Golden afternoons and red wines in Porto

Porto was a sweet surprise. It doesn’t call me the way Paris does but if I were to settle in Europe, I’d definitely want a holiday home in Porto. Et pourquois pas? It has nice beaches (and bonus that there is surf), people are friendlier, men are good-looking (but not in an overwhelming kind of way like Spain), most people understand English and the best of all – the wine!

Taken from somewhere in Vila Nova Gaia

Since it’s a small town, it’s nice to go around by foot. Our Airbnb was located just a few steps from the Ribeira so in the afternoon, when it was not raining, we’d catch the sunset by a local bar and watch people go by. When it rains, the mood drastically changes. Still pretty but a different kind of pretty, it’s the kind of afternoons that I still spend by the Ribeira but with preference to sitting near a crackling fire, drinking my glass of red from the Douro. Whatever the weather, there was always something charming and calming about being right in front of the river. At night, when the little bars that dotted the riverside lit up, we’d hear the chatter in different languages careening through the soft music of Fado bars nearby.

The mornings, or at least the hours before 11 am when I’d start drinking, were spent going around. Personally, I like looking for bookshops, local libraries, vintage shops and cheap rooftop bars. Around 11 am, we’d have lunch. There is, honestly, always no plan to down a bottle of wine but every single day that we were there, we have always finished a bottle of wine in one seating. That said, by around 2 pm, I’d be drunk so I need to go back to our room and catch some sleep. By the time I wake up, it would be dinner and the perfect time to have another round of wine -- and why not? And if the day was good and I wasn’t drunk by lunch, we’d cross to Vila Nova Gaia where all the wine cellars and tours are located. It was candyland!

The reason why I wanted to go to Porto was primarily because I heard surf was good. But a surf spot with good wines? Tell me how to relocate!!! If I move to Europe, I guess Porto will be my Baler. Hah.

Le vin, bien sûr. Admittedly not a big fan of sweet wines but the reds from he Douro are really good and insanely cheap too!

Cold, sleepy, tipsy mood at dusk