Unfortunately, by the time a trip to Portugal became a reality, my friends had become homesick and headed back to India. So I would be making this trip alone. On the bright side, my flight to Porto was from the one city in Europe that I have the best memories of - Barcelona! I decided to get to Barca a day before my flight coz I was yet to visit the Camp Nou, home to one of my favorite football clubs - FC Barcelona. And since I was in Barcelona, I couldn’t resist going back to La Rambla - the one street in Europe so vibrant and buzzing with life, it makes the Champs Elysees look pale. Barcelona never fails to surprise you and while strolling in one of the Rambla's bylanes I came across a Gelataria. A lot was on offer and I picked one of the desserts rather than the regular ice-cream. Banana-stuffed waffles topped with Vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce and loaded with pralines - Brilliant! A work of art, just like everything else in Barcelona. After a visit to Estadio Camp Nou the next day, I headed for Girona from where I had a flight to Porto. After a Ryanair journey that took two hours instead of one and scared the shit out of all the passengers (they were actually clapping after landing), I was finally in Porto.
After a rather longish ride on the metro, I got off at Bolhao and saw a huge cloud of smoke at the exit. There was no need to worry though, it was winter and time for Castanhas Assadas - roasted chestnuts sold all over Portugal by street vendors. I bought a few and devoured them on my way to the hostel. After a quick check-in, I headed out for a stroll. What struck me immediately was how each and every street in Porto was lit up for Christmas. Moreover, every street had its own pattern of lighting. Buses went past with 'Feliz Natal (Merry Christmas in Portuguese)' written on them. When I asked a man on the street for a lighter, he too said "Feliz Natal" after my Obrigado. At Aliados square, there was a six-storey high Christmas tree with elaborate decorative lighting on it and an artificial ice-skating rink for kids. What's so surprising about all this you ask? Well, it was the 7th of December. Looks like Christmas comes early in this part of the world.
After a quick visit to the famed Ribeira district, it was time for dinner for which I had the perfect plan in mind. As always, a local specialty. A meat bonanza. The Francesinha! Porto is known for its meat and Ham and Sausage-making tradition and the Francesinha is what captures it best. Wet-cured ham (Fiambre), a spiced Portuguese sausage called linguiça, roast pork and beef steak stuffed between two slices of bread, covered with Saloio cheese, baked (so that the cheese melts) then drenched in tomato and beer sauce and loaded with French fries. Are you salivating already?
Restaurants serving Francesinha can be found all over Porto and I wasted no time in entering an affordable-looking one near Aliados. I ordered beer in anticipation of a heavy meal and was served Porto's very own brew - SuperBock. It was an excellent beer and the waiter even served assorted meat and fish cutlets - all complimentary! The Francesinha was brilliant too and once again, I was stuffed on my way back to the Hostel.
The next day started with a walk through Porto's famous market - the Bolhao, which was very close to the hostel. Fresh fish, big chunks of ham, a huge variety of sausages and vendors shouting at the top of their lungs - it was a heady mix. Porto has a lot of interesting sights and I managed to catch quite a few of them that morning - splendid Azulejos (tile paintings) at Sao Bento railway station, Sao Francisco church ( I have never seen so much gold in one place), and the Douro riverside. But the moment of the trip came when I was in another famous church - Igreja dos Clerigos - and a group of youngsters at the altar started singing Christmas Carols in Portuguese. I cannot describe the feeling - I am so happy to be here! I don’t care if I am alone, I don’t care if my friends are not with me, they are the ones who missed out. This trip is a Christmas gift! - that's how I felt.
After all of this, there was one last thing left to do in Porto - taste and buy Port Wine. After years of drinking the cheap Wedding Bells brand that came from Goa, it was time to try the real thing. Signs of the Port-making tradition can be seen everywhere in Porto, especially in the traditional boats called rebelos that were used to transport the wine down the Douro in medieval times and are still seen parked on the riverfront.
The Port Wine lodges are located in a town called Vila Nova de Gaia which is across the river from Porto and I got there by crossing the Dom Luis bridge - built by Gustav Eiffel in his characteristic style. There are several wine lodges in Vila Nova -Taylor, Croft, Sandeman, Calem etc. I went to Taylor's, the best known lodge only to be disappointed when the guard said "Segunda só (Mondays only)". So Croft it was. Thankfully this one was open to visits and it did not disappoint. It had a plethora of equipment traditionally used to make Port Wine and also, some of the oldest barrels used to store it.
There is an Old Portuguese proverb which says 'Every wine would choose to be Port if it could'. I couldn’t agree more when I tasted some of the vintage stuff. I bought a bottle of Tawny (a bottle of vintage can be really expensive) on my way out.I don’t know how to explain it but Porto was the one place in Europe that I found the most welcoming, I felt at home here. I don’t know why, maybe because I knew the language, maybe because of the Christmas spirit. But I felt a certain joy here that I did not feel in the rest of Europe. I will return for sure.
