Take it easy in Porto

Porto is a friendly city. Steep sloping streets lined with tile faced houses. Blue, yellow, green, red, even pink...

It's the end of a warm cloudless Saturday. Families and friends gather on the street to chat while children play. Others prefer to peer out of their laundry-laced windows to get the news. On a street corner, four or five older men sit on their plastic chairs to discuss the weather, last night's game, the news... If you make the slightest effort to talk to the locals, you will see that most people will welcome your conversation and take a deep interest in you.

Sunday afternoon: again, there is not a cloud in the sky. The city is quiet, shops are closed, homes are closed and even many cafés are closed. All you can hear on the cobblestone streets are the echoes of your own footsteps. Following the black and white mosaic sidewalks, you'll probably come across several churches, all with tile-work on them, of course. As you walk further from the center and closer to the river, things start getting livelier. You find a wine cave where the owner will teach you all about Port Wine and Vinho Verde. He'll tell you that in most Porto residences, you will find a vintage port wine produced the year of the owner's birth.

You'll next discover that once upon a time Porto had a tram that had not worked for thirty years. One day, the city decided to start it up again. It's an old tramcar that violently rattles from where the city meets the Douro to where the Douro meets the Atlantic. The trolley driver himself is rough; a short Portuguese man with a cigarette that rests so naturally in his mouth that it seems to just be a part of him.
Once arriving at the end of the line, you will find that along the mosaic boardwalk the standard is to slowly stroll in that warm Sunday-after-lunch pace. Children rollerblade, bike and run while parents and grandparent walk behind them with arms linked.

Walk out to a lighthouse and you'll feel an amazing energy that contrasts with the lazy Porto. Suddenly the wind picks up and the waves hit the sides of the concrete pier, splashing a salty mist into the air. Everything is suddenly damp and sticky with ocean water, in a refreshing way.

The key to enjoying Porto is to get into the local mindset. There's no rush. Amble along the streets, discover hidden corners, narrow alleys and pleasant cafés. It does not matter how quickly you get from A to B. What is important is to discover what comes your way. As the French would say, "flanner": walk randomly until you find something that interests you, then, contemplate your discoveries.