motorhome

A Day in Porto – Part 3

| Mairead

(Temporary blanket of plastic around Porto’s market while it is being renovated)

After counting the tiles on the church we passed Porto’s huge produce market called Mercado do Bolhão. I mentioned in part 2 that it was being renovated. Then we passed the shop where the natas were being made in the window and arrived at Comer e Chorar Por Mais. Up until today I thought the name of the shop might be a trio of business partners something like Johnson, Mooney and O’Brien. It’s not, it’s much better, it’s literal meaning is Eating and Weeping for More. (Or the less poetic mouthwateringly delicious.)

(Comer e Chorar Por Mais for yummy food)

The shop had been around since 1916, on Saturday we would be tasting port, six month-old cheese, 18 month-old cheese and thirty-month old cheese, three different cuts of very thinly cut cured ham, three different breads and olives in garlic. Everything was absolutely amazing. They age the cheese themselves and start by coating it in paprika. The premises was only tiny but full to the brim with interesting food and drinks.

(Can you see the bottles of port on the top shelf on the left? Vintage. Vintage is my new favourite word)

The owners were very friendly and answered loads of questions in spite of also having to serve customers coming and going the whole time. While I was chewing on the Easter bread (a traditional bread filled with meats and cheeses before it’s baked, a treat at Easter after a meatless lent..) I noticed the port bottles on the top shelf. They were a similar (I mean exact) vintage to myself and over €700 a bottle. Everything in this shop appreciates age… I feel right at home.

(Another beautiful old grocery shop)

I couldn’t spend too long appreciating my vintage because we were off to Império to sample some cod fish cakes. Isabel was telling me that the Portuguese have three main food groups, meat, fish and cod. She was joking but not about the fact that they really like cod. I was thinking that sounded a bit like our love of potatoes and the Bolinhos de Bacalhau combine both cod and potatoes!

(Bolinhos de Bacalhau at Império. Very yummy)

Isabel described how her mother used to make them. First… I think the cod is cooked first, then remove all the bones. Then lay it on a cloth and fold over and roll back and forth again and again and again for a long time. This shreds the cod. Next combine with mashed potatoes, herbs and egg. Then take two teaspoons and shape into little rugby ball cakes. Finally, deep fry in vegetable oil. Or you could just buy them in Império where they make the best ones and serve them with a glass of vinho verde.

More from Porto tomorrow, Mairead.

A Day in Porto – Part 2

| Mairead

(Lunch at A cafe called the Garden in Porto. Florentine eggs)

Just in case you were worried, we have managed to top up our toll account online. This was impossible (for me) to do last year and created a mighty challenge to our relationship for an afternoon. They have changed it and all danger to relationships has been averted.

(I snuck over a barrier at the gentleman’s club to get you a picture of the stairs. Not a feminine touch in sight)

So back to Porto. It had been a beautiful morning but after lunch the rain started so we went to the cafe/WiFi location at Fnac. That a French shop selling books, magazines, general stationery, cameras and general electronic goods. We waited until 2.45pm and then went next door to the C’alma Speciality Coffee Room where our tour was to begin.

(An old tram. Fnac is on the left and that’s St. Catarina street in the distance)

There had been an instructions email with our tickets saying we should arrive 15 minutes early. I love following those kind of instructions and would happily have arrived there 20 minutes early. Denis on the other hand likes to arrive “near enough” to the exact time. We compromised… and left Fnac at 2.45pm. When we got to the cafe, two minutes later, our guide was waiting outside. We exchanged names and I said, are we the first? and she said, no the others are waiting inside.

(They are renovating the old market. It’s huge, could take years)

I could not believe it! We were the last! There were five people waiting for us to show up. Five sets of eyes looking up at us. I definitely looked embarrassed. Too embarrassed to give Denis the this is your fault eye.

(Beautiful old grocery and cafe)

I forgot to take pictures of the incredibly cute coffee glasses. Oh well… Our guide was lovely, her name was Isabel. She explained that the C’alma cafe was part of an old gentleman’s club and we would be starting our tasting in one of their sitting rooms, with coffee and a Pastel de Nata. I think I mentioned the Nata (everyone calls it nata, which is just as well because I can’t pronounce Pastel) in another post, they are a flaky pastry case base filled with custard and burnt on top. I love them. If you want to try one in Ireland (or in the UK) they sell them at Costa’s cafes – in Greystones anyway.

(At the windows of the Fábrica de Nata cafe you can see the bakers making Natas. When a new batch is ready one of the bakers rushes outside ringing a hand bell. You can hear it two streets away!)

