Em Porto: Port Tasting

We were lucky enough to spend several days based out of Porto. This beautiful city is, as the name would indicate, a port, and, also as the name would indicate, the hub of port wine.

This city sits on the end of the Duoro River, and served as the transportation point for the port made further north up the river. As such, the port houses have caves and/or tasting rooms, largely located directly across the river in the town of Vila Nova de Gaia.

We were lucky enough to be staying in Vila Nova de Gaia, so we could stare at the beautiful Porto from our windows. It was also fortuitous when it was time to go port tasting.

My friends decided to take a bike ride, but due to our very late start I decided to stay back and hit up some caves. I figured this would be similar to wine tasting here in the States, where you can sit at a bar and learn about the wines, and talk to the pourers or others standing nearby. So, I didn't think it would be a big deal to head off by myself.

I think this was stop 5...the barrell wouldn't dance with me

Unfortunately...port tasting at these houses is way different than what I was expecting. Perhaps it was the places I went, but my experience went something like this:

1. Pay for tasting -- one place was 5Euro for 3 tastings, one was 20E for 6 (including a few wines). Others were about 2-3E per glass
2. Go sit down...by myself somewhere on a chair, usually no where near where the drinks are poured
3. Get drinks brought to me. All of them. At once. With very little explanation and no way to ask further questions.
4. Drink everything provided. These were not small pours, either...they were what we would get here in SF if we paid for a nightcap. And remembering that port is much stronger than regular wine, and that there was no food other than some chocolates, well...things can get weird.

This is not to say it wasn't fun -- it was just much less social than I would have liked it to be. I had so many questions, and the pourers really don't come back around to answer any. With so much delicious port, the experience really makes the difference in what you'll purchase. In fact, the only bottle I bought was probably mediocre, but we had the most fun tasting at that particular cave (they were open late, and had a fado singer). You really can't go wrong with any of the ports you'll try, and you'll figure out what time you like -- white, tawny, ruby... and you'll figure out just how much you can drink before this happens: 

Porto: In Pictures

Porto is easily one of the most beautiful cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Vibrant, hilly, and on water? I am sold.

These are a few of my favorite images...

One of my first pics -- the port boats with Porto in the background

Hope it's not time to leave yet.

Sunset on the coast -- edge of the world

One last shot before we go.

Em Porto: Day Trips!

"Here Was Born Portugal"

 We were lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time in Porto -- and I highly suggest at least 2 full days there, if not a third. But it is also a great place to be based, as there are several easy day trips that take you to smaller towns in Portugal -- just a quick train ride away. We were told that we needed more time/overnight stays to visit the Duoro Valley, so we went along with some suggestions provided by the trusty bike rental place guy.

The first we were told to visit was Guimarães, a university town up northeast from Porto. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site (Portugal has a lot of these!). It is about a one hour train ride from Porto -- just make sure you purchase the correct ticket (we didn't), and seemed, to us at least, to be a nice quiet escape from the business of Porto.

Historical Center of  Guimarães

The two sites that we headed off to see were the Palace and the Castle. We discovered that these two terms to not mean the same thing. The Palace was lovely -- it wasn't overly used and then was refurbished and is now just a museum. There is a beautiful chapel full of stained glass windows that was a nice place to just sit a spell. Right up the hill was the Castle...which was largely a shell with a pile of rubble inside. It was perched atop a hill, so clearly at some point it was an important fortress...but now it just looks like a cool place for maybe a live show or a photo shoot!

The town has many cute little shops and restaurants that line the streets on the way between the train station and the Castle/Palace. Also, if you wander a bit around the center, you'll come upon a beautifully manicured street that leads up to a pretty church.

Then, the following day, we headed to Viana do Castelo. About an hour north of Porto on the coast, it is a lovely train ride. For some reason, in my head, I thought we would be seeing a really pretty castle. I was incorrect!

Upon arrival, you can see the beautiful church that sits on top of a very steep hill. We had planned on taking the funicular (the Portuguese love their funiculars), but by the time we got there it was closed for lunch. So we braved a cab ride...and brave it was, as this guy whipped us around the steep hills and curves like they were straightaways. I think we were all holding on for dear life.

