Day 1
After a three-hour flight, we finally landed in Porto! Once we arrived in the city by metro, we had three hours before we could check into our accommodation. So, with our backpacks, we set out to explore hilly Porto for the first time. On the way, we came across the Mercado do Bolhão, with its many stalls selling baked goods, fruit, spices and much more besides. After Mia devoured her first Pastel de Nata, we continued on our way to buy train tickets at São Bento station. It was the most beautiful train station we had seen so far!
During the rest of our exploration, we came across the Ohana Market, a small market in a courtyard where vendors sold crafts and art. As we strolled through the streets, we spotted capoeira dancers and narrow, steep alleys, and heard the calls of seagulls.
After checking into our apartement, we went for groceries at a mall and chatted with some very friendly and warm-hearted Portuguese people.
Local perspective: Warm and open-hearted people, a fast-paced lifestyle and an international city
At the mall, we met Tiago and Ila, who have been living in Porto for five years. Both came here for work or study opportunities. During our conversation, they both highlighted the warm and welcoming people of Porto, who they say are a very important part of the city and make it such a great place to live. Another aspect is that the city is forward-looking and open to people. It’s a large city with extensive infrastructure, which doesn’t exactly make it quiet, but you can still find peace and calm in certain spots. They both love Parque de São Roque.
Vitoria has been living in Porto for a year and a half and moved here for work. She moved from a town near Lisbon to Porto because she doesn’t really like Lisbon. Also, her sister and most of her friends live near Porto, which was another reason she moved here. She also enjoys living here because of the friendly people. In her neighborhood, she has everything she needs close by, yet she doesn’t feel like she’s living in a big city. The helpful people who greet each other on the street make her feel like she’s living in a smaller town. One of her favorite neighborhoods in Porto is Bonfim, where most people know each other and Fountainhas, where she likes to spend her time during the São João festival.
Mariana also likes the welcoming people in Porto. Arthur is from Brazil and has been living in Porto for four years. He, too, highlights how the people there are especially welcoming, even to strangers. Both of them also like Porto’s fast-paced lifestyle and how the energy of the people there resembles that in Brazil. Mariana also mentions that the people and culture in Porto are very international, which makes Porto a particularly beautiful city. In Porto, she especially likes Aliados Avenue because people are constantly coming and going there, and it’s an energetic place where you can socialize with others.
Day 2
The next day, we went to a vegan bakery first and stocked up on Portuguese pastries. We then headed to Fountainhas, following Vitoria’s advice. En route, we admired the beautiful tiled houses. Once we arrived in Fontainhas, we enjoyed a wonderful view of the Douro River and its bridges. We were in a large square with a basketball hoop and concrete slabs to sit on. That’s where we ate our Pasteis de Nata and Pão de queijo.
Afterwards, we continued walking and found the steepest street. There were also lots of seagulls and a few cats who apparently liked to sleep and relax by the life-threatening precipice.
We also walked to the Museu da Cidade do Porto. There, we saw many different types of tiles that you see everywhere on the streets. Unfortunately, the information boards were only in Portuguese and we couldn’t understand anything.
We then wandered aimlessly through the city towards the river, seeing lots of things along the way, like the Mercado Ferreira Borges, Torre dos Clérigos, a ceramics shop and a lookout point that could only be accessed by squeezing through gaps in a fence.
After squeezing through and enjoying the view, we continued walking down the stairs to a market where young artists were exhibiting and selling their crafts. We saw an installation that allowed you to view all the rubbish collected from the ocean from a fish’s perspective.
As we walked along, we saw lots of graffiti, beautiful tiles and lovely churches. Wherever you look, you will find elements that make the street special!
We also went to the banks of the Douro, where we sat down for a while to relax.
Afterwards, we headed to Aliados, Mariana’s favourite spot. On the way, we saw people jumping into the water from the bridge and watched a breakdancing show right next to it.
However, Aliados Avenue was a bit of a letdown since there weren’t that many people hanging out there. However, we did spot a few small tables and chairs inviting you to linger, and there were a few people sitting here and there.
Day 3
On our third day, we walked across the Ponte Dom Luís I, which was very crowded, but which offered beautiful views of the river and the city.
On the other side of the Douro River lies the Jardim do Morro, which wasn’t crowded yet, but every shaded spot was in high demand. After a short, steep climb, we made our way up to the Igreja e Claustro da Serra do Pilar and were rewarded with another beautiful view!
We then set off for the old town of Gaia — the neighbourhood on the opposite riverbank — and climbed lots of stairs again. On the Gaia riverbank, we took another short break to listen to a street musician confidently improvising lyrics.
Sketch and watch: Fountainhas
That evening, we went back to Fountainhas. At first, from a distance, we thought there wasn’t much going on, but then we were in for a big surprise! We decided to hold our ‘Sketch and Watch’ session there.
Porto - The magic of Fontainhas
1. We’d already visited the viewing platform in Fontainhas the previous day at midday. It was fairly empty and unremarkable – a few benches, a basketball hoop, some graffiti, a few parked cars and some large concrete slabs. However, the view of the River Douro and the Ponte Dom Luís I was truly breathtaking. During our observation, the place isn’t exactly packed, but small groups occupying the individual concrete slabs of the viewing platform fill the place with life.
