Adventures With Harvey

Tales of Port and Masterpieces

Yes, we Travelling Woodies are back in Spain but before our story returns to the land of olives and tapas, there’s the small matter of our visit to Porto for your faithful correspondent to report. Once described as opening up like a pop up book from the banks of the Douro river, Portugal’s second biggest city was an absolute treat to visit. We spent a wonderful couple of days wandering the waterfront, visiting one or 2 of the famous port caves for a tasting and learning the history of the town.

On the second evening we split tacks and each did a different walking tour. Apparently those on the blue team have spent a little too much on rugby tickets on this trip, so to even up the ledger a tiny amount, team pink booked herself a food walking tour. (further detail on our culinary experiences has been requested so pink team reporter here to enlighten like-minded readers 😊…) This was a little like an old-school progressive dinner which involved stopping at 8 local eateries to sample their fine fare. Such delightful dishes as pasteis de Chaves (puff pastry filled with slow cooked beef); pataniscas (fluffy cod fritters); queijinho do céu (almond and fresh cheese tart); along with a suitable beverage accompaniment at each stop. One of her favourite stops was the restaurant which has been in the same family for three generations and which still serves the same menu – 24 hour slow roasted pork loin with sweet cured ham in a fresh crusty roll. If it ain’t broke… Another was the coffee shop which was part of the revolution. At the time it was forbidden to meet in groups larger than two unless you were family. But in Café Guarany the tables were placed sufficiently close together and angled in such a way that it was easy to meet and talk with your neighbours. This way ideas were exchanged and revolution fomented.

He in the blue corner (reporting again) enjoyed an evening tour called “dark Porto, mysteries, legends and crime”, let me share a story that tickled my fancy. In 1834 a new law was passed in Portugal banning religious orders from continuing to exist, the practical outworking of the new tenet was that convents and monasteries could no longer be occupied with the monks and nuns who called them home. Although the monks were unceremoniously tipped out onto the street & their monasteries confiscated, nuns were allowed to remain in their convents until the last of their order passed away. Shortly after this time the local authorities in Porto decided that the former central-city convent would make an excellent railway station, however the problem was that the youngest nun in 1834 was only 9 years old and by the mid 1800’s she was showing no signs of falling off her perch any time soon. On several occasions later in the century town planners would come to the convent, tape measure and architects drafting equipment in hand, to start making plans but each time they were sent on their way by the remaining and, it seems rather belligerent, sister. Would you believe it took until 1892 for the old dear to finally shuffle off & meet her maker, construction of the São Bento Railway Station finally beginning in 1904 and concluding in 1916 more than 80 years later. It is said that the ghost of the last nun still roams the former convent at night… who knows, perhaps she does!

Another raison d’être for the town of Porto is of course port and it’s most necessary to thoroughly research such important topics 😊. A little like sparkling wine may only be referred to as champagne if it comes from the region around Reims and Epernay in France, port may only be referred to as such if the grapes from which it is made are grown in the Douro Valley. Although port production certainly predominates the area, you’ll also find a good deal of red wine and, latterly, also some whites produced in the area. The tasting & tour we did was at Porto Augusto’s, a smaller producer who is one of the few from the area remaining in the hands of the family who began the business. Most of the other big names have long since been purchased by multi-nationals so it was nice to feel like we were supporting the little guy. On our final day in Porto your author took a bike ride back into town (in the pouring rain as it turned out) to procure a very special bottle of the aforementioned local specialty. The previous evening on my walking tour, the guide had again pointed out a small family-owned liquor retailer so from them was procured a bottle from the 2012 vintage. That was the year The Travelling Woodies were married and the bottle in question will be put away for opening in 2032 on the date of our 20^th wedding anniversary.

Many parts of Portugal are quite hilly or even mountainous so we’ve needed to plan our routes carefully to avoid over-exertion on poor Harvey. However there wasn’t really another option for our drive between Porto and Salamanca – yes, it was time to return to Spain. It was a drive of around 350km and although the road was a dual carriageway for the duration, Harvey still huffed and puffed his way up the hills on the Portuguese side. Then, the now familiar EU road sign (blue background with a ring of yellow stars) appeared announcing ‘España’ and that was it, our month in Portugal was done. And almost as if by magic the road flattened out, the cruise control was set to the usual 60mph and off to Salamanca we went. (despite mainland Europe being in km, of course our American Harvey has mph on his speedometer, thus the above nod to his DNA).

