Life is Everywhere: Reflecting On Five Days Of Porto

It has been grand, Porto has. Porto, O'Porto - city of fortified wine, city of hills, city of cobbled streets, city that is far friendlier than any Italian counterpart that I am reminded of.

We sit cafe side, returning to the best cortado yet discovered. The view remains the same, aged stucco, stone and tile, all topped with the quintessentially Portuguese red tile roofs. The bliss of "owning" one's cafe table once seated plays well with Slow-Life aspirations. It is with some level of disappointment that I can't recall much slow living during our time here - perhaps it will come with time, or perhaps we have simply not been intentional enough, likely the latter.

I arrived in Porto with nearly no expectations; I had no idea there were enough sites and locations to keep us fully occupied for days on end. The preconception was cafe lounging and meandering from tasting room to restaurant and back again. And while we have patroned numerous cafes there has most always been something enticing us on; ask for the bill and rock on!

No, I am not complaining, and if I was, champagne-problems, right? The verdict is simply, Porto is highly underrated. No, there is no Eiffel Tower, no St. Peter's Basilica, nor any Crown Jewels, but there are ancient cathedrals, towering fifteenth century monasteries, elaborately designed book stores, bustling waterfront eateries, tight and winding streets to get lost in, and sweeping views over every hilltop.

To crown it all is the ever so fine port wine. I will even be so bold as to guess that a select few ports we imbibed were finer than anything that can be acquired State side. And this I am quite sorry to report. I will liken it in this way: imagine living in the mid twentieth century, residing somewhere in America's Midwest. You take a trip to Belgium. Having heard of their world class beer, you think, "Hey, I like beer; I drink it at home quite often - this should be fun." You arrive and discover there is more to beer than light and dark - way more. This was my experience with port wine - there is more to it than ruby and tawny - way more.