Lots of fun exploring Porto and Gaia

I’ve spent a fun afternoon exploring more of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia (on the opposite bank of the Duoro).

This included crossing the high level of the Ponte Luís I, an iron bridge designed by one of Gustav Eiffel’s students. The top deck carries pedestrians and metro/trams 40m above the lower deck, which carries road traffic and pedestrians. As you’ll see the views from the bridge are pretty spectacular, and the view of the bridge itself and the historic centre of Porto behind from the Jardim do Moro is the classic Porto panorama.

I found a little cafe for lunch which specialised in Porto’s steak sandwich, the Prego (which apparently means “nail”).

I took a tour at the Taylor’s Port Lodge, with an audio guide which told the story of Taylor, Fladgste & Yeatman, founded in 1692. Perhaps this is an occupational hazard but the full sounds like a law firm to me!

Then the tour took us into the main Lodge building which is really just a huge old warehouse full of maturing vintage bottles of port. The smell of the port vapour permeating through the oak barrels was divine!

The tour continued to explain all one needs to know about port production and export (and more besides).

Finally, the tour finished in a pretty garden for a (generous) taste of 3 famous Taylor’s port wines: the Chip Dry extra dry white port, a Lare Bottled Vintage (form a single year’s grapes, which are matured for 4 or so years) and a 10 year old Tawny Port. All were delicious.

I then crossed back to Porto in search of Porta 4 (Door No. 4), the tiny restaurant where this morning’s tour guide works as a chef, where I’d booked a table for dinner. (See https://restauranteporta4.eatbu.com/?lang=en).

The restaurant was incredibly friendly, and everyone was offered a glass of white port as an aperitif on the house. The kitchen was open to the dining room and for most of the evening the brother of one of the waitresses was chef. Jorge popped in at one point - he’d been assigned to the preparation kitchen tonight but it was nice to catch up briefly with him.

Before long I’d struck up a conversation with a mother and daughter from New York and New Jersey, and a couple from Montreal. The latter are starting the Caminho Português in the morning, the husband walked the Caminos Nortes and Primativo in Northern Spain last year.

At the end of the evening, the half of the restaurant who’d finished eating then shared a glass of LBV port with the staff and the chef … I’m going to sleep very well tonight!Read more