Porto, Portugal: Port Wine, Riverside Culture & Northern Portugal’s Most Charming City
Portugal continues to surge in popularity with travelers, but while many visitors focus on Lisbon or the beaches of the Algarve, Porto offers a distinctly different side of the country. Set along the Douro River in northern Portugal, Porto blends maritime history, steep hillside neighborhoods, world-famous port wine, and a deeply rooted culinary culture into one of Europe’s most rewarding urban destinations.
In this episode of Travel in 10, Tim and David explore what makes Porto such a compelling city for both first-time visitors and returning travelers. From historic riverfront views and centuries-old port lodges to vibrant markets, late-night dining culture, and unforgettable food experiences, Porto reveals itself as a city best explored slowly and on foot.
The episode also highlights Porto’s role as a gateway to the Douro Valley, one of Europe’s great wine regions, and discusses why getting out onto the river is essential for fully appreciating the city’s dramatic landscape and atmosphere.
Topics Covered
• Port Wine Culture – Exploring Porto’s historic port lodges, tastings, and the traditions behind fortified wine production.
• Douro River Experiences – Why river cruises and waterfront views are central to understanding Porto.
• Food Scene – Traditional Portuguese sandwiches, tinned seafood culture, markets, and local dining traditions.
• Neighborhood Atmosphere – Porto’s steep hills, riverside districts, and residential neighborhoods.
• Where to Stay – Hotel recommendations ranging from wellness-focused luxury to modern lifestyle stays.
Top Things to See & Do
Douro River Cruises
Seeing Porto from the water is one of the city’s defining experiences. Short sightseeing cruises, sunset sailings, and full Douro Valley river cruises all provide dramatic views of Porto’s bridges, hillside architecture, and historic waterfront.
Port Lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia
The famous port houses across the river from central Porto remain one of the city’s biggest draws. Visitors can walk between legendary producers including Sandeman, Taylor’s, Churchill’s, Graham’s, and Ferreira while learning about the production and aging of Portugal’s iconic fortified wine.
Mercado do Bolhão
One of Porto’s most beloved food markets, Mercado do Bolhão combines traditional produce vendors with casual dining stalls serving everything from seafood to pastries and wine. The lively atmosphere makes it an ideal midday stop.
Rua de Santa Catarina
Porto’s main pedestrian shopping street offers cafés, boutiques, and historic gathering places. It remains one of the city’s best areas for wandering and people-watching.
El Corte Inglés
This massive Iberian department store became one of the episode’s surprise recommendations. Beyond shopping, the Porto location includes an expansive food hall and upper-floor dining options that showcase how department store culture still thrives in Portugal and Spain.
Where to Eat & Drink
Majestic Café
A historic café on Rua de Santa Catarina known for its elegant Belle Époque atmosphere and long association with Porto’s intellectual and cultural life.
Conga
A local favorite for the traditional bifana sandwich featuring slow-cooked pork simmered with garlic, paprika, and white wine.
Minerva
A standout stop for discovering Portugal’s tinned seafood culture, including sardines and tuna prepared with regional sauces and olive oils.
Mercado do Bolhão
The market’s food stalls provide an excellent introduction to Porto’s casual dining culture and local specialties.
Port Tonic Cocktails
Listeners are encouraged to try Porto’s refreshing port tonic, typically made with white port, tonic water, citrus, and mint.
Where to Stay
Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa
A polished luxury hotel known for its extensive spa facilities, including pools, steam rooms, and wellness areas. While slightly removed from the historic riverfront, it offers a relaxing retreat after long days exploring Porto.
Renaissance Porto Lapa Hotel
A modern lifestyle hotel in Porto’s Lapa neighborhood featuring rooftop views toward the Atlantic Ocean, contemporary Portuguese-inspired design, and a destination-worthy restaurant led by Chef Miguel. The hotel’s “Navigator” concierge concept also helps guests build highly personalized Porto itineraries.
Can’t-Miss Experiences
- Touring Porto’s historic port lodges and sampling different styles of port wine.
