We arrived in Porto, Portugal with high hopes of it being a merry place for our holiday headquarters. Prague was our original Christmas destination, but we had to reroute due to the Czech lockdowns. We set Porto on the Christmas dial about a month ago as our backup plan after hearing many great things about Portugal's second-largest city. We thought it would surely look festive and remind us of home with its crisper weather.
Well, we are in love!!! Porto is a one-of-a-kind city. It's similar to San Francisco's layout with its warehouse-lined wharf and steep hills that won't make you think twice about indulging in its delicious sweets and Francesinhas, but Porto gives off a whole new, interesting vibe. BTW-the warehouses are filled with its famous Port wine!
Walking around the medieval city center's narrow cobblestone streets fills you with wonder and a slightly eerie discomfort. It looks as if there is a gray screen in front of the whole city, making you feel like you've been transported onto the set of a Tim Burton film. With the abandoned buildings, broken window panes and weathered, shredded laundry still hanging on the line, your imagination swells with the stories these buildings must be hiding. But Porto is picture-perfect in its own decay. Polishing it up to reveal the colorful, ornate details that lie underneath would just ruin much of what gives this city its unique character.
How old is that laundry hanging on the line?
Though Porto is far from merry and bright on the surface, the city is alive with great energy. Businesses are open, more than we have seen in the last two months and people are buzzing around holiday shopping and buying local products from small shops. People out and about don't cause me the usual COVID crowd panic, because it's just enough life to make you feel like things are semi-normal without feeling in danger. There are masks and hand sanitizer everywhere, of course! We are very much looking forward to exploring Porto in between baking and watching all of our favorite Christmas movies. We can't change that tradition no matter how far we are from home! And, Porto does have lots of Christmas lights and decorations all over the city.
Speaking of tradition, we broke our long cooking-at-home streak to try one of Porto's most iconic dishes, Francesinha. A savory calorie bomb consisting of ham, sausage, steak, melted cheese and a fried egg drenched in beer sauce with fries. Clint said eating this national treasure was a "life-changing experience." It was sooooo good!
Clint watched this YouTube two years ago and remembered it. We went to the same restaurant featured in the video and even saw the same manager carrying grandma's special sauce from the main location!
FUN FACT: Porto was crucial in the 14th and 15th centuries in the development of Portuguese shipbuilding. During this time, its people earned the nickname tripeiros, or tripe-eaters, as the good cuts of meat were sent off with the ships for sailors, leaving Porto's people to eat whatever was left, such as tripe.
P.S. Kate's checked bag with all of her clothes decided it wanted to do an over-nighter in Madrid—our layover stop between Grand Canaria and Porto. Luckily, the airline located the bag the next day and delivered it to our apartment two days later. Thank you, Santa!!!
