2000: Spain, Portugal & Morocco
by Carl Russo
3.
Vanessa loiters on the bridge of Dom Luís I in Oporto, Portugal,
designed by Gustave Eiffel before he got into the tower business.
Nobody passes through Oporto without sampling the robust wine that bears its name. A port bar was recommended along with sketchy directions that involved zigzagging along unlit paths by the Douro River. Lost, a local directed us to the Solar do Vinho do Porto, a swanky sipping lounge with overstuffed chairs, low glass tables and abstract paintings. You might imagine it as Jack Nicholson's living room. The snide waiter smelled impostors, and sat us away from the yuppie groups with sweaters draped over their shoulders. The menu, which was the size of a Gutenberg bible, listed various vintages by the glass or bottle. So it was eenie, meenie minie, moe...Yum!
A day trip to Amarante yielded dreamy 16th-century arches over water and a fabulous fish meal catered by a Portuguese version of Fawlty Towers' Basil, who could ingratiate himself to us and scream at his family in the same breath.
Moving south in a line toward Lisbon, we spent a day and night in Figueira da Foz, a coastal resort that has recently sold out to the party crowd. The tourist season was over so the beach was ours. We made use of the outdoor tables with silly, palm-thatched umbrellas, a chance to drink plain old beer and rest before the next big urban experience.
[
Italy: Sicily 1
|
Spain, Portugal, Morocco
|
France
|
Greece
|
Italy: Rome
|
Italy: Sicily 2
|
Italy: Mezzogiorno
|
Italy: Sicily 3
]
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