- Cruising beneath Porto’s six bridges on the Douro River.
- Trying a traditional bifana sandwich.
- Exploring Mercado do Bolhão with a glass of Portuguese wine.
- Sampling Portugal’s famous tinned seafood culture.
- Watching sunset views over the Douro River.
- Enjoying a rooftop cocktail overlooking Porto’s hills and waterfront.
Gateway to Northern Portugal
Porto serves as the perfect gateway to the Douro Valley and northern Portugal. Many travelers begin river cruises here before sailing toward Salamanca in Spain, while others use Porto as a base for exploring vineyards, wine estates, and smaller towns throughout the region.
Final Thoughts
Porto delivers a rich combination of history, food, wine, and riverfront beauty without feeling overly polished or manufactured. Its walkable neighborhoods, strong culinary identity, and connection to the Douro Valley make it an ideal destination for travelers seeking culture, atmosphere, and a more layered experience of Portugal.
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Speaker A:Portugal has become one of the world's top tourism destinations.
Speaker A:I think there are a few countries at the moment that are, that are hotter and everybody wants to go to Portugal.
Speaker A:But when you think about a trip to Portugal, most people think south.
Speaker A:They think about the Algarve, they think about beaches, they think about surfing, they think about seaside restaurants or the cobblestones of Lisbon, the capital.
Speaker A:But today we're going to go to Portugal's second city.
Speaker A:We're going to go north to Porto, a city that straddles the Douro river and is not far from the sea.
Speaker A:And it really has so much to offer.
Speaker A:David, how are you doing today?
Speaker B:I am doing great today and today's episode is going to be a little different too, because usually me and you are going to, and talking about a place that both of us have been to recently.
Speaker B:We're, we're lucky that you, you are.
Speaker A:What, 150 plus countries you've been to around the world.
Speaker B:I pale in comparison with my 55 or so countries.
Speaker B:But we, we usually between the two of us have somewhere we've both been recently enough to talk to, but Porto is somewhere.
Speaker B:It's been a minute.
Speaker B:I, I think last time I was There was about 15 years ago, but I am scheduled to go back to Portugal for a trip in September to CASC in Lisbon and still planning out my route and itinerary.
Speaker B:So I'm going to be grilling you about Porto today because I know you've been there recently to try and figure out if we, if we need to add it back to the itinerary.
Speaker A:Sounds good.
Speaker A:Sounds good.
Speaker A:You know, I absolutely love Porto.
Speaker A:I've spent quite a bit of time in Portugal.
Speaker A:I've spent probably, if you, if you put all the months together over the, the years, I've probably spent about four or Five months in Portugal and, but had not gone to Porto very often.
Speaker A:I had a very short stay in Porto before a river Cruise more than 10 years ago, and then was fortunate enough to have the flexibility before another river cruise, another Douro river cruise, just now, just about a month ago, to spend several days, four or five days just set in Porto and, and, and, and to see all that this city has to offer.
Speaker A:And I mean, it's really a dramatic place for people who've been to say, a place like Budapest where you have a river running and then the city climbs away on the banks and you have bridge after bridge.
Speaker A:I think it's six bridges crossing the river.
Speaker A:You know, that that's, that's kind of the vibe.
Speaker A:But of course the culture is completely different and the history is completely different and, and just a maritime city, but also a lot more to do and see.
Speaker A:And I got to, I, I filled my days.
Speaker A:I mean, I was out of the room in the morning, I was back in the room late at night and I did as much as I could to see all that there is to see in Porto before getting on the cruise, which was very nice and chill and then just kind of sailing up the river towards Spain.
Speaker A:So, yeah, so I guess maybe we'll just dive right in to things to do, you know.
Speaker A:Why, why should you go to Porto?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:I mean, the little bit I remember from being there is, you know, the thing that really struck me about it and that stands out was the waterfront.
Speaker B:It's really distinctive waterfront, historic waterfront, and a very well preserved, you know, ancient city.
Speaker B:Really, you really see that the history of port wine is a huge part of the city and you see the influences of that everywhere you go.