Despite the ornate facade, the inside of the church was rather plain. Very pretty, but not crazy. What is really special about this church is the view from the very top. For 1Euro, you can opt for the stairs or the elevator to get there. But, be warned...even with the elevator, you'll still need to climb quite a bit -- including a very narrow and steep spiral staircase. It is worth it for the view, from which you can see the whole city and then some; it feels almost as if, on a clear day, you could see across the seas to the Americas. Getting down from this peak was a little daunting -- I pulled some muscles in my leg doing it! Ouch.

After taking the funicular down from the mountain, we meandered through the old town to find some food and take in the sights. Of all the places we visited, this seemed the least touristed...also the most difficult to find someone who spoke English. My Spanish came in handy, because at least I could read most things, and we found that was more easily understood than our English. This town isn't too big, so it is easy to walk around the old center and see the other churches, municipal buildings, and what not. It felt like siesta time while we were there, but perhaps it is just that sleepy a town!

If you feel like shopping while in Viana do Castela, you're in luck -- there is a large mall right across the tracks from the main train station. If you can figure out how to get over there (read: take the stair overpass or the kind of unsavory looking underpass).

Again, another very worthwhile day trip. While Portugal overall doesn't seem to be too heavily-touristed by Americans (yet), it was fun to really get away from it all into towns that, while they had some tourists, felt more "local."

Em Porto: A Cruise Down the Duoro

 It is hard to escape the lure of the water when you're visiting Porto. You watch it lap gently against the shore in the morning, and by evening you fall asleep to the stronger waves that have developed.

Easily one of the most touristy things we did on our trip was a boat cruise down the Duoro -- which I highly recommend. It was about 15 Euro (I don't think that was the cost; it could have been between 10-20E so 15 seems like a happy medium).


These are guided to a point...there is someone talking to you, but, it had gotten too windy for us to hear anything. But it is really cool to cruise and see the edges of the city, as well as to get close to the mouth of the ocean. Watching the sunset over the Duoro was truly incredible, as was getting to see the city of Porto drenched in that dusk light.

The boat we were on also had a bar, however, it was barely staffed, and not worth our time to try to get a drink. We did end up with a few glasses of wine...of which we could barely choke down two sips. It had definitely turned and was no good! 

Taking one of these tours is definitely a great introduction to this beautiful city.

Lisbon: In Pictures

The sun set too quickly on our time in Lisbon. Here, pics of our journey.

Artwork in our apartment

She was enjoying the show going on below her window

View from right outside of our apartment 

Placa Comercio and the hills of Lisbon

The "other" Golden Gate Bridge

Some street art off the funicular Gloria

Real-world I Heart Lisbon

One last sunset

Em Lisboa: A Run Down the Tagus

Perhaps going on vacation the two weeks prior to a half marathon is the not the best timing (or, I guess in this case, signing up for a half marathon the weekend after returning from a trip!),but that is the way things fell for me this time around. Doing any sort of training meant wrapping things  up and starting taper while out of the country,including my longest run while in Lisbon.

Luckily, this is a great place to get that done. The topography is similar to San Francisco's,including some long,flat stretches. I woke up on Saturday morning, tired (we walked about 11 miles on Friday, then drank a lot,then I watched the A's game until like 4am),dehydrated, and determined together this long run over.

I set off right around sunrise, headed from the Bairro Alto towards the water. As much as I had wanted to get some hill training in,the prior day's activities had rendered this a less-than-desireable option, so I headed west (I think) from the Praço do Comércio along the Tagus (Tejo) River toward Belém. 

This is an ideal route for visiting runners -- it is flat and very straightforward, with little chance to get lost. On the outbound, head towards the Ponte de 25 April. The footpath is well marked... The only drawback is there is some cobblestone that makes running a bit uneven... In many of the cases, inlaid with the cobblestone are some flat stone details, which everyone competes to use. This makes the running a bit more comfortable. One of the nicest things about this route is that you can go almost any distance...From the Praço to the tower of Belém is somewhere between 9-10 miles round trip,but I think you could even further. 

