Porto
October 7th — 11th and 20th — 25th
Porto is like a propagated plant — it has recently been given new life. It was forgotten, neglected, and now, with a little bit of sunshine, love, and attention it has started its second life.
Porto was particularly affected by the recent recession that hit Portugal between 2009 and 2016. During that time, the unemployment rate of the country skyrocketed to 18 percent, and amongst young people that rate was closer to 40 percent. Although the city has begun a swift recovery, the rebirth is still in process. Every fifth townhouse that lines the city streets is abandoned, boarded up, and covered in graffiti. Overgrown weeds and shrubbery occupy the nooks and crannies of deserted apartments.
However, the recovering economy has provided stability and the city is focused on rejuvenation and rebuilding. The citizens and government have begun the process of dusting themselves off and moving on.
The impressive thing about the rebirth of the city is how the local government is taking a long view approach. Understanding the importance of preserving culture and maintaining history, they have put laws in place to make sure their city retains elements that have made it unique. If you purchase a townhouse or store in Porto, you can rebuild and renovate the inside but the outside must stay preserved. You can restore the material but you must keep the tiles and the façade the same.
In this way, the physical buildings are like the propagated plant. It is a new plant, but retains characteristics of the original; characteristics that make it beautiful, fragrant, and unique.
Walking through the budding alleyways and streets of Porto, I was continually reminded that progress is always possible.
3 Highlights:
- Pastel de Nata cooking class. Given we consumed one of these tasty typical Portuguese treats every other day (ok, every day), I decided I should learn how to make them for myself, so I signed up for one of the many classes found on AirBnB experiences. Four hours later, I left with a full tummy, a learned recipe, and a deep appreciation for pastry chefs. Although the ingredients are simple, the process is long and tedious. Needless to say, we kept up our daily purchase of the treat and my ambition of making these treats at home quickly fell by the wayside.
- Food store shopping. Portugal is filled with locally owned and operated food stores. Every neighborhood has a least two dozen with a handful on each street. Harking back to old world ways of living, the stores specialize in something particular. Unlike large chain stores, the local stores are rarely a catch-all for everything a cook will need. There are stores that specialize in fruit, in vegetables, in condiments, in confectionaries, in beef, in pork, in fish, and some that even specialize in a certain type of fish — bacalhau (a dried, salted cod filet that is the base of many Portuguese dishes). One of my favorite things to do during our time in Porto was food shopping. I could spend a whole day meandering from store to store, picking up all the ingredients for the dishes I planned to make that day. I could easily visit 6 stores before my grocery list was completely checked off. Although one could find this inconvenient, I found it enjoyable. I found comfort in getting to know the faces of each storeowner and was delighted when they recognized me back, remembering orders placed from previous visits. They would often offer up a taste of their newest dried fruit arrivals, as well as samples of their freshest produce. These warm exchanges not only enhanced my day and but also my meals. I often altered my ingredients and re-planned dishes based off of the suggestions they gave me on what was ripest and best tasting that day. This simple act of food shopping made me feel at home in this city.
- A day trip to Matosinhos Village. One bright sunny morning Prathap and I decided to take an 8-mile walk to Matosinhos, a cute little fishing village on the outskirts of the city. The journey to the village turned out to be an excursion in itself. The length of the walk allowed us to pass through many shades of the city — we walked through the older part of town with its rustic and ornate buildings, through the new part of town with its shiny glass covered apartment buildings, through the tourist part of town with its souvenir shops and cafes with menus in English, and through the local part of town with its neighborhood streets covered with children playing football and older aunties sitting in doorstops taking notice of each passerby. Upon reaching the village, we were greeted with the succulent smell of grilled fish. This is what Matosinhos is known for — the simple scrumptious technique of grilling daily catches over coal lit flames. Many a Porto resident we encountered recommended a day trip to the village for this alone. The salty fried fish smell rose from each door and restaurant we passed. It even came from unexpected places — like the open garage of a car repair shop that housed workers gathered around a small homemade grill made out of an empty metal barrel. The daily catch they were grilling up looked just as, if not more, delicious then the fancy restaurant next store packed with tourists. For a moment, we were tempted to ask if we could join them in their meal. I suspect, given the open and warm demeanor of the Portuguese people, had we asked we would have been invited in.