Speaker B:As you say that it's built up in the hills and you definitely do.
Speaker B:It's been a walk, a bit of a walking, like I remember walking from place to place to see a bit of, a bit of a hike for sure to get, to get around, but just such a, such a beautiful setting when you're there.
Speaker B:When it comes to what to do, what were the big ones for you?
Speaker B:What really stood out?
Speaker A:I want to build a little bit on what you just mentioned about, and I know that we talked before the episode about, about port wine, about the port lodges, and I know that is something that you did when you were there.
Speaker A:It's also something that I did when I was there just recently.
Speaker A:But what was your favorite part of that?
Speaker A:What did you enjoy?
Speaker A:Because it is amazing that one side of the river is just they, you know, they call them port houses or port lodges.
Speaker A:And you see Sandeman and Ferreira and all the different brands and they're all based there on the one side of the river and you can even walk from one to the next.
Speaker A:And so, yeah, just tell me a little bit about your experience doing that.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, it's not unlike doing, you know, a winery tour in a lot of parts of the world.
Speaker B:Except what's really unique about it is that there is this huge concentration of, as you say, the port lodges, the what you know, what you would call wineries for other tanks and spirits, you know, all concentrated in a really tight area together.
Speaker B:So you walk from place to place.
Speaker B:As the day goes on, it's more stumble from place to place.
Speaker B:All of whom are quite liberal with the tastings and samples that they'll give you.
Speaker B:You know, every.
Speaker B:Everything from a 10 year old tawny to a dry white port, a lot of types of port that you won't even see other places in the world that you know, a lot of different varieties that you can get there and really get to dig into the history of it.
Speaker B:You called out some of the great ones, of course, you know, Sandeman, Rams, Taylors, Churchill, there's a lot of smaller, more boutique ones throughout that area, but they're all kind of in the same district.
Speaker B: ave been there since like the: Speaker B:And one of the things I thought was quite cool about port is it is one of the spirits that ages the best, right.
Speaker B:So if you buy a vintage bottle, there's only certain years that are considered vintage ones that they essentially recommend that you can sell her for extended periods of time.
Speaker B:So it was quite, you know, one of the things I did, we were there, for example, is like found vintage bottles from the years that our kids were born and, you know, we can keep them till their, I don't know, their 75th birthday, whatever.
Speaker B:They want to crack them open and they, they just get better and better with age.
Speaker B:And there's a huge selection of them there at all the port lodges.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:And part of that is just how it's made, right, because they start the process as you would make a regular wine and a lot of the grapes come down the river and we're going to talk about that a little bit from the wineries that are further up the Douro river, but then they stop the fermentation process and they add in a type of brandy and that's why it's called a fortified wine.
Speaker A:They fortify it with this brandy and that's what makes it sweet.
Speaker A:But, but it often makes the percentage.
Speaker A:You know, a typical wine might be 11, 12%.
Speaker A:A typical port is like a 20% and so, but just perfect to.
Speaker A:I don't tend to be a dessert wine person.
Speaker A:I don't really like ice wine or even late harvest Rieslings.
Speaker A:I do like port because it goes so well with my other like favorite thing, which is cheese.
Speaker A:You know, those two things go together so well.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, so that is definitely a must do in Porto.
Speaker A:And you know, with all of them right there on the river and so much of the city based around the river, the Douro.
Speaker A:One of the things that I would definitely recommend doing is if, if you can do a full week river cruise, which is why a lot of people go to Porto.
Speaker A:And that is what I did both times that I went to Porto.
Speaker A:It is, it is worth it.
Speaker A:You go up the river to Salamanca in Spain and you visit all these fascinating little places along the way.
Speaker A:I did a river cruise with Avalon Waterways.
Speaker A:But even if you don't have the time or the resources to do a seven day cruise, I would say just getting on the water is the best way to see this city.
Speaker A:There are day cruises, you know, half day cruises, sunset cruises that pass under the six bridges.