Isabel explained that some time in the 1800’s the government of Portugal stopped supporting the monasteries and convents and they had to find ways to make an income. The Jeronimos monastery in Belem, Lisbon created the nata and that’s why there are queues of people at the bakery near the monastery. (I’ll try to get a picture of the queue for you when we get to Lisbon.)

(Saint Catarina’s church. There are 16,000 tiles on the exterior, Isabel said she counted them… or maybe she said she didn’t count them…)

Next we were off to see St. Catarina’s church on St. Catarina’s street, a major shopping street in Porto. Isabel had explained that this tour would be taking us to places not normally frequented by tourists but very popular with the locals. Well we were all thrilled with that because even though we are tourists we prefer being adventurers. Adventurers are almost the first outsider to see an attraction. Once it’s popular with other tourists we are disappointed. (Human nature is nothing if not strange.) Isabel knew we were only human, accepted us and brought us to local haunts. We loved Isabel.

(Close-up of one of the tile scenes on the exterior, telling the life story of St. Catarina. I can’t remember the details but if she’s anything like the other saints it was difficult and had a very sad ending)

Anyways, St. Catarina’s church was popular with the locals because it is the church where they pray for their dead. It’s the only church in Porto where you can light real candles (instead of the electric push button pretend candles) to honour your dead. Unfortunately, it is closed on Saturday afternoons so I couldn’t get a picture of the candles for you.

Sorry about that, Mairead.

A Day in Porto – Part 1

| Mairead

(Tiles are amazing here… even in the free leaflets)

We arrived in Porto on Friday afternoon and drove across the river Douro to Gaia. Yes it’s called Gaia! We were staying at the wildlife park, Parque Biológico de Gaia. We stayed here last year too. The year before we missed out on staying because they were full so now we email them the night before to book a spot.

(Nest building in progress at the park)

The sun was shining so we went for a walk in the park… the charge for the night at the motor home area includes free entry and it’s a lovely place to walk even without all the animals. Afterwards it was still warm and I sat outside surrounded by trees and birdsong writing the blog – first time on this trip.

(Here’s how to keep the vermin away from your corn. The storage shed is balancing on the circular discs so that climbing creatures won’t be able to climb up and eat your corn. A farm exhibit at the park)

On our way here I searched the internet for interesting things to do in Porto. This would be our third time visiting and although I’m happy to just wander and eat and take photos it was time to get to know the place a bit better. So by the time we arrived I had booked and paid for a Porto food and wine tasting tour for Saturday afternoon.

(All done while driving along the road. Note: I wasn’t driving…)

On Saturday morning we left the park at 9.45am via the side gate that led to a death defying footbridge (slight exaggeration) over the main road. The bus came along 4 minutes later and for €2.20 each we travelled to Porto. We had a list of things to do before our tour at 3pm so we got right to it… after coffee.

(People queuing to get into the Majestic Cafe, Porto. There was a queue there all day)

There are two different toll systems in Portugal for the motorways. One with toll booths and one with cameras over the road that read your number plate. If you’re not from Portugal you have to register your number plate. Two years ago we did that at the border. Then last year we realised we had loads of extra credit at the end of the year so this year we have been happily driving on the number plate reader motorways since we arrived on Wednesday.

(More tiles… some missing)

For some reason something was niggling me about it and we decided to check online… our balance is only €6.10! We need to top up. No problem we know you can top up at the post office and we know where the post office is in Porto. The post office has moved! It moved in January. No problem, there was a sign with the addresses of two others. We walked to the closest. It was closed on Saturdays. So was the furthest one. The one at the airport was open… we didn’t go to the airport. We had lunch instead.

(This cafe was called Garden. I was taking a picture of the art but also got a picture of a guy taking a picture of his love… of food)

We did plan on eating nothing after breakfast in preparation for our tour but the stress of possibly becoming outlaws again made me hungry. It’s a weird thing – the number plate reading toll collector – although very efficient at reading our number plate, not so efficient at allowing us to pay.

Next blog may be from a police station… Mairead.

Moving Day

| Mairead

(This way to the deserted village…)

We’re moving on today to Porto or Oporto as the locals call it. First we went for a walk in Vila Nova de Cerveira. I had noticed big green doors leading into a courtyard in the middle of town yesterday but it was locked up.

(View of the river from the top)

This morning it was open so I wandered in. Normally I wouldn’t just walk into someone’s property. Yesterday I had noticed old walls behind the adjoining houses so maybe I could assume it was an historical site?

(View of the town from the top)

It was like a little village in there, well a deserted village. Maybe it fills up with tourists in summer but at the moment it’s empty. There was a church building, closed and a restaurant, closed and a pub, closed. All the houses looked empty. The best thing about it was the walkway on top. The worst thing – the steps leading up there.

