Porto — second impressions
Our first daylight exploration of Porto began the afternoon of our first full day. We were both feeling delicate following an unintentionally heavy night out, but Liam found a brunch place about 20 minutes’ walk away that seemed worth leaving the apartment for. The lite brunch had a bit of everything in small servings, which was perfect because I was both ravenous and nauseous and had no idea what to eat. We had scrambled egg, smoked salmon, croissant, scone, granola with yoghurt and berries, butter, and jam. I had mine with coffee and a fruit smoothie and could feel the life quite literally returning to my depleted body as I cleared my plate.
After brunch we walked through the Palacio de Cristal, huge public parks with peacocks and pretty gardens and lovely views of the river. We passed the afternoon away in the shaded protection of Rota do Cha, a tea house with a serene Japanese-inspired garden. I chose a tea called ‘Rejuvinate’, which felt appropriate.
The following day, we climbed up the steps to the Episcopal Palace. Most people were there to see the Cathedral opposite, but we had already seen enough Cathedrals and wanted to do something different. The Episcopal Palace featured a lovely grand staircase, which was filled with soft sunlight and lined with terrible, terrible art. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the beautiful and the ugly, and wondered if it was, on some level, deliberate.
In the afternoon, we crossed the river and went to the Croft port house for a tour and tasting. I knew nothing about port, and learning about the methods of growing and harvesting was genuinely interesting. Croft is known for having some of the best vineyards in the business, and is one of the oldest port houses in operation. The highlight was, of course, the tasting. I knew I liked port, but I didn’t realise just how much I liked port until this afternoon. We each had three glasses — a tawny, a rose, and a vintage. The sun was shining and it felt good to be discovering something for which the city is known for; its literally in the name.
With the rest of the afternoon to kill and our curiosity piqued, we wandered down to the river front to another port house. We shared five more ports, including a late bottled vintage. The tourists wandered up and down the river front, and every terrace bar was rammed full of people like us, enjoying the weather and taking their time.
There was still one thing I hadn’t done, though. On the walk back from the port house to the apartment, Liam pulled me into a tiny shop barely wider than a doorway. There, mouthfuls of port were sold in tiny chocolate cups for €1. The shopkeeper poured our drinks and I ate it in one fell swoop, the chocolate and the port fusing into a sugary sticky syrup that caught at the back of my throat. It felt messy and indulgent and only possible in Porto; what a great note to leave the city on.
