Porto Days 2-4

 Porto Days 2-4

3 days of seafood (garlic shrimp, delicately pan-seared bass and herb-battered cod) plus red sangria and I am captivated by Porto. Today I am visiting Foz do Douro, which is where the Douro river meets the Atlantic ocean. Small sandy nooks dot the coastline up towards Matinhos, not really big enough to call beaches, but they do anyway. 🥹

I learned about Porto’s history as an old Roman port city (Portus Cale) which changed hands numerous times before becoming the first capital of Portugal. Today it was foggy and windswept — which was a delightful break from the humidity a few days earlier — and it lent an ‘untamed’ quality to the coastal scene. Sailboats dot the horizon and their sails are full, even tilting the slender boats nearly over.

As I walked up the coast to Matinhos, I came up a terraced restaurant/lido overlooking the ocean and whiled away a few hours enjoying the view. Something I appreciate about being in Portugal specifically, and in Europe in general, is that diners aren’t rushed to finish their meals and make way for others. The concept of “turning over tables” every 60-90 minutes is foreign here. People are encouraged to linger and it creates a relaxing environment, and a slower, more indulgent pace.

Don’t get me wrong, the trains still run on time and there is still great capacity to “get things done”, but without the frenzy, stress and nervous “productivity” that so many Americans seem to embody. In US offices, corporate workers are very likely to eat at their desks while catching up on email, or feel guilty about stepping out for a 1 hour lunch. Here, amid the cafes filled with tourists, are also locals taking a relaxed lunch break or enjoying the fresh air under a tree, before going back to work. It seems that every shady bench or patch of grass is an invitation to linger and recharge.