Chapter 37 (Guest Post): Portal to Porto
Sevilla, Spain and Lisbon and Porto, Portugal, June 13-20
Feast your eyes — Rei’s second post on our time in Iberia!
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Our last morning in Malaga, we woke up and got our last packing up done, then caught a taxi to a rental car spot a bit outside of the city. They weren’t quite ready with the car we had ordered, so we stalled a bit while they cleaned and prepped an Alfa Romeo SUV and we got settled in for a few hours of road tripping across southern Spain. Cami drove (thank god) and we stopped at a little gas station/restaurant for some provisions and canned coffee. The road wound through hills of grape vines, olive trees and sunflowers and honestly it looked a lot like northern California. We were on our way to Sevilla, known for its (inedible) orange trees and the beautiful Moorish architecture of the Real Alcázar palace.
We arrived and after a heroic parking job in possibly the smallest spot in a tiny underground garage, we headed out to find the castle. The thing about castles is they’re often walled and designed not to let anyone in, and unfortunately we accidentally picked the long way around. We circled the entire castle to finally find the entrance and luckily we talked them into honoring our reservation even though we were very late. The castle was STUNNING. The most intricate tile work, domed ceilings and everything gilded. Photos don’t do it justice. We tapped into our favorite - the audio guide - and got some interpretation of what we were looking at. It was a blistering day and there were hundreds of people, some on tours, others with headphones in listening to the audio tour in various languages. We were on a bit of a time crunch to return the rental car and catch our bus to Lisbon - so we couldn’t stay to see everything we might have wanted to.
We returned to the car (walking the short way this time) and Cami and Alex dropped me off at the bus terminal with all of our bags while they returned the car a few blocks away. I had the coldest, best Coke of the trip while I waited for them and also ordered something I hoped would be cheesy potatoes but was in fact cold mayo-smothered potato salad with crunchy breadstick crackers to dip in it (ew). We reunited, found where our bus would be, and Cam and I went upstairs to buy sandwiches and water for the road. The bus driver played absolutely hilarious tunes (lots of early 90s radio hits) and I settled in to knit the last bit of a blue top I had been working on and eat my lunch - literally Spanish tortilla on bread, a potato sandwich. We stopped once along the way for a bathroom break at the nicest rest stop I’ve ever been to, and arrived in Lisbon at 10:30pm or so. Our host met us, showed us the apartment, and we walked down to a local spot that, I kid you not, was called Bob’s Burgers. It was killer, as you’d expect. We headed to bed full and content.
Friday, June 14, 2024
I woke up early, put the final touches on that shirt I was knitting so I could wear it, and when everyone was up we took a longish walk down to the waterfront to Mercado da Ribeira, a huge food hall and vegetable market PACKED with people eating all kinds of delicious things. It is here where we met our new obsession - pasteis de nata. When I tell you we ate these things every chance we could, I am not lying. They’re these little pastries, the size and shape of a mini quiche, filled with sweet custard. They’re sold absolutely everywhere and cost €1-2 each. We had a few of those, plus some real lunch, then wandered around looking at the flea market-style stalls out front. Al bought a hat and bequeathed his old one to Cami because “it looks better on you anyway” (sweet).
We found a little quiosco (kiosk) and got port and tonics, made with white port. Then we headed up the hill - did I tell you about the hills? - to a famous spot called Cafeteria Landeau Chocolate [link] for this amazing chocolate cake. I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s dense, but light, and deep dark chocolate that’s not too sweet. Truly divine with an iced latte. Then - serendipity - there was a very cool wine bar across the street, so we just had to stop in there too. Al made friends with some hypercool people who invited us to party on their boat. We didn’t go. Instead, we went to this gorgeous family-run Israeli restaurant in the heart of Bairro Alto called Tantura [link]. It was Friday - another serendipity - so we got to watch the owner observed Shabbat with a few others, lighting the candles and saying the prayer and pouring the wine, and we ordered the tasting menu which was phenomenal. Highly recommend.
Saturday, June 15, 2024
Woke up, headed out for a pastel de nata or two, and wandered over to the botanic gardens, usually one of my favorite places to visit in any city. This one was fine, but not spectacular. We snagged some lunch, and Cami and I headed out to a perfumery. I apparently took zero pictures, but the place was so well curated. I love the idea of perfume as a souvenir since it’s small but meaningful and scent can be such a visceral memory, but we didn’t get anything this time.
We popped into Bar Rosette, a wine bar that had literally opened the week before. It was super vibey with low lighting and a whole leg of cured ham, the trademark bar snack for the area. The owner, a Canadian, recommended Tasca do Chico, a tavern around the corner, for Fado, Portuguese blues performance. We got in line and the owner told us it would be a wait. They let a group in, close the doors, take orders for food and drink, and put the lights low while the performers sing a few songs, then bring out food and drink, play a few more songs, and then open the doors to let people in and out. It was very well orchestrated.