The most challenging part, for me, anyway, was a stretch after the bridge but before the Padrão dos Decobrimentos...the cobblestone was severe and there was only one little strip, right on the edge of the water, that was flat. We all -- and there were a lot of runners out there, we're jockeying for that strip. One false move and you were tumbling down a steep sea wall and into the water. So, be careful!

Bring a euro or two with you, as well, to get water on the route, as there were no water fountains  as far as I could tell. There is a little store/deli along the waterfront, as well as a gas station about a mile before the Tower where you can pick some up.

This run along the Tagus was of the more incredible I have had the luck to do -- had it not been for the huge blister on my toe and the fact that the temperature hit about 80 by the time I was done, I would have liked to go a little farther...but, wow...it was something else to see. It was also fun to feel a part of the vibrant running community of Lisbon (the shirt I was wearing had a silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge, older sister to their Ponte, so I got plenty of double takes and big smiles). Walking back up the hill to Bairro Alto may have been a bit of a challenge, but one well worth it!

(I also got to run by this party?rave?weird gathering of late teens/very early 20-somethings, who were still partying/starting to head home at 8.30am)

Em Portugal

Apologies (mom) for the lack of posts...Internet here in Porto hasn't been that great -- we essentially have to go into the hall outside of our apartment and pray that we hook into it. I wanted, however,to provide a quick update.

We left Lisbon on Sunday afternoon (after a beautiful sunset on Saturday night, above) and headed up to Porto. This city is amazing. I will write more about it later, but...not sure it could be more picturesque. We've been so very lucky with the weather, as well -- hot but not too hot, a little humid but overall really pleasant. Sweaters haven't had to come out until about 9 at night (or 21:00, as they call it here (I think)). 

That pic above is from my window here in Porto -- not sure we could have a more amazing view! We spent some time here in town, which included a river cruise for allows us, some port tasting & exploring for me, and a bike ride for the other ladies. We also visited the towns of Guimarães and Viana do Castelo. It was great to see others parts of northern portugal, but I do think Porto is my favorite! 

Em Lisboa: Day 2

Our second day here -- and our first full one -- saw us one quite a trek. We headed from our home in the Bairro Alto and walked down to Belem -- a little over five miles. This would have been fine if it weren't so hot, and if all of us brought proper footwear (I have some really lovely and ginormous blisters!). 

When we finally arrived, it was definitely time to eat.  We found a nice outdoor cafe, and proceeded to wait to order...and wait...I always forget I need to pack my patience when dealing with service in various European countries. I think it wouldn't be so bad if I had a drink, but often times we're just sitting there, hoping someone will finally stop by our table.  When we were finally able to order, one friend & I got our meal super quickly, while the other two didn't get theirs until after we were done eating (we were starving and couldn't wait).

We made sure to stop by Pasteis de Belem after -- these tasty pastries were a favorite of mine last time and they definitely did not disappoint this time! 

Rather than walk all the way back, we hopped on the 727 bus to take us back to Centro. It was getting a bit desperate for us to find good shoes! Of course. It was El Corte to the rescue!

Later that evening, we had the most fun of our dinners so far, at El Gordo Bar 52. We'd passed this little tapas restaurant several times, and thought it looked fun and a little different. Despite being in a heavily tourist neighborhood, the place had a ton of locals...one of whom, after telling us how sexy she thought Jack Nicholson is (there was a pic of him on the wall), became our best friend. Kristina is a proud Lisbon native, an expert on the town, and I would say she was rather drunk. Her husband tried several times to get her away from our table, but was not successful. Instead, she gave us her number. 

It was soon about midnight or later, and the party was just starting in our hood. It felt a bit like we were in the marina, if it closed down the streets to traffic; the folks were so young and so drunk! We, too, decided to join in for a bit -- when booze is this cheap it is hard to pass up! We somehow found our way home around 2am...I had some important business to attend to!

Bom Dia, Portugal!

We have arrived!