Those of our readership who were part of your author’s life during his teenage years and have a good memory, may recall his address on Auckland’s North Shore was 72 Salamanca Rd. And between then and now he hoped that one day, a visit to the town after which the street was named might be on the agenda. Well last week it was and it was worth waiting 35 years to see! With a population of around 140,000 and a decent sized university right in the centre of town, Salamanca has a vibrant and youthful feel. The architecture seems to be predominantly of light-coloured stone, often with very large blocks. Some may see it as perhaps a little dull or austere however this correspondent was quite taken with the clean, uncluttered feel and the magnificence of the old buildings, many of which are these days part of the university. While awaiting the arrival of the bus carrying his lovely travelling companion for an evening exploring the CBD, your author was able to spend the time pootling around on his bicycle, discovering no fewer than 4 churches/cathedrals within a very small radius. However the crown jewel of the town is the Plaza Major - described as the most beautiful town square in Spain, it is surrounded on all sides by a 4 storey structure with columns and archways on the ground level. You’ll need to take a look at the photos and video to see what I mean, it is a very special place.

The highlight of Madrid for your author may surprise, yes perhaps even shock some of you. In the past, try as he might, and despite visiting some of the premier art galleries in Europe, there has been a general failure to appreciate and understand the contents thereof. That was until a visit to the Museo Nacional Del Prado in Madrid – oh my goodness, what a spectacular lot of masterpieces which have garnered for your author a new appreciation for the work of such artists as Goya, Rubens and Velázquez. The highlight was a piece by the latter entitled Las Meninas (although photos weren’t allowed, a couple of sneaky snaps might have accidentally found their way onto my phone). The subject was Princess Margaret Theresa along with a couple of her young servants and 2 dwarfs from the royal court (apparently midgets were reasonably common in courts throughout Europe at the time). There are 3 other significant figures and, in the mirror, you have reflections of the King and Queen. Unusually the scene includes a self portrait of Velázquez hard at work painting a masterpiece. Was he working on the very painting you are looking at, perhaps the King and Queen were the subjects on the canvas, it’s a riddle tied up in an enigma and one of many layers of fascination contained within this one masterpiece. Other signature pieces at the Prado include Rubens Las tres Garcias and the matching La maja Denuda and La maja Vestida by Goya – photos rarely do justice to pieces such as these but your correspondent can (somewhat to his own surprise) faithfully report that he was awe-struck by the scale and genius of these and other works at the Prado.

One of our favourite ways to check out a town or city is to do a walking tour which typically last between 2 & 3.5 hours (the latter being just a little too long, but thankfully they’re mainly around 2.5 hours or so). Madrid was the best tour so far, it really comes down to the skill (including language) of the guide. Most in Europe have excellent English although there’s often quite a thick accent which can make comprehension difficult, especially when competing with the cacophony of a large city. Although Zack was born and bred in Madrid, his mother was English and by the way he spoke, you would have thought he was a Brit for sure. Keeping the stories to just the right length is quite a skill, as is the odd teaser on the way to keep you interested, along with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the town’s history. We started in Plaza del Sol and took in such sites as Plaza Major (yes, same name as in Salamanca), the cathedral & adjacent presidential palace along with lots of smaller points of interest along the way. Zack pointed out where to buy the best calamari sandwich (one of the local delicacies) which he explained was better with black squid-ink bread with some aioli added – we returned later to partake in said delicacy which was indeed delicious. He was also kind enough to recommend a pub to watch that afternoon’s six nations rugby game into which your author happily settled making friends along the way with Chris and Mark, a couple of local lads.

Today we find ourselves with an overnight stopover in Vitoria, the capital of the Basque provinces, before heading to the north coast tomorrow. It’s hard to believe that we arrived in the Iberian Peninsula a couple of days before Christmas and now we’re into our last week here – coming up to 3 months later. Bilbao and San Sebastian are on the list before we bid adios to Spain and head back into France with our noses generally pointed in the direction… of Italy!!!

Once again thanks for sticking with us, we always love your likes and comments (especially from the e-mail folk who can be a little bashful at times) – we’re continuing to have the best time ever and are very excited that Spring has arrived and the temperature is slowly on the increase. Yesterday we even saw a few trees out in blossom. Yay!!!

Much love as always from The Travelling Woodies.

Porto on the banks of the Douro #1

Porto on the banks of the Douro #2

Porto on the banks of the Douro #3

great value port tasting - €5 to try 5 of them!

Sandeman is one of several dozen Port caves on the south bank of the Douro

waves crashing at Farolim de Felgueiras, right at the mouth of the Douro

random Porto photo

São Bento Railway Station

blue tiles in Porto

Mercado de Bolhão where the only way to obtain a stall is to inherit it

sardines are a national specialty of Portugal

tiles on the inside of a Bank Atlantico in Madrid, these are over 100 years old and were to show that the bank was prosperous. Unfortunately the bank went bankrupt but the tiles remain.

Porto evening skyline

Plaza Major, Salamanca

wandered down an alleyway and discovered what seems to be a university quadrangle

Salamanca random church #1

Salamanca random church #2

Salamanca random church #3

Plaza Major, Madrid

the curious neighbour - legend has it that if you give his backside a wee rub on the way past you'll have good luck. I hung around for a while but apparently mine lacks the same attraction :-(