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The magic of Christmas in Lapa
5 December, 2018 / , , ,

If we ask different people what Christmas is like in Porto we will get different answers. They will say that it is the beauty of the Aliados Christmas tree, the color of the lights downtown, the frenzy of Santa Catarina, the Bolo Rei from different traditional pastries or the cod of a certain grocery store, which has been conceptualized by years of infallible service to the palate of Porto. All this is true, and there would be more to add. However, all this is part of something infinitely more important, all this underlines the joy of what Christmas really is, but it does not exhaust or overshadow it. Christmas is the birth of Christ, the proclamation of redemption, the celebration of God’s supreme trust in His people.

Living, or being in Porto, on this date makes it mandatory to witness to the way the city lives this significant moment of its spirituality. I venture to say that, at least once in my life, so as not to steal the limelight of other parishes, it is mandatory to participate in the extraordinary Missa do Galo in Lapa. Christmas is also magic, and magic is not incompatible with solemnity. The experience of the Missa do Golo in Lapa is just that, magical and solemn. Here, the spirit is awakened through the different senses in a sublime way. As the eyes marvel at the artistic richness of the Church and with the aesthetic rigor of the celebration, the scent of traditional incense reinforces the intensity of the moment and the music of extraordinary execution and delicate choice fills the time between words that give meaning to everything else. It is a unique experience!

The very special care put into this Mass, the strict observance of a tradition that is strengthened with each passing year, has had the power to attract more and more people, giving more meaning to the Christmas of each one who chooses to join this celebration. One can say that there is pomp, rigor, staging even, but without ever losing sight of the essential. Everyone gives their best to receive the Christ who has come. I would say that it is the gold, the incense and the myrrh that Porto has to offer.

 

I would dare say that this is not an exclusive moment of believers; it would be terribly selfish. This is also a time for those who do not believe, but like to feed their spirit with the beauty of creativity and the sublime power of art in different forms, architecture, painting, sculpture, music, the word. Believers and non-believers, for different reasons, some of them communal, leave from there full of soul and with the clear notion of the privilege of participation in such a special moment. And Christmas happens.

My street … Rua de Serralves
4 December, 2018 / ,

I live on a street where the past is giving way to the future. A narrow, old, somewhat run-down street, typical of the old Porto. But, a modern urbanization, superbly placed on a wide and green ground, was imposed in the place where formerly was the old Wool Factory of Lordelo. There, in this place and still taking advantage of some structures of the facade of the old building of the early nineteenth century, there is now a different way of living. It is no longer the artisans who move there to work in the factory, but the families or early couples who live there.

From the windows of my house or down at the gardens, I see a brook. Rare thing! Ribeira da Granja, as it is called, is the largest water trail that crosses the city of Porto. And it brings a very special charm to all of its surroundings. There is the sound of running water and birds are seen laying on the grass where many children play.

The street is dotted with small shops, cafes and grocery stores, small dwellings, which bring a large influx of people. As it rises, the street is improving, with more modern recently built housing, until you reach the splendorous that is Serralves. The entrance to Casa de Serralves, an icon of the city, almost at the intersection of Rua de Serralves and Avenida Marechal Gomes da Costa, appears, imposing and inviting a visit.

 

This is my street.

Francisco de Sá Carneiro – Bold in Life and Politics
7 November, 2018 / , , ,

If you arrived in Porto by landing at the Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport, or if, walking through the streets of Antas, you met his statue in the square with the same name, this article is for you!

Born and raised in Porto in 1934, Francisco de Sá Carneiro is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who early stood out in opposition to the dictatorial regime in force at the time, of which the most outstanding expression was the struggle for the return of Bishop António Ferreira Gomes (whose statue can be admired next to the Clérigos Church) to the country. The Bishop had been exiled by Salazar’s Estado Novo.

In 1969, as an independent, Sá Carneiro was elected to the National Assembly of Portugal and soon became the face of the so-called Ala Liberal (Liberal Wing). He was responsible for several initiatives aimed at Portugal’s peaceful and progressive transition to a free and democratic regime.

Failing to implement his democratic, personalistic and humanist views, he resigned as deputy and returned to Porto, where he helped develop the idea of creating a social democratic party that would see the light of day after the revolution of the 25th of April of 1974, that ended the dictatorial regime. On the 6th of May of 1974, the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) – later, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) –, of which Francisco de Sá Carneiro was a co-founder and main promoter, was born.