Speaker A:You can do a wine tasting cruise that'll take you to a winery that's in the Douro Valley that's very close by and back and just again passing under these soaring bridges is just, just an absolutely unforgettable experience.
Speaker A:And there are certain cities in the world that you really have to get on the water to truly appreciate, you know, their, their, their charms and their beauty.
Speaker A:And I would say that Porto is definitely one of those.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:The waterfront was a huge part of the city.
Speaker B:That's something I very much remember.
Speaker B:We were talking a little bit before we started taping.
Speaker B:I mean, they had all those Rebelo boats, the boats that used to carry the port wine from the lodges and distribute it around the country down the Douro River.
Speaker B:But also sometimes when we were there, we were lucky enough to see this old historic tall ships that came in.
Speaker B:I don't know if that's something you'd see all the time, but that historic waterfront is really a big part of the draw of the city for sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Do you want to get into a little bit about the where to eat when you're there?
Speaker B:I mean, the one thing I will, I will say about where to eat is it was a late night eating culture there for Sure.
Speaker B:I remember a lot of the restaurants, you know, really weren't starting to get dizzy till kind of 10 o', clock, 11 o' clock at night and continued on.
Speaker B:And that's on like a Tuesday night or Wednesday night.
Speaker B:That definitely seemed to skew towards more late night eating where there's some standout places.
Speaker B:Yeah, I just remember the food in general being fantastic.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, the food is.
Speaker A:I mean it really is.
Speaker A:I mean, the Portuguese really have a strong chef culture and really pride themselves on, on creating beautiful, beautiful dishes.
Speaker A:And I'm going to talk a little bit later about a hotel restaurant that everyone should try that has a multi course tasting menu.
Speaker A:But I'm going to save that for the where to stay part of this for me.
Speaker A:I'm going to keep it really simple on the where to eat, which is, first of all, I would say to go to the market, to the main market in town.
Speaker A:I'm probably going to mispronounce this.
Speaker A:It's the Bohau Market, B O L, H A O.
Speaker A:And it's got these beautiful soaring, it's a covered market but with these kind of vaulted glass and steel ceilings.
Speaker A:So you feel like you're outside and essentially you are outside, but it's a covered market.
Speaker A:So you can go no matter what the weather.
Speaker A:And you know, they've got everything from flowers to fish to meat and then they also have great little food stalls that you can get everything from pasta to tuna to ice cream cone or whatever.
Speaker A:And the day that I was there, it was a beautiful, warm, sunny spring day and people had gathered with whatever their food was, with their friends, usually a glass of wine.
Speaker A:You know, there's a lot of places there where you can get a glass of wine.
Speaker A:And they were sitting on the stairs and there were these stairs that climbed up.
Speaker A:You know, Porto's a very hilly city and so the, the stairs were kind of climbing up to the next block and people were just enjoying, I think it was like a Tuesday afternoon at 2 o', clock, 3 o'.
Speaker A:Clock.
Speaker A:Everyone was just kind of, you know, enjoying their simple, beautiful food from the market.
Speaker A:And keeping on that theme of simple, beautiful food.
Speaker A:I did do a food tour and, and I'm going to mention just, I think two, I think I only have two places written down, but I should mention Cafe Majestic or Majestic Cafe, which is a classic, classic restaurant that's on the main shopping street, which is another thing people should do.
Speaker A:There's a pedestrian shopping street, Rua Santa Catarina.
Speaker A:And it was the place where all of the elite and the intelligence, intelligence of the city would, would gather and talk.
Speaker A:And so it has that kind of salon, you know, that Parisian 19th century feel.
Speaker A:I would say, you know, maybe that's kind of a place where you go for a coffee, enjoy the ambiance.
Speaker A:I have not tried the food there.
Speaker A:I'm sure it's wonderful and people should go for dinner as well, but it was not a place where I had a meal.
Speaker A:But I will mention two places that I experienced on the food tour.
Speaker A:We did make a brief stop there and then we did, we went to a place called Conga where we had a very typical Portuguese sandwich called a befana, which is like a super soft, slow cooked pork cut, pork cutlet and it's simmered in white wine, garlic and paprika.
