We Wind Down Our First Portugal Experience

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In the last few days of our stay in Portugal, we were hosted by a gracious couple who have been part-time residents of Sao Martinho do Porto for around 20 years while living mainly in the central valley of California. They ask that we use a contracted abbreviation of their names, so we'll call them here "RhEd". Our meeting them produced a friendship for which we are very grateful. We'll spare the specifics of the fortuitous encounter at this point. Suffice to state that they posses a remarkable and encyclopedic wealth of historical knowledge that they willingly and enthusiastically share with their fortunate guests.

RhEd have guided us through the most incredible historical and artistic sites and stunning vistas along the "Silver Coast" of Portugal. It starts about one hour north of Lisbon and extends up the Atlantic Coast to about Porto. Through several day-tours of the area they showed us 14th Century chapels, monasteries, fortresses, murals, statuary, battle sites, town squares and various structures secular and religious. In addition, just a short drive from their house, we explored sites of timeless natural beauty and charm. We would not have encountered these treasures on our own. We offer them our gratitude.

Nazare

Some will be familiar with the 100+ foot waves of Nazare made famous by documentaries of this phenomenon and the surfing elite who risk their lives for the chance to ride these monsters. There is so much more here. It was and perhaps remains a significant Christian site anchored by the Santuaria de Nossa Senhora de Nazare, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazare, a Baroque church renovated and remodeled repeatedly between the 16th and 19th Centuries on Nazare's promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It's interior contains a remarkable display of Azulejo, the blue and white Portuguese and Spanish tiles that adorn the interiors of buildings throughout the Iberian Peninsula.

The Catholic Church has maintained a strong force in Nazare for centuries. Iconography reinforces stories and legends of miracles and brings tourists in large numbers. The Virgin with infant is ubiquitous, of course.

There is another popular one of note here: The Legend of Nazare has it that a wooden statue of the Madonna breastfeeding the infant hidden under an overhang in the cliff saved a nobleman in 1182. Dom Fuas Roupinho on horseback chasing a deer in heavy fog realizing he was near death at the cliff's edge shouted a quick prayer to the Madonna and was spared the fall from the cliff that would have killed him. In gratitude, Dom Roupinho built a chapel on the overhang over the spot where the Madonna's statue had been hidden. It attracts tourists and locals equally.

Frutos do Mar

Here in the off-season, Nazare's fish market is not full, and streets, roads, and shops are not crowded, and some vendors are not active. Consequently, the hum of the market is low-level. Still, even off-season, the selection of freshly caught fish, produce harvested hours or days before appearing in the market, and cheese is sufficient for any gourmet chef.

Along the streets, we found statuary and images depicting wives and widows scanning the water looking for the return of husbands who braved the dangerous waves and currents and tides to harvest the sea life to suppot their families. One memorable statue captures a wife holding the corpse of her husband washed ashore at the foot of the cliffs. Sadly, it still happens along this dangerous shoreline.

Portugal: Back at Sim Ou Sopas

A few nights ago (remember I never promised you precision), on the evening before our departure from Porto, we decided to have a farewell dinner at Sim Ou Sopas with our gracious host, Solanja Ribeiro and the lovely sous chef-hostess-friend Diana. I introduced you to them in an earlier post. There we met two new group members from the U.S.:  Melissa from Hawaii and Madina from Seattle, both of whom will move or have moved to Portugal and both of whom are in the textile/fashion industry.  They had not previously met. I believe Solanja has a way of bringing compatible strangers together. Joining us was Goncalvo, world-wide traveller, high-tech guru, and genuine Portuguese whom we encountered at the previous Sim Ou Sopas celebration. 

The food goddesses started us out with Sopa de Legumes, a pureed vegetable soup thickened with potatoes, I believe. I think some wine was presented--seems likely as I consider it. We moved on to an assortment of what I'll call frittata or maybe quiche, perhaps pie is more accurate. I'm not sure about the nomenclature but I am certain about the incredible quality of the food and the pleasure it brought us:

• Tarte de Abobora e Requerjao                               Pumpkin and cheese pie
• Tarte de Espinafres                                                Spinach, bacon, and cheese pie
• Tarte de Frango e Terjao Verde                             Chicken and green beans pie

These are all cut into serving size portions on a platter with some colorful garnish.Then, the main course. Oh, and there might have been some more wine poured along the way.

• Bochechas de Vitela de Comer a Colher             Stewed veal cheeks 
• Batatas Assadas                                                   Oven-baked potatoes
• Arroz Arabe                                                           Arabic rice

Veal cheeks at Sim Ou Sopas 

Oh, my! Our first experience with this. The flavor, texture, aroma, succulence--all so memorable. Clearly, Solanja and Diana retain the abundant heart love that made each experience here so important to us.

Did Diana refill our wine glasses again at this point? Not sure. I'll leave the conjecture to you.