(The scary staircase)

Although to be honest they were a feat of engineering. Huge stones were attached to the wall at irregular intervals. I was afraid, but in the interest of capturing some photographs for you I was very brave.

I did not die in the attempt, Mairead.

How to find the supermarket

| Mairead

(For when you want some alone time…)

We’ve been in this town before. I don’t remember much about it but when I needed to get some groceries I remembered enough.

(Or there’s a table and chair for writing with a view)

Staying present is a really useful practice if you ever worry. I never worry. Oh I spelled that wrong, the right spelling is: I regularly worry.

(One step at a time)

Anyways, thought it might be useful to get some staying present opportunities so I went off to the supermarket without a map.

(The tables…)

First I remembered I needed to cross the car park and continue on to the square with all the tables. Then I had no clue. But as soon as I arrived at the square I just knew I had to pass the house with the green tiles.

(Green tiles)

When I got to the tiles I knew I had to keep the cafe with the crochet flowers to my right and walk up the incline. Then I came to a complete stop but only until I noticed another cafe with the garden and white walls, I had to go left there. And then I saw the supermarket across the road.

(Lots of crochet in this town)

You can scupper worry by staying present. Looking at what’s straight in front of you. Or listening to the sounds around you. Or tasting the food in your mouth. Or feeling the floor under your feet. Or smelling the roses.

Note to self: Worry isn’t useful, Mairead!

(There we are just over the border in a town called Vila Nova de Cerveira, free camper parking near the old town, the river and park)

Normal Service Resumes

| Mairead

(There’s the border, remember when borders were places you had to stop and show your passport?)

We have arrived in Portugal and the weather has changed! There’s heat! We had decided to go just one hour south from Santiago but our phones both stopped getting service. That’s unusual. Forty five minutes further we were crossing the border and service was back.

(We are parked beside a park…)

It’s funny how you (we) get used to something. Our phones for example. Of course they are more than phones now. They are weather forecasters. They are parking finders. They are restaurant finders. They are route finders. They are birthday greeting senders, get well message senders, how are you doing? senders.

(That’s Spain over there and the bridge joining the two countries in the distance)

They are notebooks. They are book writing helpers. They are blog message savers. They are newspapers. They are cameras and photocopiers. They are flash lights and alarm bells and reminders. They are books, a library of books. They are exercise monitors. They are music players. They are photo albums. They are offices.

(A little bridge in the park joining us to the island)

They are clocks and calendars and bus timetables. They are televisions and translators. They are recipe books and talking books. They are information holders and sharers… and they are phones.

(The little island)

The phone network issue is making me grateful for my phone. Leaving my friend is making me sad but hugely grateful for friendship. Crossing the border is making me grateful that I am part of this place and sorry that our neighbours are leaving.

We’ll miss them when they’re gone, Mairead.

The stars aligned

| Mairead

(The cathedral which is built on the site of the original church. The original tomb is in the basement)

We’re leaving Santiago de Compostela today. My friend and I went on a free tour of the town yesterday. It was very interesting. Two hours of history and geography and tips and suggestions. I would definitely recommend it.

(Our tour guide with the white umbrella)

The story of this place is a little complicated and shrouded in mythic stories. I’m going to attempt to give you a potted version.

(This building is just 3 meters deep. It was originally just a front facade to give aesthetic balance to the plaza at the east facing entrance of the cathedral)

Once upon a time, more than 2,019 years ago Jesus was having a serious conversation with his disciples. He asked them to do something for him when he was gone, meaning dead. Of course he was only in his 30’s so they didn’t think he’d be gone for a long time and so it wasn’t hard for them to say, no problem whatsoever tell us what you want. He wanted them to spread the word of his message – about the loving god and the loving way to live – to all the ends of the earth.

(Narrowest lane in Santiago de Compostela)

He was dead very soon after and when the disciples recovered from the shock they started going about spreading the message. But one disciple took Jesus’ words very seriously and he literally went to the ends of the earth.

(Higgledy Piggledy layout of the old town)

At the time the earth was thought to end at the edge of Europe and the west coast of Spain was on that edge. So the disciple James headed in a stone boat to the end of the earth and arrived in a place called Fisterra. He began preaching about Jesus and his message. It didn’t go well. The locals weren’t very interested and he was probably getting a bit low in himself when Jesus’ mother Mary appeared to him and told him she would love to see him. So off he went back to the Holy Land. His message hadn’t fallen completely on deaf ears in Spain and he had two disciples so they went back with him in the stone boat.