Our first day in Lisbon was a short one... After an Ambien-laden flight or two, we finally got into town in the late afternoon. We were met by a great driver, Kiko, who gave us the low down on this weekend in Lisbon -- apparently it was to be a very busy one.  Three cruise ships had just arrived, and there is a Rock 'n Roll Marathon & "Mini" (half marathon) on Sunday. So basically, it will be a little cuckoo-crazy pants with tourists. 

Once he deposited us near our apartment in Bairro Alto, we decided to eat. And, like all newcomers after a long journey, we chose the place that: 1. Wasn't empty, and 2. Had a lovely, translated-into-many-languages menu. We just needed easy, regardless if it was screaming tourist. 

The food was fine, and not super expensive. Definitely not anything to write home about, or something I would necessarily recommend,but it did the trick.  We were all quite tired, but decided ton walk around a little bit and check things out.  We stopped for a bit at an overlook with views of the whole city, and then off to a park where we learned the price of alcohol here is really low! 

On our way back to our apartment, we heard the low rumble of a massive crowd. As we got closer, we could see that crowd start growing bigger and bigger...and closer to home. The rumors are true...Bairro Alto is the spot for the youngins to come get their drink on.  Kids filled the street, sang songs, and did lord knows what else until the wee hours of the morning. Luckily, I was in the back room, in yet another Ambien-fueled sleep... My friends were not so lucky.  

The Bus

I don't have the greatest history of long haul bus rides. The last one I took, in Argentina, I spent 15 or 16 hours (it was only supposed to be a 12 hour ride, max) trapped in a winsow seat next to a poopy baby. My expectations were not so high, then, for this 7 hour overnighter.

While not as big a nightmare as Argentina, it still stank... Literally. The gentleman next to me smelled of mothballs and sour breath. He was unhappy from the get go, and wanted to make sure we knew. He fidgeted the entire ride, including when we stopped to get food. The way he was acting, I thought for sure he was getting off at one of the early stops - when he had a very loud phone conversation at 1.30am, I thought he was telling someone he'd be there soon.

This was not the case, though. As we approached Sevilla, and after he had picked his nose clean (seriously), he jumped up and prepared to run from the bus. It was a good 10 minutes before the stop! I guess he needed to be the first one off. Once we stopped, he ran and blocked the luggage compartment, moving everyone's stuff until he could find his own. I almost had to hip check him to get my own bag!

Lisboa: El Fin

I spent most of my last day in Lisbon in the area called Belem. It is down on the water, and has some of the oldest sights in Lisbon, as well as the president's residence. I went into the monastery, which had a beautiful church, but didn't go any further because of the massive tour groups (mostly Portuguese kids and Germans).

It was soon time to eat, and I resumed my search for liguicia. I must have looked at over 50 restaurants for it while in Lisbon. (the front desk worker at my hotel even tried to fond me some) I finally found a place with it listed on the menu! I was so excited...but, when I sat down and asked for it, the guy looked at me like I was crazy and said no. As if they would actually have something listed on their menu! After lunch I went and got a pasteis de belem, a really famous and delicious custard tart type thing. Yum!

There were two monuments down by the river that I wanted to see - the monument to discovery and the belem tower. I could not, however, figure out how to cross the street (there was a fenced railroad track in the middle). I finally figured it out, only to later find the stairway that led underground. Anyway, it was SO windy by the water, looking at these things wasn't much fun. I saw the monument (which is pretty awesome), but, as I was heading to the tower my bus arrived, so I jumped on it. Oh well!

Mybus didn't leave until 9.30pm, so I spent the rest of the day wandering aimlessly and shopping. Before I knew it, it was time to head to sevilla!!

Lisbon is a beautiful city; it reminds me a lot of buenos aires. Lots of old, historical sights, but it isn't as well taken care of as other parts of Europe.

The Trouble with Portuguese...

...is that I cannot speak it.

Most who know me know that I am really good with languages. I pick up Swedish ok when I am there, and Italian, too. But not Portuguese. I am having an impossible time with it. I can say thank you, which I knew before I got here, but beyond that? Nada. Even when someone says
something to me, and pronounces it correctly for me, I can't get it. Oh well, I only have a few more hours here!

