I know 2012 has now been with us for almost two weeks, but I haven’t had any time to recapitulate, rewind and wish you all a Happy New Year yet. I don’t know about the rest of you, many, if not almost everyone I know, is chalking 2011 as one of the worst years ever. I know it was for me. So many struggles, disappointments and personal battles. I’ve been ignoring my past for too long and it decided to blazingly install itself in my present, issues that need to be dealt with.
It despairs me to think that 2012 might be anything like 2011. Both personally and on a worldwide-scale. So much pain, so much upheaval, everywhere I look. How much strength is left to keep dealing with everything? I’m sorry this is so dire, I’d love to hear how your 2011 was like. Maybe some joy, someone, anyone?
So on a more happier note… As is traditional towards the end of a year, in my little world of three, we left our furry sidekick and jetted off to Oporto to celebrate our 4th anniversary and the coming year. I’ve never been to Portugal and can say without a doubt, that it is absolutely enchanting. Time has stopped among the crumbling buildings, the contrasts in social classes are staggeringly obvious and there is a romantic beauty that clings to the city and whispers in your ear. What an age of glory this city must have had, such magnificent buildings. Oporto is one of Europe’s oldest cities and is a marvel of different architectural styles.
Be prepared to do some serious walking. The city slopes steeply up from the Douro river, buildings of all sizes jostling for space along the narrow, cobbled streets. The roofs are impressive, lopsided terracotta tiles, sporting beautiful circular glass skylights. The place feels very safe, even late at night and there is laundry strung up everywhere, within reach, yet no one steals anything.
Feast your eyes on the details, the façade tiles, the window frames, the laundry, the crazy amount of television dishes, the shop signs. Oporto is a typographer’s dream, a treasure trove of retro signage just begging to be photographed. (Wink, wink, Laura and Sebastián). There is so much to see and there is no sense of having to rush, things are taken at a very leisurely pace. Almost a bit too leisurely for my taste.
Aside from spending time wandering through the UNESCO World Heritage Site-declared centre, we went further afield, visiting a huge natural park and walking along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. There are many abandoned buildings, (Oporto is the city of abandoned buildings, excellent wine and old people), that lend a post-apocalyptic air to the beaches. There is an eeriness very similar to the Normandy beaches in France; as the wind whipped around us, I could imagine the Day-D soldiers crawling from the water.
Another great aspect about Oporto are the shops. This lamp store, L de Luz, is hands-down the best vintage lighting place I have ever seen. Speciality shops have speciality prices, which was surprising, I was expecting to do some “cheaper” shopping, but that wasn’t at all possible. This is where the crazy contrasts come in, there is so much poverty and many things are very cheap. Then there is this massive leap in price, with no middle point, especially obvious in restaurants.
I think the best option for visiting Oporto is to rent an apartment for two weeks or three weeks to be able to take the necessary time discovering every nook and cranny. I really hope to go back one day.
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