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Published: September 10th 2019
Our Cafe
Complete with small alter on the right hand wall, how could we go wrong. Impeccably clean, friendly service, we’re happy.Today was intended to be a ‘catch up on rest’ day, wander around, and go on our boat ride.
We took the rubbish out - 50 metres up the street, turn left and the bins are another 50 metres - and walked back to the main road down some different streets. I think we found the real local shops. A cluster of tidy cafes sat at the top of the street, followed by a butcher, fruit shop, two strangely stocked hardware shops, and an op shop/ curios business. A recommended restaurant was open and I went to enquire about the hours.
Do you speak English?
No.
And that was it. These weren’t restaurant people, but rather tradesmen who looked displeased to see me. That conversation was over.
Portugués people are loud. They yell and argue in the street and don’t care who hears. It’s passion, bursting unchecked out of their mouths. We saw a young guy giving his partner ( I assume) some home truths today and he was sort of karate chopping the palm of his own hand as if to accentuate each dot point he was making. It was loud and seemed agressive, but
It ain’t no Brunettis
The local cafe. 1€20 for a very strong cappuccino. she just took it in her stride. Girls and older adults behave the same way. It’s actually quite interesting. It’s not part of my life, that’s for sure. I’m well aware of my boundaries.
Sue wanted to visit the large department store further up the hill, and was ready to give up looking for it , when a huge multi-storey building advertising many leading brands came into view.
Now my only policy here is to have a reason for going in. Browsing isn’t a reason. If it’s browsing, I’m happy to wait outside. Luckily it was a bit more upmarket than where these Sherry’s normally shop, so a couple of grandchildren purchases later, and we were gone. We caught the tram into the centre of town, and decided to eat lunch at O Forno, the delicious cafe I mentioned yesterday.
I placed an order for two serves of bacalou, the traditional cod dish, while Sue found us a table. I noticed the absence of tongs or gloves in the food handling, and decided it was unwise to mention it to Sue. Luckily I didn’t need to. When the man brought our glasses, plates and cutlery to the
Our Neighbourhood, Villa Nova de Gaia.
Pretty working class, very safe and friendly, and we are close to the river and public transport. table, he placed the prongs of Sue‘s fork between thumb and finger, and squeezed, just to remove something that we didn’t notice. He did the same to the rim of my glass. But he didn’t do the steamy breath thing first, so it could have been worse.
We cautiously ate away, and it wasn’t until we were back on the street that I mentioned a few habits that he performed with his hands, that I could see and Sue couldn’t; the most acceptable one being wiping his hot face with both hands. That cafe has dropped right off the list of choices now.
After buying a few things that we had procrastinated about yesterday, we caught the train home, had a breather, and set off to catch the chairlift down to the harbour for our boat ride. It was very windy as we boarded the lift with two other men, and the carriage swayed in the breeze as we descended slowly. As we approached the end the rocking became more severe and I estimate that we missed hitting the final pylon by 30cm; and I was taking particular notice. I took a small video on the way down
but unfortunately I couldn’t download it here.
The cruise was interesting. We saw Porto from a different viewpoint and after heading up the river, returned to where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. The ride towards the open sea was rough and a fine spray broke the bows of the boat at times. We were at the front and were unaffected.The smell of the salty spray and the constant noise of the seagulls following the boat was familiar, and it was lovely out on the water.
Porto is a very pretty, compact town. Unlike Lisbon, you can cover a lot of territory in a short time. Both cities are equally attractive in my opinion, but tomorrow is our last day so we need to get through as much as we can.
Back on shore , I wanted to go and look at the boat building, and wandered through the cruise boats bus station , jumped a stone wall, and sat for a while watching and listening to the new planks being fitted and nailed into place. I find the slow deliberate pace of these skills very calming, and it took me back to when I spent years building
Magnet Street
This is our third visit up this way. Not sure what the pull is. Next time I’m climbing that tower. a traditional sailing boat. I still have it, don’t use it, but would have trouble parting with it. There’s a sense of pride in its beauty, and there’s a bit of me in each plank. Plus, I had some help from one of my sons with it, and that makes it more special.
I might get gamer tomorrow and get a closer look. Often people are welcoming if you show an interest in their craft; of course, sometimes they’re not. I’m going.
After our lunch experience at the newly named Salmonella Inn, we cautiously chose a waterfront restaurant for our dinner. Sue chose the bacalou, and I had the Portuguese Pork. Both were delicious, but what was occurring in front of our restaurant was very distracting, and more interesting than the food.
This guy, dressed like an ancient Sharman, was levitating, suspended with one hand, and sometimes just a finger, on the end of a stick.He had a concentration too intense to be real, he moved at the pace of a veteran tai chi master, and popped out these weird cheesy grins every time a donation was made. Convinced it was impossible, I asked the waitress if
Hardware Store.
I’m not sure he can do house lots for new builds, but he is nearby. he was for real. She leant down and whispered to me, No, but it’s our little secret. I knew it! But he was good, he was a true showman and passers by loved him. He deserved everything he was given, as he was just a different form of magic. We were there long enough to see him pack up and get changed. As she said, It’s our little secret.
Instead of catching the chairlift , we walked to the top of the lift and it was all steep winding lanes and banks of difficult steps. We had a few rest stops but Sue persisted , probably using the chairlift as motivation.
Tomorrow we need to sort out a lift to the station on Thursday. The trains don’t stop at our station early enough, and the taxi rank we checked out had no cabs call by for the whole time we waited. We must get it sorted but I’ll make some enquires tomorrow.
Goodnight.
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Judy Dehnert
non-member comment
Secret
Hey there. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Have been sharing some of your blog with some staff here. They want to know the secret. Have a great time.