I started my day in true "katie" fashion - bright and early. It is a beautiful day, so I figured no chance of them cancelling my tour. I hopped on the first bus and headed out. Because I was so early, none of the momuments were open yet, so i decided to continue on the bus for the full circuit. It took about 1 hour, and ended at el corte ingles. Hooray!

If you find yourself in Lisbon with a web-enabled phone, you may want to head into el corte ingles. While I would never encourage sponging off of someone's unsecured wifi (ahem), you just might be able to find access there. Just sayin'. I stood around there for a bit and checked my email; I probably looked creepy as I wasn't even looking at any merchandise. As I walked out, it dawned on me that I probably could have gone to the cafe or something, instead of just standing there looking like an idiot.

I am now waiting around for my tour bus again, to take me back to the Belem area. The bus is supposed to come every half an hour, but their sense of time seems to be different than mine. While in Belem, I want to try the famous custard pie thing, and try to figure out a way to
cross the faux Golden Gate Bridge and go up the faux Christ the Redeemer statue. Apparently the views are awesome.

Whoa

I just ate dinner... About 25$ for salas, a huge steak with side, and wine. It feels like Argentina!!

Port!

I am currently at the Solar do Vinho do Porto Lisboa (turns out it wasn't closed), the main place in Lisbon to taste various ports. So far, I am on glass #2 (pictured above). To taste, it is as little as 1euro! And, the give you a full glass! The first one I tried I really liked, and they sell a bottle for about 10$. I am tempted to get some to share in sevilla!

Lisbon: Day 2

Looking out my window this morning, I had a hard time telling if I was still in Lisbon or if I had been magically transported back to SF. I saw the "Golden Gate Bridge," and it was covered by fog. It was almost surreal!

I had a rough time getting out of bed this morning, but once I did, it was off to take one of those hop-on, hop-off bus tours. I walked over to the starting point...only to find out it was cancelled today because of the weather. This makes absolutely no sense to me, as the weather is just a heavy fog, but, I guess this is cause enough for this company (I saw other open-top tours happening, so I wonder what the real deal is). This forced me to remap my entire day. Not a bad thing, I just wasn^t prepared for it!

So far I have walked around Baixa and Chiado, and up to the Alfama. Saw the Sé (cathedral), which was pretty boring looking from the outside, but inside had a beautiful nave and altar area. Then when up to Castelo Sao Jorge, which offered one of the most magnificent views of Lisbon. It was stunning, really. Now I have gotten myself lost on the way back from the Castelo; I am hoping to hop on the #28 tram that all the guidebooks/shows recommended. It looks pretty cool.

The weather canºt make up its mind...hot or cold, misty or dry. It is a bit of a hassle having to pull the sweater on and off, and on and off again. Oh well. Hopefully while I have been sitting here, it has cleared up a bit and I can work on my tan. (donºt worry, dad, I am wearing sunscreen!)

Arrived in Lisbon!

After a brief stop in Frankfurt (well, I guess not too brief... I had time to have a big german beer and all-beef sausage, even though it was 10am), I arrived in Lisbon.

The picture is the view from my hotel room. Look familiar? (if you can't see it well, it looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge).

It is about 5pm here now, so I won't be doing any extensive touring today, but I am going to go check things out a bit.

At the Airport

I'm at the airport, waiting in the security line. I am disappointed that they made me check my luggage (because the flight is full, they are being really limited with how much you can carry on... I was over by about 1kg, or 2lbs).

I really hope my luggage makes it; they checked it through to Lisbon so we'll see!

This security line is a bit of a clusterf***. People all over the place, and no one there to direct traffic. The line is poking along, but at least it is moving! There is a woman in front of me with a large plastic water bottle, which I thought weren't allowed through security. I'll be interested to see if they let it through.

The Countdown Begins...Really Packing This Time

Luca has decided to park himself across my stomach as I sit and write this, so I apologize for any jumbles. I think he knows I am leaving him in two days!

So my bag is almost packed. It seems really empty, though, so I am wondering what I am missing?

It is seriously half empty. All that's missing is my camera chargers, makeup, and possibly one more skirt. But that won't fill up much...I must be forgetting something, right? I guess I'll find out when I get over there, huh?