Porto, Portugal -- We Were Absolutely Smitten

 We were absolutely smitten by Porto. Not in an I-could-see-us-living-here way, but just in a deep appreciation for the unique vibe way. I'm sure part of it had to do with our location -- Sydney has a true gift for finding perfect-size hotels in great locations, this one right on a pedestrian mall and walkable to everything. The weather, think "Seattle" -- cool and moist, though we had sunny days as well. It was touristy, yes, but also, just ... right. I was fascinated by the tiles and the street scenes: 

  

The tiles were amazing and varied. 

Sidewalk dining, and tiled building fronts

Love these haphazard tiles building fronts

The train station is a well-publicized free "must see" for architecture nerds. Our guide told us there were 22,000 tiles here, mostly hand-painted, depicting pastoral scenes from around the countryside and some important historic events. 

A few more random scenes from our walking around; and the creativity of some of the street buskers was delightful.

Pavement made of limestone blocks laid in decorative patterns for no structural reason, just aesthetics. (Slippery when wet though!)

Steep, very steep, winding streets, sometimes with pretty surprises at the end of them.

Smooth jazz by an excellent street performer. We bought a coffee at the coffee shop just out of the photo to the right simply to sit and listen to him, and dumped all the change in our pockets into his instrument case.

I thought it was just a couple, dancing in perfect synchrony ... 

... but it was just a solo guy with a life-size mannequin. The toes of her shoes are attached to his toes, and his hand behind her back controls her head. Creative!

We took a sunset walking tour, stopped for dinner on the other side of the river looking back over Porto, and then enjoyed the view after dark.

I’m guessing they call it the “silver coast” because “foggy-overcast-drizzly coast” isn’t good marketing. But it’s beautiful! Hills on either side slope steeply down to the river that cuts through the town. Lots of musicians, buskers, local craftspeople selling in the evening.

Ceramics are big here, but take a look at these dishes. One large side is a dish for olives, the smaller dish attached is for the pits. Gives you a hint how important olives are for a snack, if there’s a specialized dish for serving them!

 

Other ceramics popular with both locals and tourists include these "andorinhas" (swallows) that I mentioned in Sevilla. Their return each spring reminds us of loyalty, renewal, and the importance of home. In Portugal they're especially lucky when hung in sets of three.

The Barcelos Rooster symbolizes good luck, justice, and faith. Legend has it that a falsely-accused traveler, on the eve of his execution, claimed the rooster (in some variants the cooked rooster that was supposed to be his last meal) would jump up and crow if he was innocent ... and the rooster did.  

  If you're not in Portugal but love these ceramics, you can buy them from this U.S. website (unfortunately they're not at Portugal prices.) 

This post is already absurdly long so I'll save the museums for Part 2.