2. We can already hear loud Portuguese folk music a few streets away, which serves as a harbinger of the atmosphere to come. A group is practising various dances on a concrete slab: first, four young adults dance, spinning around each other and clapping their hands rhythmically. This impressive choreography is well-rehearsed, they are clearly enjoying themselves. I also notice their quite different outfits: one man is dressed very casually, while the other is dancing in a flannel shirt and suit trousers. One woman is wearing a blouse and jeans, while the second woman is in hot pants and a black T-shirt – her outfit is almost rock-chic and somewhat unusual for folk dancing. At the end of the dance, they receive frenetic applause from the other group members. In some cases, they also receive feedback on specific dance steps. After a short beer break, it’s already the next dance group’s turn, who are dancing with waving scarves.
3. The concrete slab is transformed into a dance studio: people dance, shout with joy and practise diligently. By the end, every member has had the chance to perform at least once. Experienced dancers offer guidance to those with less experience. Their energetic dance routines really do catch the eye of everyone on the viewing platform. After several dances, a woman and a man – they had been offering the most help – say their goodbyes; could they be the group leaders? Slowly but surely, the other dancers also leave the viewing platform. I strongly suspect this won’t be the last time the dance group meets here for a dance!
4. A group of young adults gather on the concrete slab right next to us. As the evening progresses, the group grows larger and larger – the men greet one another with a handshake, while the women are greeted with a kiss on the cheek. Early on, a man arrives with a woman. He is already known to the group; she has to be introduced to all the group members. While she behaves reservedly, he carries himself as if he considers himself the group leader.
5. The group decorates the concrete slab exactly as they wish: in one corner, a woman pointedly parks her motorbike; two women roll out their yoga mats; two men unfold their camping stools. There are also numerous containers of home-cooked food, biscuits from the supermarket and, of course, plenty of beer.
6. I’m quite surprised by the variety of activities I can observe within the group: some are simply chatting, eating and drinking. One woman also starts sketching her surroundings. A man is juggling a large spinning cloth – it flies through the air like a pizza – and later he manoeuvres clubs around his body. Another man reverses his old Opel Corsa right up to the concrete slab. He sits down on a folding chair, puts headphones on one ear, operates a mixing desk from the boot of his car and starts playing a DJ set through large, glowing speakers. I find myself dancing along to his electronic music.
7. They speak Portuguese to one another, but every now and then I also hear English in their conversations. What at first sounds to me like subconsciously integrated Anglicisms turns out to be conversation exercises. A short while later, a man and a woman join the group. They are warmly greeted by a woman, who invited them to the gathering. The ‘group leader’ also welcomes them with a confident ‘Hello, mate!’, which he had practised several times beforehand. The woman is the only one speaking English without any trouble with the invited Australian exchange students, but the other group members are also making an effort to include the guests in the conversation, despite the language barrier. The woman explains to her two Australian friends, that this is what parties in Porto are like – and I have to say she’s absolutely right: they’re now having a flat-share party on the concrete slab.
8. On another concrete slab, a large group has spread out several picnic blankets. Some people are lying barefoot on the blankets, while others are leaning against the edge of the viewing platform, gazing at the sunset. The group is very mixed – with young and middle-aged adults present, as well as a serious businessman and an alternative hippie with dreadlocks. Yet they all seem close, like friends or even family. They’re sharing home-cooked food, which is scattered across the blankets on small plates like tapas – I can see salads, meat skewers and cakes. They’re also drinking beer or wine from reusable plastic cups. It’s a feast.
9. A little girl is the secret star of the dinner. She sits in the middle of the picnic blankets, pulling faces at various people around her. She’s enjoying the attention, and those around her are enjoying giving it to her. As the evening goes on, her mum has to coax her into leaving the dinner. As she skips away from the viewing platform, holding her mum’s hand, she keeps calling out to the crowd and blowing them kisses – the adults keep blowing kisses back at her until she’s out of sight.
10. Visitors are also making use of the space outside the concrete slabs: two sisters are playing together on the solitary basketball hoop. The younger sister is clearly dominating. Towards the end of my observation, a man starts juggling clubs, which he later sets alight. His performance becomes a real eye-catcher, as his flaming clubs stand out particularly well against the darkness of the night.
It’s impossible to capture the energy of the evening, which leaves me feeling slightly disappointed. The gathering of people creates a unique atmosphere. The dreary concrete slabs are brought to life and transformed into a social space tailored to the needs of the groups – be it a flat-share party, a dance studio or a tapas bar. The presence of the river, the sunset and the city glowing in the distance creates a magical aura that undoubtedly draws people to this viewing platform like moths to a flame. It becomes a place for chatting, relaxing, eating, dancing and pursuing other hobbies – it’s frequented by locals, but is just as much a place for newcomers to Porto. It’s a place to meet friends or make new ones.
Day 4
On our last day, we explored Foz. We took the bus to the ocean and saw a lighthouse there. The waves crashing against the rocks were so mesmerizing that we had to watch them for a while.
After that, we went to the beach right next to it. We even went for a swim—the water was very cold and the waves were strong. After playing a quick card game and sunbathing for a bit, we headed back.
Porto—and especially the people there—made us feel so welcome that we felt very at home here. The fact that everyone we interviewed emphasized the warmth of the city’s residents and saw it as such an important part of Porto led us to wonder: What if it’s not just the buildings, but also the people who make this place so special and are part of the World Heritage Site?