Probably the last place I thought I’d ever end up visiting was Portugal. Whoever hears anything about Portugal? Our visits to Spain had imparted a great respect for the Spanish people and their culture, giving me a kind of bias against Portugal as an Iberian also-ran. Then there was the language. “Everyone” says that Portuguese is just like Spanish. Rubbish! So, we’re never going to Portugal, right?
Along came Geoff and Tom, a couple of friends of my son and daughter-in-law. Turns out they’d bought a place in Porto, the second largest city in the country, and really talked it up. Then we learned that a life-long friend of mine and his wife had decided to buy a home in the southern part of the country. Next, while doing a magazine article about a visit to Obisonia, PA, I found myself bouncing along in a genuine Lisbon tram at the Rockhill Trolley Museum. But what really cemented my interest in going to Portugal was the label on a bottle of Porta 6, an inexpensive red from the Lisbon region. I usually buy on price and previous experience, but when I saw that label, depicting a trolley car identical to the one I had ridden in, navigating the narrow, hilly streets of the capital, I had to buy it. Porta 6 soon became a staple in our wine basement (my bottom-shelf buying habits don’t warrant a term as lofty as “cellar”).
Long-story-short, over the winter we spoke with Geoff, map-in-hand, to pin down which neighborhood might be best for a VRBO in Porto. After our talk we looked at properties for several days, trying to eliminate any that would be problematic (eg. noisy traffic, construction, lots of stairs, too small, etc.). We settled on one in the Ribeira section, near the main cathedral, and close to a railway station, as we planned to fly into Lisbon and take a train to Porto. Unbelievably it looked superb and was only about $500 for six nights. And it had a patio. The Google map showed it located on a street with a supermarket nearby and a Japanese restaurant at the end of the block. I envisioned a wide, sunny, tree-lined avenue. What could go wrong?
Actually, as it turned out, nothing, though my vision was pretty far from reality. In fact, Rua do Sol was anything but. A narrow, cobble-stoned street, hemmed in on either side by multi-story buildings, the sun never reached the ground. Our “supermarket,” turned out to be just a neighhood grocery, and the Japanese restaurant, while elegant inside, wasn’t really very Japanese at all. And on the sidewalk in front were the huge neighborhood trash bins. There was a working man’s bar directly across from our building, and we’d most often have to ask patrons who were sitting on our stoop smoking to make way so we could enter. Then it turned out that our multi-level apartment was actually below ground, with interior steps leading up to the patio, which was more welcoming to pigeons than to us.
A disaster? Absolutely not. The apartment was clean, modern and well-appointed. We quickly acclimated to the quirks of “our” neighborhood. Seems many of the dreary exteriors on our street, like ours, had also had their interiors rehabbed into attractive vacation rentals. The grocery store actually had everything we needed to set up housekeeping and our “doormen” were always quite accommodating in making way. Plus, the location turned out to be perfect–walking distance to most everything of interest, including the Eiffel-designed bridge and the riverfront, which are the town’s signature attractions, and many interesting shopping streets. And when we did have to go anywhere farther, Bolt ride share was reliable and cheap.
Lisbon, where we stayed two nights in the Alfama district on returning from Porto, and where my own trolley picture was taken, was a disappointment. But Porto, was magnificent. Great food, friendly people, all of whom spoke excellent English, and lots of fascinating things to see and do. Just be aware, there are only two dimensions to the town: up and down. Porto, and its cross-bridge, sister city, Villa Nova de Gaia, are located on hillsides that slope steeply to the Douro River. And what goes down, must come up. So be prepared to get some real exercise.
All in all, other than un-anticipated train seat availability that left us sitting in a dingy Lisbon Station for a half day on arrival, we had a marvelous time. Always felt comfortable, people were extremely friendly, food was fantastic and our place very cozy. Just three recommendations: Do visit Porto; make sure you have a train reservation if flying into Lisbon. And, by all means, spend a little time with Carla before going.
©2025 David B. Bucher
SoEast 