Food, Fado, and Football in Porto, Portugal

Chocolate sardines in beautiful tins

 

I love being able to spend several days visiting a city, it gives me the chance to explore the local culture. My stay in Porto, Portugal gave me exactly that opportunity, and here are some of the things I was able to enjoy.

Mercado do Bolhão

At the heart of the Bolhão neighborhood is a shopping district that is centered around the Mercado do Bolhão (Bolhão Market). Many of the streets have been pedestrianized, and they are lined with stores selling everything from tourist goods to high-end fashions. 

 

There are also street musicians, playing for donations, providing a musical background as you walk along. 

The Mercado do Bolhão has been on this spot since 1839. Originally an outdoor food market, its structure was constructed in the early 1900’s. The building now climbs 4 stories, housing shops and restaurants on it upper levels, with a large open food market on its main floor. Because int is built into a hillside, there are entrances on several levels. 

The largest zucchini I have ever seen

On the main level of the market there are stalls selling prepared food along the outer walls. The center aisles the market are filled with vendors hawking produce, fish, meat, and sweets. It is a great place to visit. You can try small plates of local specialties and desserts, and even try some reasonably priced glasses of port.

Capela das Armas de Santa Caterina

Casa da Guitarra

The Casa da Guitarra (House of the Guitar) is a museum and performance space dedicated to the history of Portuguese stringed instruments and the musical style called fado. Established in 2012, Casa da Guitarra maintains a permanent display of classic guitars.

Most evenings, they put on a performance of fado. Musicians and singers perform the music and explain its history and cultural significance.

The Casa da Guitarra is on Av. Vimara Peres, which comes to an end nearby at the Ponte Dom Luis I.  This is a double decked metal arched bridge was built in the 1880’s, with a lower level for motor traffic, and an upper deck that carries trains from Porto’s Metro. You can walk along the upper level, but there is no barrier between the trains and the pedestrians. Walkers and bicyclists spread out across the deck, but move quickly out of the way when the trains come by.

Boavista Football Club

Football, or what Americans call soccer, is the king of sports in Portugal, and in this part of the country Porto is the team to follow. It is one of the “big three” teams in La Liga, always in the mix to win the league title. But Porto is not the only team in town. Boavista Football Club is an oft forgotten team in Portugal’s second city. It was founded in 1910, and for its first sixty years, Boavista bounced between the Primera and Segundo divisions. Since the 1970’s the team has been an almost constant feature in the top division. 

Unfortunately, it is a team that seems to be struggling, both on the field and financially. Its stadium, which was renovated for the 2004 European Championships, is in dire need of a fix-up, and when I attended a Sunday night game, they drew a sparse crowd, filling less than half of the capacity of 28,000 people. Still, the game was enjoyable, even though the home team lost 1-0.

When I travel, I really love getting away from the big name tourist attractions. I always try to find places and events that celebrate local culture. Sometimes its, food, sometimes music, and sometimes sports. Its a great way to learn about the people who live there.

Nuts and Bolts

Mercado do Bolhão is free to enter, and offers food and drink at many different prices.

Casa da Guitarra is free during the day to explore its collection of instruments, The Fado show is every evening at 6 PM at a cost of €19. That price includes a free glass port, and lasts about and hour.

Boavista FC has tickets that range from €17 to €70 depending on the stadium section you choose.

Walking Through Porto, Portugal. Part 2

Last week, I described the start of my walk through Porto’s Old City, from my hotel to the São Bento train station. This week, I am continuing that trek through Portugal’s second city.

 

The São Bento station sits at the bottom of a ravine, but my next stop was up at its top, a climb of over 20m in a distance of 600m.  I was headed to the Portuguese Center for Photography. The center was founded in 1996, as more and more of the photographers who had been exiled during the Salazar regime returned to the country. The museum is housed in the former Caderia da Relacão, a former prison.

Center of Portuguese Photography by By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia

 

The main exhibition on display was Despojos de Guerra (Spoils of War) by Leonel de Castro. These photos document the injuries that occurred during the various wars of liberation in the Portuguese colonies in Africa. 

 

The second exhibit was photos taken during during the revolution of April 25, 1974. This uprising of political groups and the military removed the fascist regime founded Antonio De Oliveira Salazar (1889-1970).

Between 2:00pm and 3:00pm, intersection of Rua Garrett and Calça do Sacramento

Largo do Carmo - around 2:00pm

 

The museum also houses a wonderful collection of classic cameras, which are spread throughout the building.

 

From the Center for Photography, I continued on to the Jardins do Palácio de Cristál (Crystal Palace Gardens). The palace and gardens were built as part of the 1865 International Exhibition. The palace was demolished in 1951, and replaced by a sports arena, today called the Super Bock Arena. 

 

The Gardens covers 8 hectares (80,000 sq. m). They sit atop the cliffs, offering great views of the Douro River and Porto’s Old City.

Chapel of Carlos Alberto

 

The final stage of my walk was from the Gardens down to the banks of the river. It took me through the Escadaria Macieirnihas (Apple Staircase), a winding pedestrian alleyway.

 

My favorite thing to do when I travel is to explore a place on foot. This was a decent walk, especially given the heat and the hills. But it gave me the opportunity to see a wide swath of Porto’s Old City.