(Cute window seats)

Well if he thought things were difficult in Spain they were ten times worse in the Holy Land. There was all sorts of bad things happening to anyone who was a follower of Jesus and poor James was beheaded. Now he became Saint James and his two helpers didn’t know what to do so they took his body and raced back home in the stone boat.

(A lot of ham)

When they arrived back they went to the forest and buried their friend. No more was heard about the message of Jesus or St. James in that place for 900 years. That’s when another guy, Pelagius, arrived to the very same forest. He was on a similar mission to St. James. Anyways one night he had a dream about a field of stars and one star was pointing directly to a spot in the forest. Next day when he went to that spot there was a tomb. He had found the tomb of St. James!

(Almost impossible to get lost in the old town, just look up, you’ll see the towers of the cathedral )

Absolutely delighted with himself, Pelagius went to the bishop and said we need to build a church for St. James and take care of his tomb. Long story short the king, Alfonso II, heard the story and paid for the church to be built. Then he did something millions of people have done since, he made a journey to the tomb.

(The covered market is very impressive, this is the restaurant section. At the first restaurant on the left you bring ingredients you have bought at the market stalls and they cook them!)

That was the beginning of the Camino of Santiago de Compostela and the town grew up around that first church. Camino means the Way. Santiago means St. James. Compostela means field of stars. People who make this journey are called Pilgrims. In the past they were coming to start again, to let go of their old sinful ways. These days there are probably as many reasons as people but usually pilgrims come with a wish or an intention.

(The shell is pointing the way. The Camino)

There are seven official routes, the French Way, the Portuguese Way, the Northern Way, the Original Way, the Silver Way, the English Way and the Fisisterre Way (Fisterra in English.)

(There’s the end of the earth, Fisterra)

I am here in Santiago de Compostela only because the stars aligned, the snow fell on the plateau and my friend choose this week to walk the Camino.

Life is lovely, Mairead.

Did you watch the Late, Late?

| Mairead

(The Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantabrico)

First of all, sorry if you did watch, no, my sister wasn’t on the Late Late Show (longest broadcasting show in Ireland, imagine.) No, you didn’t miss her singing – they cut her out.

(Look at those amazing clouds!)

Now I don’t want you to be thinking she didn’t do a good job. No, as far as I know she’s a grand singer, nothing to do with her talent. They cut the whole choir out, actually two choirs.

(And these!)

They ran out of time. And it was a great story, I’m sorry you didn’t get to hear it but I’ll check with her if it’s ok to share and tell you about it soon. Can’t get through to her at the moment she’s on a ferry on the Irish Sea. We love ferries in our family.

(Loved the noisy waves)

The other update: yesterday I did get out into nature and it was very beautiful. I packed up my fleece blanket and headed down to the sea where I sat on my blanket on a stone bench and watched the waves, the birds and the plants.

(Made a new friend)

I didn’t read, I didn’t write, I didn’t talk to anybody. Then I took some pictures for you and went back home to Ruby.

Thanks for the idea, nature loving friend! Mairead

(There we are just north of Santiago de Compostela in a town called Guitiriz, free parking, free electricity and free toilets)

Change of Plans

| Mairead

(See the snow on the mountains outside town?)

There I was getting a quick look (literally, I’m not joking, 30 seconds of a look) at the pretty pictures on Instagram and I spot my best friend/bridesmaid from the 80’s who lives in Australia has posted a pretty picture. Aww, lovely cows… but wait it says, Rural Spain in the description. Is it a typo? Is there a place called Spain in Australia?

(Another lovely view, ten minutes away)

Quick as a flash I turn off the power to Instagram and head over to Viber. Are you in Spain? That was yesterday and today I got the reply, Yes! She is 90 minutes away from us! We will meet! In a few days we will be chatting like we’ve never been apart!

(And another… bit chilly on that beach today though)

Now… cast your mind back a few days to when I told you we had to change plans and go along the northern coast because of snow and low temperatures inland here in Spain. Because of that snow forecast we are in exactly the right place to avail of this opportunity to meet. I can’t wait! That’s pretty magical snow!

(The horses wear bells too)

Isn’t life amazing, it organises perfectly well on its own? Mairead.

PS. My sister (yes, the lovely one) will be singing on the Late Late Show tonight. She’s part of a choir at work, they got an amazing opportunity… the whole story will be on the show. I’ll have to wait until it gets to the RTÉ player on Saturday morning. You won’t want to miss it… well I don’t want to miss it, can you watch it for me?

(There we are on the coast in a town called Foz, €13 includes electricity, toilets and WiFi)