Sunsets in the colorful neighborhoods of Porto…
What intrigued me the most about Porto were it’s snippets of visual imperfection and the way that decay exists here amongst what is living. In the local neighborhoods of the city there are apartments that seem abandoned by time, whilst others are still inhabited with life, in more than just one form. Colors here are vibrant and rich with contrast, and the details of patterns, both engraved and smooth, are enhanced with a type of blackness that only old cities have. It’s something that comes with time, age and movement.
Some of my favorite afternoons in Porto were spent above the Ribeira in the neighborhoods that overlooked the Douro river! Streets in this part of the city dissolve into little alleys and pathways that leave you with moments to get lost in the ways of the people who actually live here everyday…
Old women can be seen hanging their laundry from rustic pieces of wire, as if they have been doing so for years, and Dulce Pontes can still be heard slithering from vintage radios, four levels above.
Of all though, the sunsets in this part of the city were some of the most breathtaking! Pink, purple, and turquoise hues make the scattered cathedral rooftops of Porto look like Moorish silhouettes, with all of the Arabesque domes and established palm trees in the distance.
- Dakota
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A way of life on the coast of Nazaré, Portugal…
My experiences of local living on the coast of Nazaré have been some of my favorite travel memories from Portugal! I’ve spent most of my days here with Amarvel and Valentina, Pezinha’s aunt and uncle. Everyday we’ve been cooking with organic fruit and vegetables that grow in their acres of uninhabited land on the outskirts of Valado dos Frades. Ancient varieties of pears, plums, watermelons and peaches are a few to name… Amidst the many lush olive groves, zucchini trails and other organic produce that is grown for the sole purpose of eating well and sharing with others…
- The winding pear trees and fence wires that were laden with delicious grapes.
- Marinated olives that were picked from the gardens and flavored with various rustic ingredients like crushed garlic and cracked chilies.
- Freshly caught fish at Mercado Municipal.
Eating delicious barbecued sardines that were grilled on a fire, in the traditional Portuguese way, reminded me of my childhood when we used to catch Kahawai in the harbor near my house in Raglan, New Zealand! The flavors were so rich, all on their own. From fire to plate, we savored the sardines with light summer salads and thinly sliced tomatoes that were drizzled with Amarvel’s homemade olive oil made from last years harvest!
- It is one thing to taste the traditional cuisine of a place but another thing to learn it’s local technique.
What I’ll never forget though were the long afternoons in Valentina’s outdoor kitchen where she taught me how to make traditional chorizo. An infusion of wine, paprika, cumin, bay leaves, chilies, cracked pepper and sea salt. Valentina’s 93-year-old mother passed the recipe and method down to her, the same way that it has been for generations!
- Dakota
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The black widows of Nazaré…
Nazaré is still a very traditional part of Portugal. Many of the women that I’ve seen in the town still wear veils and seven layer dresses, as well as flamboyant gold jewelry to show their status and level in life. There is another type of woman here though. She’s a woman distinguished by color. – The color black. In the form of woven lace, cotton, silk and scarf. Often from head to toe. Like a shadow that strolls past in the streets. She’ll wear it everyday for the rest of her life, until the day that is her own.
- Dakota
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The seaside village of Nazaré…
On the coast of Nazaré I’ve been staying with my Portuguese friend Pezinha in a traditional house that belonged to her grandparents! The walls and floors of the house are inlayed with painted Azulejo tiles that contrast all of the carved wooden furniture, vintage chandeliers and intriguing fisherman’s objects that are still hung here for good luck at sea. In a way, it makes everything about this place feel untouched. What I’ve loved the most about being here though is the lifestyle! Everyday we’ve been cooking with organic fruit and vegetables that grow outside, not to mention the delicious handmade chorizo that an old woman makes in a village nearby or the fresh fish that comes from the bay! And in the mornings we wake up to the refreshing sea breeze of Nazaré with espressos and artisan bread that Pezinha’s cousin sends to us from his pâtisserie in Paris.
- Dakota
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Praça da Ribeira, Porto…
Right now I’m in Porto, where I’ll be for the next few days before I travel further north to the seaside village of Nazaré. The quaint way that this city has aged over time as well as it’s colorful and beautifully imperfect exterior, is so intriguing! Praça da Ribeira has had an impact on my mind. Rich colors of rusty red and tempting shades of turquoise adorn the Douro riverbank with a genuine sense of character and the streets here echo with music and life.
- Dakota
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