Oporto Unplanned
Anna Maria Espsäter heads off to historic
Oporto, Portugal’s second city, famed for its fortified wines, for a day of
serendipitous sight-seeing and sampling.
After
years of well-planned travel and painstakingly researched trips, for business as
well as pleasure, I recently became aware of how long it had been since I
indulged in a bit surreptitious spontaneity. Why not visit a new place,
somewhere I only knew very little about, for a change? Said and done, I decided
I’d venture forth with only a minimum of pre-trip planning, no guidebook, maybe
not even a map
I
didn’t quite close my eyes and place a finger on the atlas (that romantic
explorer notion is rather harder to satisfy with Google maps anyway), but after
some deliberation I settled on Oporto, well-known as the home of that fine
beverage, port wine, something that might well have influenced my choice of
destination, I confess. Arriving by car without a good map was perhaps taking
the adventure a bit far, but never let it be said that I do things by halves.
Oporto
certainly isn’t small, nor is it all that easy to navigate, but most sights can
be found in a fairly compact area along the Douro River, floating serenely
through town towards the Atlantic. The historic centre is one of the oldest in
Europe and was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996, adding to the
city’s many draws. The Celts were early “visitors” as were the Romans, the
Moors and of course the English, who fuelled the lucrative port wine trade in
the first place (no harm in doing some research after one’s trip, is there?).
Depositing
above-mentioned car in a local car park, I wussed out completely of going
map-free and a kind hotel receptionist bestowed upon me a rather daunting city map,
helping me get my bearings a bit. Turned out I was close to one of the city’s
non-historic sights, Casa da Música, a large concert hall opened in 2005. If
you’re into modern architecture, this oddly shaped, cube-like structure is a
must-see and if you’re not, it makes for an interesting pit stop all the same.
There are guided tours and a top floor restaurant, as well as a varied
programme of concerts and performances.
So
much for new and modern Oporto – after a quick refreshment I was ready for the
Oporto of old. A short amble down the road towards the historic centre – the
streets are mostly downhill going towards the river, just remember you’ll probably
need to traipse uphill again later – and I found myself in Crystal Palace
Gardens, how very “south London”. This set of beautiful tiered gardens are
known as Jardins do Palacio de Cristal and offer excellent views over the Douro
and the south side of Oporto, home to all the port houses. Peacocks roam freely
and dazzle visitors with their plumages among multi-coloured roses and water
features – a quietly lovely place. But with only one day to see the city, it
was onwards and downwards for me. Despite being tantalisingly close to the
river, however, there appeared to be no way down to it. Clearly this was when some
more homework would have come in handy – no matter how I tried to leave the
garden and head down to the river, I kept finding locked gates and in the end
had to return to the same spot where I’d initially entered.
I
finally reached the river, feeling ever so hot and sweaty, mildly cursing after
venturing down many a foul-smelling and tiny an alley. Next stop the Port Wine
Museum. Housed in an 18th century warehouse on the riverfront, this
museum at least looks very promising, but whether it fully delivers on its
promises is more debateable. Although there is plenty of history in the one
large, open-planned room that is the museum, it’s more a history of trade and
finances, than of port wine itself. Sorely disappointed by the lack of port, I
decided it was soon high time to experience that which, after all, this city is
famed for. Perhaps best to line one’s stomach first…
There
were some intriguing-sounding menus to choose from. How about “selfish crème”
and “bettered crème” in one restaurant? One can perhaps assume the second dish was
the “selfish crème” after having seen the error of its ways. By now I had
arrived in the old town proper, replete with fine churches, picturesque squares
and fancy mansions from the height of the port wine trade. Grand 18th
and 19th century buildings lined the narrow streets and riverfront
promenade, but where to munch? Maybe the old market, Mercado Ferreira Borges,
might be a good place? Alas, no stalls in sight, instead it appeared to have
been converted into a dodgy-looking nightclub and a heavy metal dungeon.
Food
was eventually procured and then it was finally port time. Down by the river,
especially near one of Oporto’s iconic bridges, Ponte de Dom Luis I, the bars
and shops lining the riverfront pretty much all do port tastings. Scenic
setting, al fresco glugging and fine views – suddenly this seemed far more my
kind of place than only a few hours before. Beware though – Oporto’s weather in
summer can be sweltering and there’s little point in doing a ‘mad dogs and
Englishmen’. After some quality sampling (these guys really know their stuff),
a quick look at the temperature gage confirmed that heading indoors was by far
the best option – it was 41°C.
A
perfect place to cool down are the port wine caves themselves, all located on
the south side of the Douro, crossing aforementioned bridge, while admiring more
fine views of the historic centre and the often colourful buildings clinging to
the hillsides on both riverbanks. It helps if you know at least a teensy bit
about this potent fortified wine. Vila Nova de Gaia, as the south side is
called, is positively teeming with port houses and you’ll be hard pushed to
choose if you don’t know your port – hence me doing some tastings beforehand. After
some deliberation, the Burmester port house was my first and last port of call
on my day in Oporto. From what I remember their ports were excellent, as was
the look around the historic port cellars, or caves, and it was also blissfully
cool compared to the scorching heat outside. Rest assured I travelled onwards
from there by taxi.
All
in all the unplanned trip worked well – getting somewhat lost and frustrated
(even with a map) was made up for by just happening upon interesting and lovely-looking
places. That said, I still find some pre-trip research to be a good idea,
especially if staying somewhere a very short time. The “spontaneity kick” was
enjoyable, but this writer will probably be back to her usual wicked ways for
ease of travelling and maximum enjoyment in the future.
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