Tchau e Muita Obrigada Porto...Até logo!

It's such a treat to enjoy our daily coffee and pastries.  Many days we even get to listen to live music during our morning ritual.

Candlelight Concerts is a series worldwide where classical musicians perform in unique venues.  Last summer, Elaine and I went to one and really enjoyed it.  This summer it was at the Jardins do Pestana Palácio do Frexio...the garden of a beautiful hotel on the Douro River.

All night I kept thinking of Lumière
from Beauty and the Beast

In the middle of Porto is Jardins do Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace Gardens)...a beautiful public garden along the Douro River.  Unfortunately the former palace has been replaced by something that looks like a space ship where concerts and fairs are held.  The gardens are also known for the peacocks and peahens that roam the grounds...oh and chickens and roosters too!

Late July and early August is traditionally when many folks in Europe go on vacation.  From the looks of Rua Santa Catarina, it seems like they've all decided to come to Porto!  We have also been visited by all the pilgrims heading to Lisbon for World Youth Day.

Street performers definitely add to the vibe of Porto particularly on Santa Catarina.  This couple is dancing to raise money for a dance studio they want to open.  Their passion for dance was very evident to their audience.  We wish them Boa Sorte (Good Luck)! Photo credit: LuLu

I wanted LuLu to see the Douro Valley before we left as it is a very different feel than Porto so Nelson had one of his guides, Gustavo, take us to Rafa's family winery, Mãos e Irmãos. Mãos is hands in Portuguese and Irmãos means brothers.  Rafa has 3 brothers so it is the 4 brothers' hands making the dream come true.  When we arrived, we met up with 2 couples and toured the vineyard, olive grove and small barnyard.  If they don't grow or raise it, Rafa said they only buy from local vendors they know and trust.  

Some of the grapes not protected by
the leaves have turned to raisins.

I've done wine tours all over and this was by far the best!  The wine was fabulous but the food...oh the food...was so unexpected!  We had oranges with olive oil & herbs, bread with jam & cheese, meats & cheese, moelas (chicken gizzards), bacalahu fritters, Jewish sausage & ox blood sausage and Portuguese stew (complete with tripe).  Of course each item was paired with a wine...and these were just the appetizers!!

Until this visit to Portugal, I had never heard of aleira (Jewish sausage).  In 1496 under the rule of Ferdinand and Isabella,  Jews were given the option to either convert to Christianity or forced to leave Portugal.  By 1536, the Inquisition arrived in Portugal and Jews  went to great lengths to hide their religion.  In addition to writing their prayers in Hebrew inside Catholic prayer books, they created a sausage of bread, fat, spices, chicken (anything kosher) and then stuffed inside a casing so it looked like sausage.  As they could be seen as eating sausage or buying it in the market, they evaded persecution. 

For the entrée, we had a bacalhau and potato casserole served with tomato & onion salad.  Our lunch was completed with a dessert of fruit salad & whipped cream and a chocolate mousse & whipped cream...of course paired with a wonderful wine.  After we finished our espresso, Rafa passed around "water" to rinse our espresso cups.  As LuLu's expressions show, the water had a little "kick" to it!

Sadly our time in Porto has come to an end.  We enjoyed our final morning coffee and pastries at one of our favorite confeitarias.  Every time we visited, we had the same server...a young man from Brazil who leaves in September to study graphic design at the University of Missouri.  I do love talking with people and hearing their interesting stories.  As we are leaving before our rental office opens, we stopped by today to say our good-byes.  The team at Flat in Porto is fabulous and I would definitely recommend them for anyone coming to Porto!  While you can find their apartments on AirBnB, you get a better deal and experience if you book with them directly.  We had a couple challenges with the air con when we arrived and they were so accommodating and helped resolve the issue.  When our agent came out today, she said "how can you be leaving as you just arrived!".  Those are our thoughts too as it seems like we just arrived and yet it seems like we have been here for a long time (but in a good way).  Porto and the people make you feel so welcome and familiar that time here seems to pause.  We have truly enjoyed our time here and look forward to what adventures we will find in Lisbon.

Life is Good in Porto

When we came back from Barcelona, there was a procession in front of our building.  It went from the top of  Rua de Santa Catarina to the end where it concluded at Igreja de Santo Ildefonso.  The procession was for Santo Ildefonso.  Fun fact, some times you see São in front of saint's name and sometime you Santo/a.  If the saint's name starts with a consonant, it will be proceeded by São and if the saint's name starts with a vowel, it will be proceeded by Santo/a.

Most people think of pastel de nata when they think of pastries from Portugal.  However, there's also another pastry or technically pastry ingredient for which they are known.  It is doces de ovos (a cream made from eggs and sugar that translates to sweet eggs).  The cream's bright orange color comes from the egg yolks...unlike eggs back home, the eggs here are not pasteurized and have a bright color and actual taste.  

The history of this sweet treat dates back to the 16th century when nuns in Aveiro created it.  Back in the day, the nuns would use egg whites to starch clothes.  Not ones to waste, they figured out a way to use the egg yolks and thus a delicious treat was born.  

This guy provided me great entertainment last summer and I was thrilled to see him again this summer!

LuLu has become a fan of the Humana stores here!

They're a 2nd hand store and some days everything is €2!

I've said it before but it bears repeating.  The pride and care the Portuguese take in their work is so admirable and I wish we saw more of it at home.  It is common to see shopkeepers washing the sidewalks in front of their buildings and their store windows.  All the little cafes with outdoor seating put away their tables and chairs each night so the street sweepers can clean and then put them back out each morning.  

We took the funicular down to the river and headed back over the Dom Luis I Bridge to Gaia.  Can't resist taking a funicular anytime there's one around...just something about it.

The Chapel of Souls is about a block from our apartment and is a popular spot for folks to take their Instagram photos (not sure why folks do sexy poses in front of a church...go figure).  We got up just before sunrise to be able to get a photo without the hundreds of folks there every day.  It is really a beautiful church!

Sunset on the Douro is the perfect ending to a day.  You can book Douro Sailing through AirBnB but it is one Elaine found earlier this year and of course has become friends with the owners.