Porto

We sat in the hotel room and watched the SOO on the internet, and then hit the streets feeling pleased with our efforts on the field.

However, the call of “Queenslander” was needed quite a few times through the rest of the day as we walked first down then up the streets of Porto.

This is an intriguing city. I’ve read a little about Cuba and seen photos of how run down it is, and although there are no vintage American cars doing the rounds of Porto, the buildings here in the old town are in a sad state. But, there is work going on everywhere. Buildings are being renovated, streets are being repaved and when completed they well look grand again, albeit nestled next to some dilapidated four storey house.

People are great and I get many laughs at my attempts at the language. I was patted on the shoulder like an old mate at breakfast in a cafe when I gave the waiter my best, “Obrigado.”

We walked into a second hand shop that was absolutely chockers full of interesting things. I spied a piece of sheet music of the Tango printed in Porto in 1927. It had a fine illustration of a scantily clad woman on the front and I asked the 70 year old proprietor if it was her on the cover. Although the didn’t speak a word of Australian, her cheeky grin told me she understood.

“Four euros,” she told me and I didn’t even bother to haggle.

I would have spent a lot longer in the shop but when I knocked a blue plate onto the floor and smashing it into a 1000 piece jigsaw, I knew it was probably time to slink out. I held out a handful of coins for the Tango sheet and she took the four euros and one more for the plate. That was a fair deal. I didn’t even bother to haggle.

When we reached the top of the last climb, we rested in a park with a fine avenue of plane trees for some time.

The stall across the road sold some type of food which I’m not sure what it tasted like or did to you once inside but the name says a lot.

A photographic exhibition was in the old jail nearby. I saw a sign that said, “No photographs allowed.” This was a PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION!

 

Like all good exhibitions there is a theme so I submit my new theme for you, “Washing Day in Porto”. Enjoy.