saudade

on a recent sojourn to porto, our web department's creative producer aisha discovers the understated, authentic charm of one of europe's oldest cities.

destination: porto, portugal. cosmopolitan and provincial, oporto is a city of great contrasts. behind the historical façade is a university town with a contemporary pulse.

purpose of journey: a meditation in a time of crisis: shoot film, scoot around on a moped, devour squid ink pasta and down signature tipple.

never travel to oporto without: some português, patience, sunglasses, comfortable shoes, and plenty of hours scouring the internet/airbnb (of course).

what did you pack: i packed all vintage...with the exception of my shoes and bag. i was inspired by oporto’s marked character and old soul.

how many pairs of shoes: three pairs: loafers, sneakers and sandals  

what were you listening to: glasses clinking, gulls cawing and the soulful, portuguese national soundtrack: fado music. this melancholy, traditional folk music is achingly beautiful. haunting vocals are accompanied by a 12 string guitar and each ballad evokes the heartache of saudade - a yearning or feeling of longing. in a genre dominated by women, amalia rodrigues is the undisputed queen. with a black cape and red lips, the late fadista accomplished a recording and stage career half a century long.

favorite meal: oporto is portugal's food capital. cradled by the douro vineyards rolling to the east and the atlantic to the west, it’s hard to have a bad meal. noteworthy bites included simple but elegant petiscos (portuguese tapas) at jimåo, a cafe tucked above ribeira square. where the river meets the ocean, in the neighborhood of foz de douro, we enjoyed our last supper at cafeina - the ‘most chic’ of all the city’s restaurants.

highlights of the trip: riding a scooter along the atlantic at sunset. getting lost in the undulating alleyways of riberia (a unesco world heritage site). relaxing at the yeatman caudalie spa. savoring the coffee, and all the delicious seafood and wine.   

room with a view

double exposure by dan graham, serralves

casa de serralves, 1930s art deco




hanging around outside livraria lello est. 1906 - the gothic influenced 3rd most beautiful bookshop in the world


 
 sao bento train station - inaugurated in 1916, a beaux-arts building adorned with 20,000 life size azulejos (hand painted tiles) depicting the history of portugal - voted the 16th most beautiful train station in the world




lil beb




alleycats prowling these medieval streets




galo de barcelos, the legend of the portuguese rooster. the national symbol of portugal

 pinkies up
  



traditional tostas de sardinha drenched in olive oil on house made bread (€3) abacate c/ pak choi e gambas - avocado stuffed with shrimp and micro bok choy in a cream sauce (€7) my favorite dish (not pictured..) polvo c pasta negra e mangericão/squid ink pasta with octopus and basil (€8) water and wine (€3) respectively

welcome drink and 1400 year old olive tree at the yeatman




stripes for your nerves 

the granite city is covered in tiles: yellow and white floral reliefs, brown geometric 




buildings rise steeply from the douro riverbank. dom luís bridge connects porto and vila nova de gaia.  

on the other side of the douro in gaia 




my ride <3




to celebrate porto's 20th year as a unesco world heritage site fahr 021.3 constructed 'eclipse' a public space essay

port = a dash of brandy to fermenting wine

 

she's meaner than she looks 

mirarmar's capela do senhor da pedra (chapel of the lord of stone) 1686. after more than 3 centuries she still stands. during high tide the hexagon is completely surrounded by the atlantic. this is a mystical place, with pagan roots this rock has been a place of worship for over two thousand years. 

pergola da foz 1930. colonnaded neoclassical stone




felgueiras lighthouse

 
in my grandmother's scarf






take me back Xx @morethanlaundry