We finished the evening with good-byes, until we meet agains, embraces, smiles, laughter. Sim Ou Sopas is one of our most important experiences in Portugal. I'm not sure that Solanja is open for walk-ins. I recommend calling her; she speaks English, probably French and Spanish as well. Here is her number in Porto: +351 909 997. If you are strolling around the Foz area of Porto, you can find her at Rua Candada Sa de Albergana 226.

Portugal: Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia by Metro

 Vinho do Porto (Port wine) is sweet and has a high alcohol content of around 20% due to the addition of aguardiente, which is somewhat brandy-like but not really brandy. This is done to stop the fermentation process at the optimal strategic point. It also adds additional sugar and alcohol. It works quite well in our view. 

I, a very health conscious person, have attributed certain significant health benefits to the consumption of this very special digestive. Nitpickers might accuse me of making scientifically unsupportable claims here. Well, I acknowledge that my claims are based largely on personal anecdotal accounts (yes, my own). Third-party affirmation aside, I remain convinced; draw your own conclusions.

Grapes for Portugal's version of Port are grown, harvested, and crushed in the Douro Valley region of northern Portugal. The resulting elixir is shipped in stainless steel tankers to Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern bank of the Douro River across from Porto. Here, the aging process, lasting at least two years and often much longer, occurs only in French oak casks built upon wooden floors in caves, lodges. Humidity is modified by humans who are entrusted to open certain strategically placed spigots to allow the pooling of rain and river water in stone tubs and to slightly moisten the wooden floors. No human intervention is allowed in regulating the temperature. The abundant cloud cover and rainfall and insulating properties of stone walls on the southern bank do that job perfectly.

Millions of liters of Port stored for aging in the 

Sandeman facility

The Sandeman company chose a unique logo from a 

painting by a Scottish artist around 1920

In Porto, we boarded a Metro train at the Trindade station, which is about a three-minute stroll from the little apartment we are renting for this brief stay. There we boarded the Jardim de Morro line to cross one of the six bridges, the Ponte Luis I in this case, spanning the Douro River to get to Gaia. It took three stops and perhaps 10 minutes. The train was crowded with what we judge to be incredibly patient, polite people, and it was immaculately clean. Observant uniformed personnel, many with police insignia and equipment at their sides, patrol the stations. We are always happy to encounter them and confidently engage with them when we have questions. They all project strength and confidence and always seem happy to help. I believe their presence contributes to our feeling of safety at these stations and throughout Porto.

The Gaia train stop perches atop a high promontory overlooking the Douro and Porto. What a sight, especially at dusk! Sunset watchers by the hundreds gather here in the evening and listen to the buskers performing their art. It has the feel of an outdoor concert. 

A view of the Porto side of the Douro taken 

from the Gaia promontory

This is just the beginning of the crowd
assembling to watch the sunset and
enjoy the music

The steep descent from there took us to this planet's largest concentration of caves carved into facilities housing millions of liters of Port wine awaiting the right moment for bottling where further aging may or may not occur. These decisions are based on the judgment of specially gifted, trained, and honored humans who determine the desired result and know how to achieve it.

Earlier, we arranged to meet up with newly acquired and thoroughly delightful American friends: Paul and Karin (with an "i", to be sure) in front of the Sandeman cave where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Micha restaurant followed by a tour of the Sandeman Port facility. Our guide shared her extensive knowledge with humor, and at the end we enjoyed a tasting flight of a white, a ruby, and a tawny. We met up with two British couples at our table who were at least equally enthusiastic about the experience and pleased to share their memories of touring parts of the U.S. while we discussed the various parts of England that we plan to visit.

Our American friends pondering the medicinal 

benefits of Port wine

Porto continues to delight and surprise us and demands a return.

Mary Lou has posted her photos of the day on Instagram. They reproduce there so much better than here on Blogger. Enjoy at instagram.com and search for 4661molinaro.

Portugal: Ponte de Lima

 What was previously a Roman settlement, Ponte de Lima is a very small village just northeast of Porto in the Viana do Castelo region of Portugal. It is one of the oldest chartered towns in the country and clearly one of the most picturesque.

It's 1st Century bridge (Ponte, of course), actually rebuilt in the 11th Century, spans a very slow moving body of water, the Lima River, with origins in Spain. Today, in the sleekest imaginable high-tech plastic one-person vessels exceeding 20 feet, kayakers with $700 carbon fiber paddles move along on the gentle flow and usually smooth surface. Imagine the contrast that presents with ancient Romans traversing underneath the bridge in whatever crude craft they had at the time out of necessity, just to live.

Imagine ancient people transporting goods in donkey carts across the river.

On the second Monday of each month, the village hosts one of the largest country markets you will likely ever encounter. Food, plants, flowers, clothing, crafts, and art, along with other goods of a large variety are displayed in stalls mostly covered by canvas over metal or wood poles. Hawkers shout out the quality of their goods in a cadence somewhat like that of old newspaper boys or carnival barkers.

Quantities you might find in a supermarket produce section, yet these will be fresh out of the ground or off of trees or bushes.

