5C's Que Pasa

During our first full day here in Porto, I walked over seven miles.  Despite the very cool 56F day, we started the day with an excellent free walking tour with ‘simply b UNIQUE’ which is different in that the tour is held to a maximum of 12 people and you are free to ask questions about anything you want including information on other buildings you are interested in and given many recommendations as well as not to do certain things as it is a waste of time or money.  We ended up taking Juliana’s advice on where to go for lunch as well as a port cellar tour.

After the tour we walked along the Ribeira waterfront and walked over the Ponte de Luis 1 on the lower level to Gaia. Colin was in his element with so much to photograph. It slowly warmed up and eventually my jacket came off and finally my socks. I kept my sweater on all day. We stopped for lunch at one of the many restaurants, Bacalhoeiro (you can check it out on Trip Advisor ), along what I called the malecon. Our plan was to enjoy a lovely bottle of Portuguese wine along with two different preparations of the Bacalao/codfish, one of the main dishes that Porto is known for.  We relaxed with the wine enjoying the views and were overwhelmed when our meals arrived, hence no photos. The food was served in two hot casseroles from which we served ourselves. We were able to easily share and enjoy the cuisine. The fish was good but chewy at times. It is prepared from dry salted cod. Our tour guide told us that she has never tasted fresh cod. Colin said he would try it again but if I did it would be a shredded cod in a different presentation.

The servings were large and we were unable to eat it all. Feeling very full we walked to the other end of the water front, then decided to take a port tour. There are many cellars to chose from. Our host had suggested Graham’s, Taylor’s or Ferreira which was the port we had purchased the night prior. We happened to be right there and went in. There are different levels of tasting from the classic tour with two tastings for 12  Euro or three for 16 Euro with the option of spending more money for up to five tastings at 22 Euro. The next English tour was not for another hour and there was no place to sit, so we left.

Our tour guide had suggested Ramos Pinto, one of the few original Portuguese port cellars, so we walked there. The tour was in 30 minutes and for 12 Euro it included two tastings.  They also sold various ports by the glass from 2 Euro and up. Colin was told ( I was already sitting down in the interesting wait area – resting) that two of the three 2EUR ports were the ones in the tasting and that the third choice, the ruby was the lesser of the three. So he made an executive decision and ordered two glasses of the ten year old port at 4EUR each to enjoy as we waited. It was wonderful but I would not suggest that you do this until after you have had your two tastings. They were no where near as rich as the ten year old port of which we still remembered the smell and the taste.

By then I really was tired and needed to get back home so we walked back to the bridge where the taxi stand was and paid 3.5 EUR to be driven up the steep hill to the metro station.  Home was only seven minutes away. Neither of us needed nor wanted dinner after such a large lunch.  So we relaxed with some wine and a bit more port before bed.

Actually the Europeans do many unique things that set them apart from the US and Canada.  They are to be commended.

Everything was going smoothly until we were right at the checkin desk and the conveyor belt stopped working.  We had to wait a full 30 minutes before we could check in our luggage, we had our boarding passes but had to wait for the belt to work again.  Good thing we checked in early.  That was going to be the phrase of the morning.  We counted seven different checks before we were clear to go to the gate or in our case to the lounge.  The first check was right at the entrance to the airport where everything was x-rayed.  We later had yet another hand check for just our hand luggage.  Colin was interrogated ( and that is the exact word ) as to what type of photographer he was.  It went on and on.  Finally we were both cleared to exit the country.  Seriously, seven checks 😯 I don’t understand why it was such an issue to be allowed to leave the country.  Another question was that they needed the name and address of where we were staying.  The address was not enough and they did not understand about Airbnb and asked what the hotel was at that address.  I explained that is was the Blue Lagoon Riad but they had never heard of it but finally they let us go.

Once out of passport control it turned out that we had to go through yet another x-ray scan in order to get to the area of the airport we needed to be in for the flight to Porto. Because of that we lost all the water we had taken for free from the Marrakech lounge as you cannot bring that amount of liquid through.   What a waste.  Here we got hung up as they needed to search Colin’s bag.  Turns out it was the tuning fork for the guitar that was causing the problem.  Eventually we got through and instead of 2 hours and 40 minutes we had just under an hour to enjoy our last free business class lounge visit.  But we were able to get a few bottles of water to travel with, enjoy a snack and a glass of lovely Portugal wine.

Just as we  were about to board, it occurred to me that our flight was arriving an hour later than I had told our host in Porto. There had been a flight change that I was not informed about.  Texting would not work so I had to call him. Fortunately he answered but sadly he could not meet us as he was giving a presentation for his Masters degree.  So he arranged to have his neighbor let us in.  Phew, crisis averted.  But what if that light bulb had not gone off in my head 💡

The arrival in Porto was easy, we only had to pick up our luggage which came quickly.  We then had to find where to purchase an Andante public transport card and went with the Andante 3 Day Tour card for 15 Euro each.  It is good for 72 hours from whatever time it is validated and included the metro from the airport and all transport within the city. Once that was done we figured out how to get out of the airport and into the metro station.