As President of PPD, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly of 1975, which was responsible for the preparation and approval of the first Constitution of the Republic of the new democratic regime.

At the end of 1979, he created the Democratic Alliance, which came to win the next Legislative Elections. At the leadership of the largest government coalition since April 25, 1974, Sá Carneiro was named the Portuguese Prime Minister in January of 1980, a position he held until his unexpected and tragic disappearance on the 4th of December of 1980, when the plane in which he was traveling to Porto crashed in Camarate, in circumstances that, to this day, could not be ascertained.

His public side did not prevent him from living his own private life and risking criticism in a traditionalist country where divorce was not even allowed when he separated from his wife to join Snu Abecassis, the Danish founder of Don Quixote Publications, who would also end up dying in the Camarate accident. Bold as always in life, Sá Carneiro soon clarified: “If the situation is deemed incompatible with my duties, I’ll choose the woman I love.”

Considered by many to be a true good man of his city and country, with a particular nobility and straightforwardness of character, the death of Francisco de Sá Carneiro was an irreparable loss to Portuguese public life and his memory is still an inspiration today for all those who recognize, in his example, the greater form of being in life and politics, for all of those who know, as he did, that, “above Social Democracy, Democracy, and, above Democracy, the Portuguese People”.

Restaurante O Ernesto
18 October, 2018 / ,

Founded in 1968 by the father of the current owner, this space, where Portuguese traditional gastronomy reigns, has two large rooms and a terrace ideal for the hottest days.

The wine list is diverse and has the main regions of the country in mind. Although it serves several meat and fish dishes daily, their specialty is the octopus fillets with rice of the same.

Rua da Picaria, Nº 85
Porto

Telephone: 00351 222002600

Ferrimex: everything you need for the “do it yourself”
15 October, 2018 / ,

Ferrrimex presents a wide range of innovative products and services for DIY, minor repairs, remodelling works, lighting and gardening. In the physical store – located in the Boavista area – or virtual, you will find superior products at a very affordable price.

The company also bets on innovation and has a tool hire service available, for those who need to make a small repair and do not want to invest in something that they probably will not use again.

Learn more about this innovative service through the following contacts:

Ferrimex Home & Office, Rua João de Deus, 58 Porto

Telephone +351 223 264 249

Email: comercial@ferrimex.pt

www.ferrimex.pt

 

 

Suggestions – Elien Declerck (Erasmus)
15 October, 2018 / , ,

Nationality: Italian

International experience: Internship under the Erasmus +

Before Porto, my Erasmus stops were Madrid and Barcelona: two populous cities full of life. However, my time in Porto was by far the best I could have imagined. And the vibrant international community that Porto offers. As soon as I arrived I felt welcome and had the feeling that everyone knew each other or wanted to be friends.

 

  1. A suggestion of a restaurant to go in Porto

Tasquinha dos sabores (favorite restaurant)

  1. A bar that you really need to know

Labirintho Bar

  1. A tour of Porto

Rua Santa Catarina to take a walk and go shopping

  1. A place to study

Livraria Lello. A place to study or to go when you are struggling to find the motivation to study. This place inspires anyone to choose a book and start reading.

The panoramic view from the Guindalense Futebol Clube.

Suggestions – Elien Declerck (Erasmus)
15 October, 2018 / , ,

Nationality: Belgian

International experience: internship and currently living and working in Porto, the city where she moved to after meeting her boyfriend there.

  1. A suggestion of a restaurant to go in Porto

Bira dos namorados, in the street of Ceuta. It is a restaurant that recently opened, but which already existed in Braga. It is a hamburger and pregaria place, with a simple but very good menu. I love the space because it is filled with quaint motifs with its own style and it is almost all built through reused materials.

 

  1. A bar that you really need to know

Capela Incomum, in Travessa do Carregal, in the area of ​​Cedofeita. It is a bar inside an old chapel of the nineteenth century.

 

  1. A tour of Porto

I highly recommend a bike ride along the river Douro to Foz. There are several places along the Ribeira where you can rent a bike, so there are no excuses for not doing this tour. Then, when you get to Foz, you must eat fish in one of the restaurants!

 

  1. A place to study

E-Learning Café in the Botanical Garden. In addition to being a space to study, the e-learning café also organizes various academic and cultural events. The garden is the perfect setting to take a break and a picnic before returning to study.