Speaker A:And it was just, I mean, my mouth is watering.
Speaker A:We're not too far from dinner here in Ontario and maybe I wish there was a good beef on a place right here, but, but just really, really just the sauce, bun and all that mix of, of flavors and the slow cooked meat, it was wonderful.
Speaker A:And the other place, and this is going to be a surprise probably to most of our listeners and most people who love good food, uh, but there's a place called Minerva that serves one of Portugal's very favorite things.
Speaker A:And if you've been to Portugal, you, you will know this.
Speaker A:They love tinned fish.
Speaker A:So fish that is in a can.
Speaker A:And our guide, who's fantastic, explained that, you know, if you're visiting friends in another country, you might put out some cheese, you might put, put out a charcuterie board and certainly they do that in Portugal.
Speaker A:But she said it's very acceptable and very normal to crack out a couple cans of fish and people are going to eat, you know, the fish.
Speaker A:And so we did a tasting there.
Speaker A:I was with a small group food tour.
Speaker A:They've been, I have it written down here.
Speaker A: essing the fish by hand since: Speaker A:So they've been doing this for a long time.
Speaker A:We had tuna and with a spicy olive oil and we had sardines and tomato sauce, which I think for most people hearing those two things does not sound good.
Speaker A:But it was fantastic.
Speaker A:I would have, I would have eaten the whole can myself.
Speaker A:So it was actually delicious.
Speaker A:And I don't tend to be, I love fresh seafood, but I'm a little finicky on seafood.
Speaker A:It was just, I don't know, they got the, they got the formula right.
Speaker A:Absolutely, absolutely loved that food tour and, and, and loved My tinned fish.
Speaker B:I did not know that was a thing in Portugal.
Speaker B:In our, we, we did not see the, the tinned fish trend when we were there.
Speaker B:That is something I was going to have to look out for on the upcoming trip.
Speaker A:There are whole stores.
Speaker A:When you go, I know you're, you got a trip coming up in the fall when you go look.
Speaker A:And there are, there are shops that sell nothing but tinned fish and, and they have the tinned fish stacked to the ceiling and all these different flavors.
Speaker A:Sardines tend to be.
Speaker A:Tuna is a real Portuguese thing.
Speaker A:Bacalao, you know they call it.
Speaker A:And you see them, if you look for them, you'll see them.
Speaker A:And if you see it, you know, I mean, you can grab a can, I don't know what it is.
Speaker A:Like €2 or something for a can of something, and it's worth it.
Speaker A:Just take it out to the park and grab a toothpick or something and try it.
Speaker A:It's really.
Speaker A:I was surprised.
Speaker A:It was, it was fantastic.
Speaker B:A can of sardines and tomato sauce sounds like a nightmare to me.
Speaker B:But on your, on your recommendation, I will go there, Tim.
Speaker B:I will, I will try it.
Speaker B:Let's see.
Speaker A:It is 100%.
Speaker A:It is a hundred percent worth it.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And, you know, and I guess maybe, I don't know, should we dive into places?
Speaker B:Places to stay?
Speaker B:Places to stay?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:I, I, I could talk about one really briefly, and then I know you've got one you loved, which, I mean, we, we stayed at the Sheraton, which, I'll, I'll say two things about it.
Speaker B:One, it's a little far from where the port lodges and stuff are.
Speaker B:So that, that part we didn't love about it because I think we, we ended up in a taxi a fair bit of time, more time than we would have expected.
Speaker B:What I did love, however, though, was the, was the spa portion has a big, you know, big spa with multiple pools and hot and cold salt rooms and steam rooms that gives you access to that as a guest.
Speaker B:And this had a great one.
Speaker B:So that, that, that was the, the part to recommend there.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker A:And I, I want to, I'm going to go on a little bit about this one.
Speaker A:I, I love this hotel.
Speaker A:It's a Renaissance hotel, and it's a little bit out of the way.
Speaker A:It's in, it's in a neighborhood called Lapa, and, and it's kind of a quiet residential neighborhood.