We waited in line for long enough that Alex and I went on a beverage run and came back with a truly enormous port tonic from a punky bar across the street. Hooray for no open container laws! I had been a little intimidated by this bar since there was a lot of frat boy energy and cosmic bowling-style lighting but every person working was either a badass looking woman or a cool gay punk in his 50s. Very nice surprise!
We rejoined Cami in line and eventually got our turn to listen to Fado. The room was darkly lit, and the walls were absolutely covered in photos of people who had visited throughout the history of the place. I jokingly said we’d find Anthony Bourdain on the wall somewhere and lo and behold, within a moment we found him grinning with the owners. We ordered a carafe of wine, a sandwich, and some soup (normal bar food, right?) and squeezed into a tiny table to listen. The whole packed place gets pin-drop silent when the performers are ready and the owners look like they will kick you right out if you dare speak. This is music with feeling, and it’s an art the musicians train their whole lives for. It almost brought me to tears, and I’m so glad we got to experience it.
Sunday, June 16, 2024
This morning, we walked just a block down the hill from where we were staying to Marquise, a restaurant straight out of a West Elm catalog. We ate our runny eggs and flaky pastry and drank coffee from bespoke mugs then headed back down toward the water through the narrow streets to find the promised land, the tinned fish store. We looked at a zillion different packaging designs and ultimately Cami chose a few of her favorites for snacks in the next few days. We found - shocking - more port tonics at a quiosco in the park - and eventually headed back for a nap.
I wandered to the nearby Aldi for provisions and some tile admiring and we got ready for our evening plans, a BOAT! I threw together some quick snacks for a makeshift dinner and we hopped in an Uber to take us to the docks. We were a smidge late but they held it for us, luckily, and the party had already started when we got on board. We had booked through Viator that same morning and did a little sunset cruise on the Tagus River. There was a bar on board and they were playing some good music. Some people danced, and we found a spot to sit since Al’s foot was in pretty major pain. We took some very good sunset pictures and cruised under the 25 de Abril bridge, which looks just like the Golden Gate.
On the way back, we popped by Malice, a super-trendy pizza joint that had just had a popup event with flash tattoos the day before. We downed our Super Bocks and scarfed our pizza, then headed home.
Monday, June 17, 2024
After acquiring our last pasteis de nata of Lisboa, we packed up and headed to the train station for Porto. The train was a couple of hours, and quite comfy. I (of course) did a bit more knitting and we cruised into Porto in the mid-afternoon just as it started raining. We snagged a taxi to the Framer’s House where we were staying, and since we were pretty ravenous and late for lunch, we walked a few blocks in the rain to Mercado do Bolhão for the pasta they pour into a giant hollowed out wheel of cheese… which is to say, the best kind of pasta. We picked up some vegetables including some beautiful plum tomatoes, zucchini, a box of mixed mushrooms, lettuce, bread, and some interesting pastries. We served it all with rosé and tinned fish for dinner.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Portugal is known for yarn, and I wanted to make sure to take full advantage (especially since I had a second suitcase now - see last blog post). Cami and I had a slowish morning and headed to the closest yarn shop, which unfortunately didn’t have much of what I was looking for so we headed across the street to the classic Humana Vintage to try on a hundred different Breton stripe shirts and flip through a million old leather jackets. Then we texted Al to have him meet us at a falafel shop called Cult of Pita which ended up being a favorite (and some of the only spicy food we found all trip). Everything felt very vibey and trendy and we ended up going two days in a row.
That afternoon, we headed to a yarn shop called Tricots Brancal and I bought my weight in beautiful Portuguese wool (40 skeins, there goes my extra suitcase space!). We wandered down toward the water and found a few more pasteis de nata - the best ones we’d had yet, and we got to watch them being made with their flaky laminated layers and all. We walked across the street and booked a tour for two days later to go up the Douro to visit some wineries. I bought some really beautiful handmade gold earrings from an artist on the street and we headed back home for dinner.
That evening, in a strange turn of events, we found an underground (literally) psychedelic pop show in a cave. Al still wasn’t feeling up for walking so Cami and I went alone and it was a very cool and strange experience. They had Lagunitas on tap, and we felt at home immediately, but I shamefully ordered red wine and it was literally the worst glass I’ve ever had. All in all, very glad we went but I should have known better than ordering wine at a concert.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
We booked a tour at Ferreira (pronounced, somehow, “Fu-HAIR-uh”) and learned a ton about the history of port distilling. This distillery has been woman-owned since the 1800s and we got to tour the whole property, which used to be at ground level and is now enclosed in the building, but maintains the exteriors of the original buildings and original street signs. We tasted three ports with very generous portions (ha!) and made friends with a mother-and-son pair who were in our tour group. It was interesting to hear their understanding of America and especially American politics.