Our Airbnb is in the perfect location.  It is located located directly across the street from the metro.  This station is the main connection to anywhere you would want to go to within Porto.   This is the link to our wonderful apartment, the very best we have ever been in.  We could easily live here. We got the key from the neighbor, unpacked and went to the grocery store about 1/2 block away to pick up wine, port and some food  for dinner. I still can’t believe how inexpensive wonderful tasting Portugal wine is.  We just did not want to go out and find a restaurant, mostly because it was cold and windy out.  Our host did come by after 10PM to give us the official tour of how everything works.  This place is very high end with electric shutters and top of the line everything. He mentioned that the best wine is from the Douro Valley and especially any Douro DOC wine.

Our host here is wonderful and has filled the fridge with cheese, ham, yogurt, milk, mango juice, Perrier, Portuguese beer, soft drinks, a lovely bottle of Aveleda Loureiro, Colheita Selecionada 2017 Portugal wine as well as a bottle of what he calls celebration wine, Raposeira Reserva Bruto, a sparking wine that we have yet to open. Simply amazing. We also had many things in our Marrakech Airbnb as I had mentioned as well as constant fresh fruit but there we were picked up and returned to the airport, a huge help to us.  You have to seriously do a good deal of research to find the right location of your Airbnb and the perks, if there are any.  In many cases there are none.

It was great having three full days plus the evening prior to explore this magical place. Our plan for this final day was to explore the souks. Just as we were about to enter, a local fellow with good English stopped us to say that the area we were going into was closed because of the holiday. We had been told the day before that it was a holiday. He then said that Berbers were gathering in the big square just five minutes up that way. He explained that we would see lots of them working their crafts and it was very special. So we walked in that direction and walked and walked and asked for directions once and kept walking. It was interesting and different from what we had already seen plus we saw other tourists like us returning from that direction.  So we kept walking but with all the turns left and right, I was becoming concerned about getting lost. Yet we continued as we still saw others walking towards us.

We stopped again to clarify our direction and the fellow said just around the corner. Then he said “Oh look there is a Berber”. He then called to the fellow and asked him to lead us to the square.  So we followed him around many more corners. I told Colin that it was too far and that we should go back, the Berber said it was just another minute. It was more than that and we said no more but just followed . Suddenly another guy appeared and said hello and gave us some small twigs of fresh mint to cover the smell of the tannery.  Suddenly we were at a tanner and we had no interest in touring the tannery and then he noticed that we were leaving.  The fellow  asked if we wanted to see the finished product, we had come this far, so why not.

More twists and turns. I stopped walking and said ‘enough’.  Turns out that it was just ahead. We were handed off to yet another man who introduced himself and had us come and sit on an elegant love seat. He then proceeded to explain how the leather is coloured with natural products and to show us his wares. We politely listened and asked a price about a hassock. It was 1800MAD/249.00CAD. We told him that we could not afford that, he suggested VISA and to negotiate a better price. He quickly became angry when we explained that we were not there to purchase anything.  He refused to listen to our explanation that we were there against our will. Yes it was a scam and we had fallen for it.

Once we left the building the two guys who had led us first to the tannery and then to the leather store were standing there with their hands out asking for money. We said no but they were upset and strong so I gave them 5MAD each but they wanted 100 each. Of course we refused and told them that we knew we had been scammed. I forgot to mention that I had spoken with two other tourists back in the shop and the same thing had happened to them. It all started back at the entrance to the souk which was not really closed.  They had called each other to let them know that we were coming, I saw the Berber make a call as we walked.  It took us a bit to put it all together.

But there is more to the story. Later looking at the map we discovered that we had walked from one wall clear across the Medina to the far wall. No wonder we were exhausted. Colin insisted that we take a taxi back to our starting point as it was hot, 33C/92F. There was an empty cab at the end of the street but no driver. We saw a nice looking fellow nearby and asked if he was the driver. He was not and said that the taxi was reserved for someone in the leather store.  But there were taxis just around the corner and he proceeded to lead us. After a block or more we asked how much further and he pointed. We could see the walls at the edge of the Medina and said thank you for your help and went on but he insisted that he would lead us. I knew that he was going to ask for money which he did but we did not expect him to start yelling at us because it wasn’t enough. He followed us to the taxi all the time yelling and when he realized that there was no more coming he started swearing at us with very vulgar words and threatening us. We were in the taxi by then and Colin had negotiated a price and we were off, somewhat shaken.  What a waste of two hours but it could have ended differently. So we put it behind us and moved on.

After lunch where we were entertained by musicians and acrobats we returned to the souk and enjoyed our walk through with no hassles. One of the first things we saw was the exact same hassock for only 300MAD/41.50CAD.  We really didn’t want to buy it so we went to move on.  The vendor was offended that we didn’t even bargain, in others words, we could have got it for much cheaper.