Speaker A:It's next to a park.
Speaker A:So my suite had a beautiful view out, and you could Just see people walking their dogs or playing with their kids or going for a jog so close to the city.
Speaker A:Less than a five minute walk to, to a transit station that would take you anywhere in the city.
Speaker A:If you're a walker, you could get right into the middle of town in 15 or 20 minutes.
Speaker A:But it did have that resort feel.
Speaker A:It had a rooftop pool where you could look out and you could see all the way to the ocean, which is incredible.
Speaker A:They had a huge new spa.
Speaker A:You were talking about your love of spas at the hotel where you stayed.
Speaker A:They have a huge new spa and then they brought in a lot of.
Speaker A:It's a fairly new hotel, but they brought in a lot of design elements from the city itself.
Speaker A:So, you know, mosaic tile floors.
Speaker A:You know, Portugal's so known for their mosaics.
Speaker A:Even the color schemes are meant to reflect some of the most historic buildings in the city.
Speaker A:City.
Speaker A:So even though it's a newer hotel, they brought in all of these kind of older elements, so bringing the outside in.
Speaker A:And I did love the fact that the concierge at the hotel is called the Navigator.
Speaker A:And so the idea is that, yes, they want you to feel like you're in the city when you're at the hotel, but the other part of it is they, they want you to get out there and see the city.
Speaker A:And so the Navigator, their whole goal is to help you navigate the city and plan adventures for you and say, you know, what, do you like, do you like to, do you like to walk?
Speaker A:Do you like to hike?
Speaker A:Do you like to be on the water?
Speaker A:Do you, do you like port wine?
Speaker A:Do you like, you know, and they'll put together adventures for you and you can sit.
Speaker A:I mean, I think I sat with the Navigator for about a half an hour and we talked about all the different angles and, and he, he filled up my days.
Speaker A:It was fantastic.
Speaker A:And I do need to mention the restaurant, the on site restaurant, they have a new chef, Chef Miguel, and he's a chef, a local chef who's traveled the world.
Speaker A:And the theme at the restaurant, they've just revamped the menu.
Speaker A:And the theme at the restaurant is that he's taking elements from all of the places that he's lived around the world, and I think especially the Mediterranean, and then using local producers to, to put together a tasting menu.
Speaker A:And so I did like an 8 or 10 course tasting menu and it was truly, you know, a peak culinary experience.
Speaker A:You know, sometimes you think, okay, you know, should we really eat a hotel?
Speaker A:This is definitely a hotel.
Speaker A:Where you should have a drink, they have a, you know, signature cocktail menu.
Speaker A:And then they have this wonderful restaurant at the hotel with, with this chef who is doing innovative, interesting, wonderful, delicious things.
Speaker A:So that's my recommendation.
Speaker B:That sounds like a great spot.
Speaker B:Any, Any final camp misses as we, as we wrap up our time in Porto?
Speaker A:Yes, I have, I have a camp miss and it's weird.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's weird.
Speaker B:It's weird.
Speaker B:It's, it's, it's, it's.
Speaker A:And I talk about it a lot, like when I'm talking about certain cities in the, on the Iberian Peninsula.
Speaker A:So when I talk about Madrid or Barcelona or Lisbon.
Speaker A:And the same thing is in Porto, which is.
Speaker A:I love this department store.
Speaker A:I believe it's a Spanish department store.
Speaker A:It's called El Corte Ingles.
Speaker A:Ingles means English.
Speaker A: e a department store from the: Speaker A:Like, it's modern.
Speaker A:It's not, it's not old.
Speaker A:It doesn't sell old things.
Speaker A:But it is, you know, as we're seeing in North America, department stores, Hudson Bay and Sears and, you know, Macy's, all these department stores struggle.
Speaker A:JCPenney, they seem to be thriving.
Speaker A:And so the one in Porto, it's about like 10 stories tall.
Speaker A:It sells pretty much anything that you can imagine.
Speaker A:So I bought contact lenses and shoes at the same department store in Porto, El Cortez Ingles.