Cam here! After our port tastings we were desperate for lunch, so we went to the nearest place — a food market. There were tons of options, but my commitment to trying local specialities lead me to ordering a francesinha, an unholy sandwich with multiple of meats, melted cheese and a fried egg, doused in a tomato-beer sauce. Even though I was up to my eyeballs in port, it was not good.
After lunch, Al and I headed to a podiatrist appointment we had made for his aching foot. Having booked an appointment with a specialist, we were hoping for a resolution, a revelation, something! But alas. The doctor called Al fat, said he probably had gout (but didn’t test for it), didn’t even look at his foot without prompting and told us that he was about to leave on vacation. We left dejected, with yet another prescription for ibuprofen.
While they dealt with Al’s foot, I headed out alone to knit and have a glass of wine at the market nearby and caught some fun live music in the setting afternoon sun. Then we ended up back at Cult of Pita for a lateish dinner and turned in for the night.
Thursday, June 20, 2024
Solstice! A very fun and important day to me personally. Bright and early, we walked down to catch the tour bus. We were in a group of 30ish and I ended up sitting next to Valeria, a sweet woman from Uruguay who was about our age. She and I chatted in English and Spanish about our impressions of Portugal while Cam and Al sat a few rows up. We got out at the first stop, a small river town called Amarante, where I immediately found and fell in love with a stray street dog who looked just like my childhood pup Sam. I cried immediately and then we got a cheeky coffee and used the restroom before heading back on the bus for the first winery called Quinta de Roêda where we got a quick description of how the grapes are grown and a massive group tasting of 3 different port wines.
From there, we were driven just a short jaunt to a boat launch where we got on a fun longboat and were promptly poured more - you guessed it - port! It was a beautiful day, with the big fluffy Microsoft-background clouds, and maybe 70 degrees out, so neither hot nor cold. No idea what that is in celsius, look it up.
Our next stop felt more like someone’s home and we were shown through a garage-style wine cellar with huge vats of wine. Then we stepped down into a kitchen that smelled absolutely incredible and felt like someone’s grandma’s house full of clay pots and sizzling cauldrons of deliciousness. We headed outside for a tasting menu (some of which was surprisingly vegetarian) and a cool ceremony where a woman opened a very old bottle of port using a pair of tongs that she stuck in the burning coals of a fire, placed over the neck of the bottle, and then poured icy water over to crack the glass. The idea is that the bottle is so old that a typical corkscrew might not work with an ancient cork like that. We all oohed and aahed and then found out it was her first time ever doing this ceremony despite working there many years. Meanwhile, they were playing Queen’s “Under Pressure” as we all giggled. We all got a little taste as the next tour came through to start their kitchen tour.
Then we got back in the bus and many of us dozed as we headed back for Porto. As we approached the city center at the end of our tour, we passed under a bridge made by Gustavo Eiffel of tower fame. We said goodbye to our companions and Ubered back to our apartment. Not one to miss a solstice sunset, I forced Cami out of the house one more time with a half bottle of port and two glasses in our purses. We headed to Passeio das Virtudes, a popular spot to watch the sunset, and settled in for watching the latest sunset of the year, 9:30 PM. Afterwards, we stopped for a slice of pizza and the shop owner warned us of how spicy the tabasco sauce is. We laughed about this with the woman sitting next to us who was from Mexico. Then we headed home to go to bed.
Friday, June 21, 2024
The following day we woke up and got ready to head to the airport. Again, I got to enjoy the perks of having friends with lounge passes. I settled in with a super bock, Portugal’s national beer, and various other lounge snacks as we waited for our plane. We flew off to Bilbao, Spain, to meet our 45 minute bus to Donostia/San Sebastian. Al’s foot was still hurting, so after we checked into our apartment and headed for dinner, we chose the first place we found. I had a plate of nachos the size of a toddler. Picture nachos. It was that. I didn’t expect nachos to actually look like nachos in Spain, but I was very happy with it. We got a slice of Basque cheesecake to go, and retreated to our new abode full and exhausted.
Saturday, June 22, 2024
The slowest and laziest day of our trip (Cam here, that might be true for the time with we were with Rei but definitely not for the trip at large). Cami and I walked to the grocery store nearby, a place I would end up multiple times this day, for provisions needed for our upcoming hike. Afterwards, we mostly lazed around the house making friends with the neighborhood cats on the back patio. My second grocery stop was for I don’t know what, but my third time was for a bottle of wine, the most important provision of all. Then we went to a restaurant called Botanika Kafe for dinner. Cami and I both had tofu curry and red wine. Although both were individually good, this was a combination I would not recommend. We went to bed nice and early, at quarter to eleven, so we could get up and walk to the Camino the next day. Stay tuned for that in an upcoming edition, hopefully it won’t take another 7 months!
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