tito II Restaurant
We finally reached Tito II restaurant after a six mile walk. We had a traditional Portuguese lunch with wine and desert. the food was excellent and sitting down for an hour to enjoy the meal was much needed. After the meal we took a stroll back along the board walk and decided after a mile to take the bus back to the old town and cut off a few miles,
We were leaving Porto the following day by train to Lagos and wanted to get a sense of how the station was set up so that we would not have confusion when we needed to catch our train the next day. We also wanted to purchase a portable wifi for Europe and the phone carrier we picked MEO also had a store in the area of the Station. Since the train station was near the city center where there were a number of historic buildings we decided to take in some of the architecture on our walk through the city.
Igreja dos Clérigos
One of the most important churches in Porto with the ornate, 75-metre bell tower, is arguably the city’s most iconic silhouette. This church was built in 1750.
As soon as you walk in you can feel all of the history and the centuries of faith all around you. It is a magnificent church inside and outside as the exterior and tower portion is grand and awe inspiring and the interior is beautifully decorated and has so many things to see and details to observe and notice. The church has an unusual oval floorplan and the interior decorated with gilt woodwork. The main chapel features a beautiful Rococo altarpiece with four-color marble. I liked the overall atmosphere and vibe of this church as it was welcoming and accommodating.
Tower of Clérigos
Front of Igreja dos Clerigos
Down the street from the church we stopped to have a little snack and stopped by a Padaria, (pastry shop), and try a pastel de nata. Pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon. It was quite tasty, sweet but not too sweet.
A few blocks from the church we found the street with the government buildings. The buildings were rich with architecture and promenade to the Pacos do Concelho; (the Palaces of the Municipality of Porto), which are the headquarters building of the Municipality of Porto, whose construction began in 1920.
Pacos do Concelho
We happened upon a Cemetery which caught our attention with the interesting layout and beautiful monuments, I later found out that it opened in 1839 and is considered as an open air museum, the Prado do Repouso Cemetery is part of one of the best art collections in the city of Porto, bringing together works by renowned artists, such as Soares dos Reis. There are also numerous buildings of historical and artistic value, erected at the request of several People's personalities that lie there.
After a long day of walking we sat down to a nice dinner and drinks.
On our last day in Porto we had some time until our ride came to take us to the train station. We had noticed an unusual park nearby and went there to spend some time and explore the park.
What makes the park so unusual is that it is terraced.
One last look at Porto before we leave for Lagos. at a view of the Douro River from the hill where we stayed.