Speaker A:And then it's also got a food court that's really good if you're just looking for a quick bite with some non typical types of.
Speaker A:I won't remember exactly what types of foods, but I remember thinking, oh, this is not your, this is not just burgers and fries.
Speaker A:You can get a lot of different things.
Speaker A:And then on the top floor, they had what they told me was a cafeteria.
Speaker A:They're like, oh, yeah, go up to the cafeteria.
Speaker A:And I went up there and it was like, like a, like a white tablecloth restaurant with, you know, with a beautiful menu.
Speaker A:I did not.
Speaker A:I ate at the food court.
Speaker A:I was in a little bit of a rush because I had so much to do.
Speaker A:But, but, you know, it's, it's, it's a department store that you could spend, you literally could spend the whole day.
Speaker A:You could have lunch at the food court.
Speaker A:You could explore floors 1 through 4 in the morning and 5 through 10 in the afternoon and then have dinner on the, on the top floor.
Speaker A:So that's, that's, that's, that's My can't miss is the department store on the far side of the river in Porto.
Speaker A:But there is, yeah, a lot to do in this city.
Speaker B:That, that is a great campus.
Speaker B:And I have to say I, I was at a different chain of that same department store in Madrid right around Christmas time.
Speaker B:And just to give people a sense of like how big of a thing it is culturally there, that chain of stores throughout Spain and Portugal and that region is during Christmas time.
Speaker B:It's super, you know, decorated up and they've got all the things that you would expect at a big, big flagship department store.
Speaker B:But every day I think was it about 5 o' clock in the afternoon in the couple of weeks leading up into Christmas, they put on this show with their branded characters, you know, the certain cartoon penguin and whatever else dancing, multi different dancing cartoon characters that everybody in Spain knows.
Speaker B:And, and there must have been 30,000 people on the street waiting for the show to begin.
Speaker B:When I was there, they all knew every song that every cartoon penguin and rabbit from the department store sang.
Speaker B:They made fake snow come down on the streets all around us.
Speaker B:It was like a full on production.
Speaker B:It was impressive.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker A:So now I have to go back at Christmas because that I love this place already now I extra super love it.
Speaker A:So yeah, yeah, I definitely have to go back.
Speaker A:That sounds like an incredible experience.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, I'll maybe throw in one camp nest to wrap us up which is going to be port related, which is a drink I would recommend to try when you're there, which is not just plain port but a port drink called the port tonic which they actually use white port rather than red port for together with tonic water, slice of orange or slice of lemon, sometimes some mint.
Speaker B:You know usually people think of port as being this quite sweet, heavy after dinner drink.
Speaker B:The port tonic is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
Speaker B:11 Part, 2 parts tonic at most bars is the, the common ratio.
Speaker B:And it is a super refreshing summertime on a hot day drink there in Porto.
Speaker B:So something you definitely got to try when you're in town.
Speaker A:The aperol spritz of.
Speaker B:Of.
Speaker A:Of Portugal.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:So Porto.
Speaker A:Well it's been great chatting about Porto with you.
Speaker A:I'm jealous you're going in the fall to again.
Speaker A:Let me just reiterate.
Speaker A:And fish.
Speaker A:Gotta try the tin fish.
Speaker B:I think, I think you sold me on the tin fish and I think we're gonna, as we, as we plan out, I'm definitely gonna see if we can make it back up to Porto again because yeah, it's been too long.
Speaker A:And if you can't, you can get Ulluwas, but you can get it anywhere in Portugal.
Speaker A:But I think they do it best in Porto, so.
Speaker B:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Well, thanks, Tim.
Speaker B:And good, good travels to you coming up.
Speaker B:And thanks as always, for.
Speaker B:For taking some time to share some of your favorite places around the world with us.
Speaker A:Sounds good.
Speaker A:David.
Speaker A:Always good to.
Speaker A:Always good to see you.
Speaker A:Always good to chat with you.
Speaker A:And yeah, I hope you have a great rest of the day.
Speaker B:Sounds great.
