Portugal

I hadn't initially planned for a day off before starting out on the Camino this year but when Delta changed my flight schedule I decided that a free day in Porto sounded marvelous. Starting your Camino without rushing is a good thing. Slowing down and focusing on your breathing is a really good thing.

All the restaurants were closed when I arrived last night but I made up for it today. My first order of business was to get coffee and a Pastal de Nata - a Portuguese egg custard tart - that are especially heavenly when just out of the oven with flakey crust and gooey filling. I might have looked up who made the best pastal de natas on TripAdvisor. I might have also had a couple of breakfasts this morning.

I walked off my pastries with a stroll to the Porto Cathedral to get my first stamp in my credential (Camino passport). Arriving before they opened I expected to meet other pilgrims who would be eagerly waiting to get their stamp so they could get on The Way. I met pilgrims from Germany, Italy and Israel within a few minutes, all of them walking to Santiago de Compostela for the first time. A German lady asked me if the Cathedral would open at Portuguese or German time. She does enough traveling to know that not all countries or cultures have the same value for precision as the Germans are known for. It made me reflect that I was already grateful for not being in a hurry today and so I stepped aside and let a plethora of pilgrims past me when the doors opened at 9:01.

When I was here two years ago I didn't tour the cathedral. I did this year, surprising the bad tempered woman at the front desk who has a reputation of being short with pilgrims. "A stamp and a tour, please." I asked her, sliding over my credential.

"Hmm..." was all she said, not being able to read my intentions through my mischievous smile.

The cathedral was interesting. If you are not Roman Catholic cathedrals are still worth visiting for their history and art. The view of the city and the Douro River from the tower were worth the price of admission. My favorite art piece was a chapel ceiling that is called, "The Fountain of St. Michael, the Angel." It is a pretty feminine portrayal of the archangel (in my opinion). The rest of the ceiling is covered by 14 women practicing their virtues.

I visited three other churches today, the first being The Church of Santa Clara, where everything inside was gilded in gold. it was rather extravagant, if you are into gold plating everything.

Jesus once said, "The poor you will have with you always." Maybe it was because he knew we were incapable of addressing poverty and homelessness knowing that we would instead hoard riches, land and power all supposedly in his name. He goes on to say, "but you will not always have me." Maybe there is a reason Jesus left the building.

The third church was a quieter chapel, where I actually sat down for a while and practiced gratitude. 

The fourth was the Church of St. Francis where they were collecting 10 Euros a person to visit the catacombs under the church. Knowingthat St Francis had taken a vow of poverty himself, I decided not to donate to the church that was named after him.

Okay, I'm done preaching.

The two things I loved today were photography and food. I stayed right next to a museum of photography that in the past had been a prison. It was great space for exhibits. They also had the largest camera collection I had ever seen, taking up a whole floor of the museum. Walking around town today I really missed my camera and my lenses. I could spend months photographing this city. I was grateful for what I was able to capture with my phone.

The food here is also spectacular. I had found a small restaurant, Taberna Dos Mercadores, that had great reviews. I found them in an alley and stood outside the restaurant before they opened for lunch. Two guys, who looked like brothers, would open the door to let in vendors with food, another time they both came out for a smoke. They obviously weren't German as they didn't open up till 20 minutes after their published lunch hours. It was obvious they took notice of who had been there for a while, as they sat 8 of us after filling up the other 8 seats with those who had reservations.The rest had to wait until one of us gave up a table.

They were very obviously Portuguese, and once you had a table it was yours until you were finished with your experience. There was no hurry, even though they could have done twice the business if turning over tables was their goal.

Four people ran this restaurant, doing all the tasks. One of the brothers was polishing the silverware. Another took away my glass off the table as he thought it had a smudge on it. When you did overhear them talking to each other it was always responded to by, "Yes,Chef."

The couple at the seat next to me asked for help with the wine. "What is good?"

The brother replied by waving a hand around to the wine racks overhead, "They all are. What do you like in a bottle of wine?"

Outside I heard someone ask if they could make a reservation for dinner. "Sure," the brother answered, "but the next available is in July."

I took a nap this afternoon. A real siesta. I like this pace of life.

Dinner was at Tapabento, where we celebrated Jamie's birthday two years ago with their famous Peanut Foam Dessert. I've had reservations since February.

I love Porto, but I'm ready to walk. I don't know what time I'll start, but I already have my Cathedral stamp so I'll head down to the river and then up to the Ocean where I'll turn north.

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