Backpacks and Flipflops

.......one does not listen to Fado....one feels Fado....
- unnamed quote about Coimbra Fado

.... Prologue ...

Water has shaped Portugal....,its past....it flows through....around and on this tiny, historic country...,.has set its course in history....from explorers that sailed to the four corners.....to the fishers who ventured way beyond their home shores.....the cod....once so plentiful...is part of the fabric of the people....cod...from the cold, dark Atlantic waters...has as many different ways to be prepared as there are days in the year........

Water has cultivated the land....crops prosper....it has served as the highway for commerce...trade ....and battles...Water has sustained this country....like Fado...it is in the very fabric of their soul....and nourishes

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COIMBRA

"Hills......why does it always have to be hills?".......in Portugal....
We laugh again at more climbing in another marvelous old heritage city.

Coimbra...home to Fado....the soulful music of love and romance...
is a UNESCO culturally protected art.

..and also home to (one of) Europe's oldest universities (1290)... designated a UNESCO heritage site for its historical buildings..

A blend of old and new....hills and flats....the city borders the gentle flowing Mondego River.

We spend a few days wandering hilly cobblestoned streets where cars can barely pass, drink wine at the base of a church and taste tapas ...

Worth a few days to wander.....smaller than Lisbon....with the buzz of university students walking in their black-garbed Harry Potter school uniforms....all makes for a little culture, a bit of drink and a taste of art.

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PORTO

......did you know......the word Portugal derives from the Roman-Celtic place name Portus Cale.

Cale or Cailleach was the name of a Celtic deity and the name of an early settlement located at the mouth of the Douro River (present-day Vila Nova de Gaia), which flows into the Atlantic Ocean in the north of what is now Portugal......

.....welcome to Porto....the heartland and soul of Portugal....

Another gem of Portugal ....far easier to get around than Lisbon....with a rich history in wine and port....this (another) hilly city and UNESCO Heritage site sits at the mouth of the Douro River (the river of gold) and is the passage way into the fabulous Douro Valley wine region.

"One of the most popular symbols of Porto is the Rabelo boat. These flat boats, nowadays laying quietly by the riverside, used to be the nautical horses that carried barrels of Porto wine from the Douro valley vineyards to the Port Wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia."

This is easily a walkable and livable city, despite the hills and narrow streets and alleys...from the banks of the Douro River..old town rises steeply...houses buildings, cafes and restaurants all squeezed together...some seem part of the old fortress walls...others overlook the busy sidewalks or bustling plazas.

There's even the bookstore that inspired the Harry Potter version here. Crowds line up daily to wander the delightful staircase and stacks of books.

While Porto has the usual churches, old plazas and amazing rock walls....the places you want to be in are the shrines to wine and port...which are on the opposite side of old town....across the river Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia....the headquarters for all the wine/port makers of the Douro Valley... The pairing with chocolate was delectable!!!

And...for a real, house of worship....attended daily by thousands coming and going.....visit the Sao Bento train station.....the blue tile artwork that adorns the interior walls is every bit as awe inspiring as the countless murals and stained glass that covers a myriad of Portugal buildings.

Again....Porto is made to walk...it is the city of bridges....at least six cross the river at various points...the bridges are for trains, vehicles or people or a combination of all three. Both sides are people friendly.

It was a great spot to spend Halloween....,where else can Canadians, South Africans, Cuban-Americans hang out for a night of drink and laughter.

Consider Porto..the heart and soul of Portugals people, tradition and culture..far from the tourist packed beaches of the Algarve.....it's a getaway to the little explored northern Portugal and a jumping off point to the delicious Douro Valley....

Tchau!!

Yvonne y Shayne

....Upcoming......Touro of the Douro Wine Valley region