Further into the souk a display of pottery and dishes in a lovely shade of turquoise caught our eye. We had no intention of buying but the colour was perfect for our home and we could always use another small serving plate. The owner of the stall gave us a price that was more that we could pay and we started to walk away. He insisted that we give him a counter offer but we told him that we did not want to insult him. He insisted yet again and we gave him our offer that was less than half. He countered with 20MAD more and the deal was struck.  We are now the happy owners of a lovely memory from Morocco.  We paid 130MAD/18.00CAD less than the original price. Our price was $16.60CAD.

Once we had our fill of the souks we headed back to the apartment before I melted.  I sat in the A/C for a while both reading and working on the blog. Colin however, after a short break, headed back to the main square. He loves all the energy there, watching the vendors, the snakes, the monkeys and the general chaos of it all. I was surprised that he was gone close to two hours. I had already started my packing when he returned with some new treasures. He had been eyeing the vendors from Senegal and their brightly coloured African shirts. He had purchased not one, but three shirts from the rest of the dirhams he had in his  pockets.  Lovely shirts for about $13.00CAD each, a wonderful deal for cotton shirts.

Once we had completed our packing we headed out for our final meal in Marrakesh.  We chose to go back to the vegetarian restaurant that we ate at on our first night.  The food was just as delicious. we had to pay in Euro as Colin had spent all of our Moroccan money. Back home we showered and did more packing. I bent over in the shower when I felt a twinge my hip. Perhaps it was because of all the walking I had done and that I was extra tired, that I pulled something. We tried massage and pressure point release that did not help. I took a double dose of ibuprofen. Colin was asleep in a moment while I remained awake in severe pain. At one point I knew that I was incapable of leaving in the morning. About 1:15AM I got up and took a Tylenol 3. Over the next hour the pain eased and I fell asleep. In real time I am doing alright with little to no pain. Colin is carrying the two heavy carry on bags while only have to deal with the small guitar.

We have ten more days before we travel back to Canada.  At the moment we are on yet another flight to our next destination. I hope that you will enjoy it.

 

Tags: celebrations

Yesterday was another warm and sunny day with 88F/31C.  We walk in the shade as much as we can.  Strangely in the evening as the sun is setting  the winds pick up and it becomes very cool.  Enough for me to wear the warmest clothes I have and for Colin to put on his thick fleece hoodie.  Overall I would have to say that prices are expensive here. We thought that they would be less even with the back and forth bargaining yet even then things seem to cost the same as in Seville.  Another observation we made is that there are no dogs around, not even being walked on leash.  However there are cats all over, meowing pitifully for food and for affection.  It was another walking day.

We spent a few hours visiting the Bahia Palace, supposedly the most extraordinary imperial relic in Morocco.  It was built  at the start of the 19th century for Is Moussa, the then chamberlain of Sultan Hassan 1.  The interior is a labyrinth of passages with reception halls, court after court, garden beyond garden, private apartments and more all stretching over 20 acres of ground.  The position and location of the Palace does not allow for an exterior photograph.  Sadly, for the high cost of 70MAD/6.45EUR/9.70CAD there was not much to see as the place is not being kept up. The painted walls are dirty, half the lights don’t work, the tiles are chipping, 98% of the fountains don’t work, there has been no restoration and the painted doors are being touched by so many people that they won’t last much longer.  Unlike Alhambra and other cathedrals we have been in over the past weeks there are no guards to be seen.  What are they using our entrance fees for?

It was still a beautiful place to visit, we can only imagine how it would have looked back in the day before it was ransacked.  After a break back in our apartment, we added heavier clothing and headed back to Djemaa el Fna to see the sunset and of course observe the chaos and noises as everyone gathered.

 

So ended another long day.  We have one more full day here.

 

Tags: music, The girls, USA

We eased into the day yesterday, our first full day in Marrakech and it was late morning before we got out.  Our accommodation is very neat and its enjoyable to just sit inside for a bit.  We could hear the call to prayer through our open windows. Our host had indicated that we could pay for things with Visa or Euros.  However we are finding that like Mexico cash is what is expected.  We changed some Euro into Moroccan Dirham, the rough rate of exchange is 100MAD per 1EUR. Some merchants will accept Euro but give you change back in MAD.  We have only found three restaurants that accept credit cards.  We spent a good part of the day walking the narrow streets and also walked about Djemaa el Fna and went back later in the evening for sunset and dinner.  Very generally I can say that the vendors are very polite and not pushy at all.  They try to engage you in a variety of different languages.  We are often asked if we are Australian. Everyone breaks out in a huge smile when they find out that we are from Canada. I keep complicating things by speaking Spanish instead of French.  My mind is thinking French but my mouth automatically expresses Spanish.  Even if I start a conversation in French, half of it comes out in Spanish. Does that mean I am losing my French?

Tomorrow is another day with more sights to see.