Building facades in this village, like much of the rest of Portugal, demand attention and lingering and photographing--no way to escape that, don't try--you might hurt yourself.

To the left, the antiquity of the stone structure. Connected on the right, a modern building with its new, perfect facade.

Ponte de Lima, a story-book village, is well worth a return visit. Put it on your list when you visit Porto--you must, really.

Portugal: Porto

Porto

Porto is a city that prospered at the outset of civilization here from ship building, shipping, navigation, port wine, creative culinary geniuses, beautiful people, and incredible art and architecture.

Archeological digs within and around the area of Porto reveal structures and artifacts attributed to Phoenician and Celtic mariners and traders from around 800 BCE.

It is wet and cool in the winter, dry and occasionally wet and cool in the summer. Rain gear would help ameliorate this mild inconvenience, I imagine, while one enjoys the beauty of the Douro River meeting the Atlantic Ocean, the bridges, the tiled fronts of the centuries old buildings, and the Romanesque fortress walls.

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(Genius segue to modern times): Now, don't read another word of this account until after you have viewed this incredible time lapse vid, the link to which Mary Lou provided:

Timelapse - Oporto Showreel 2015

https://vimeo.com/149196921 

Captures it well, don't you think? The contributor to this Vimeo vid is pauloferreirapt.

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We decided that we aren't that excited about the Algarve: nice place to visit for a few days, but for extended stays, well, mehhhh. So, we rented an Air B&B studio with a loft (hate the stairs) in Porto's city center. On our first late afternoon stroll in the Foz (Fosh) area, we encountered a small, contemporary restaurant, the Sim Ou Sopas (something like "Yes Soup", it's idiomatic and anyway, I am not yet the guy for precise translations, OK?).  As we scanned the elegant menu artfully emblazoned on the glass entry door, we caught the vision of a lovely, young woman, elegantly dressed, approaching from within with a warm, gracious smile. Upon opening the door, Solanja Ribeiro, sole proprietress of the place gave us the Boa Tarde greeting and engaged us in a chat, she speaks English quite well, you see. She gave us her card for future reference.

Solanja was very patient with my intrusions into her space.

After a couple of questions about a dish or two, Solanja described a traditional Portuguese festival dish of beans and various pork cuts simmered in a stew like broth that was not on the menu. "Do you have any openings tonight for a couple of hungry Americans?" I asked. She must have liked the inquiry, responding with, "Yes, 7:30 work for you?"

Oh, My! Life changing experiences are clearly still possible for us. What an evening. Not just because of the delicious food obviously made with love in the heart: Teijoado a Transmontana, Sopa de Couve Flor,  Broa de Milho -- look 'em up. Oh, no, not just the exquisite food. There was Miguel from Portugal and Daphne and Lauren from the U.S. They work together in the fashion industry. Miguel grew up in Porto and has been friends with Solanja for quite a while.  Their initial embrace of us was ritualistic, thereafter, it was familial.

"We are having a special meal tomorrow night to celebrate Kevin's one year anniversary of Portuguese residency," declared Miguel. "You must join us." We gratefully agreed. 

"Who is Kevin?" ML asked. "You'll meet him tomorrow and you'll love him," Miguel assured us. 'Nuff said, we were all in.

The experience of Kevin's celebration made us newly adopted members of a family that includes another Yank or two, an Israeli, several more Portugese, and I don't know what all else. Solanja with help from her friend Diana, another lovely, warm girl who clearly has experience in a restaurant setting. She cuts, chops, arranges, and serves with an abundance of heart love. The meal this night was Robalo baked in a salt crust: so moist, such flavor, so visually appealing. There were a number of exquisite side dishes, the names of which I have forgotten.

Next day, ML gets a txt from Barry, another celebrant. "Hello, Darling. What doing today? U 2 want to meet me for lunch with my friend Carolyn down at the shore?" Barry is a recent emigre from the U.S., having lived in Hong Kong, various places in Europe, and I forget where else. Gracious, endearing man. Carolyn is delightful, another emigre from Seattle, San Francisco, and NYC. Today, Carolyn txt'd ML with an invitation to visit her in Matosinhos, a town adjacent to Porto, at our earliest convenience. 

Risotto nero with cuttlefish and an Aperol spritzer for lunch. Of course.

After the good-bye embraces, we strolled some more, continuing the regimen of 10k steps per day, as FitBit tells us. Beautiful leather goods displayed in local shops: purses, shoes, belts, wallets. Of course, clothing, ceramics, what-all, by local artisans. We drove over to Vila Nova de Gaia to scope out the shops selling Port and the cliff location famous for sunset viewing.

Porto continues to amaze us. We'll be retuning to visit and embrace the newly found family members.

Grand Daughter Zoe is a Harry Potter devotee, so we had to visit Livraria Lello and provide the proof.

The Dom Luis Bridge, one of six to get you across the Douro

Vivid colors on the faces of these old structures atop these Romanesque walls along the Douro River