 

  1. A secret of the city of Porto

The secret ingredient of Francesinha’s sauce! I have not found it yet. Porto has several good restaurants to eat francesinha. My favorite is the restaurant Santiago. That’s where I ate my first one and I was a fan!

Gomes Teixeira – The mathematician who could have been a priest
15 October, 2018 / , , ,

Gomes Teixeira, illustrious mathematician who would become the first rector of the University of Porto, only did not study Theology by mere chance.

Born in January 1851 in Armamar, he was soon distinguished by his intelligence and good grades obtained in all subjects. At that time, it was common for boys with good schooling to be referred to the Seminary, but the young man was also brilliant at Mathematics. Thus, when it was time to go to university, the family decided that it would be the good fortune to decide between Theology and Mathematics.

Luck dictated Mathematics and since he arrived at the University of Coimbra, Francisco Gomes Teixeira stood out by the maximum notes obtained. At the age of 20 he published his first work and in 1874 he finished the course with a grade of 20 values. Such a brilliant academic course would, naturally, have to lead him to a teaching career. He excelled at the University of Coimbra and at the Polytechnic Academy of Porto, which he would eventually direct.

In 1911 the University of Porto was founded and Gomes Teixeira was chosen to be its first rector. He died in Porto in 1933. After his death, three busts were made in bronze, later placed in his native land at the University of Porto and at the University of Coimbra.

Source: O Tripeiro 7ª Série Ano XIX nº1 e 7ª Série Ano XXX, Número 12

Praça Gomes Teixeira (Praça dos Leões)
12 October, 2018 / , ,

The centre of Porto’s student life, this square is named after an illustrious mathematician, but it is the lions of its imposing fountain that have made it known.

The official designation of this square in Baixa do Porto is homage to Gomes Teixeira, a mathematician who was the first rector of the University of Porto. However, it is best known for the Praça dos Leões (Lions Square), due to the granite and bronze fountain that exists in the central zone.

In fact, this place dates much earlier than the fountain and even the university itself. According to legend, in the 12th century, the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques and his wife, D. Mafalda, were on their way to Guimarães when the queen fell on a precipice. In that moment of distress, each element of the couple invoked a saint. Grateful for having rid themselves of the danger, they built chapels in that place, Nossa Senhora da Graça and São Miguel-o-Anjo (already demolished).

Already in the XVII century the Convento dos Carmelitas (where the GNR barracks is nowadays) and colleges where orphans were housed, which led to this place was also known as Largo do Carmo or Campo dos Meninos  Órfãos. Later, and because flour and bread were sold there, it was also known as Praça do Pão (Bread Square) or Praça da Feira do Pão (Bread Market Square). Already in the XIX century, it became Praça dos Voluntários da Rainha, thus honoring the liberal battalion of the Portuguese army that had occupied the Convento dos Carmelitas.

When the University of Porto was created, it was renamed Praça da Universidade and, later, Praça Gomes Teixeira.

The current building of the Rectory of the University of Porto was built throughout the nineteenth century and it also served as the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering. The square then gained a new life; the presence of the students was decisive for the emergence of cafes, such as the mythical Café Âncora d’Ouro (better known as O Piolho), bookstores and other services linked to academic life. The shops and warehouses nearby also created, along with the people of Porto and who visited the city, the habit of shopping in this area.

Nowadays it is one of the main places in Porto for nightlife activities and it continues to be a meeting point in the main moments of the academic life of the city, such as Queima das Fitas or the Reception to the new students of the University of Porto.

The churches of Carmo and Carmelitas, separated by the narrowest house of the city, are another point of interest in the place.

 

The fountain

Imposing, this emblematic source was commissioned by the Companhia das Águas do Porto in 1882, with the purpose of supplying water to that area of ​​the city. Built in France by the Compagnie Générale des Eaux pour l’Etranger, it is 8 meters in diameter and 6 meters high, consisting of a granite tank and a central bronze fountain with four winged lions and seated at the ends. Two cups on the top complete the decoration of this fountain, once protected by an iron fence.

University of Porto
11 October, 2018 / ,

Founded on March 22, 1911, the University of Porto is increasingly sought after by Portuguese and foreign students. With 14 colleges and three hubs (in the center, Asprela and Campo Alegre), it has about 30 thousand students from all over the world.

The origins of the University of Porto are in the Nautical Classroom, created by D. José I in 1762 and designed to prepare sailors and pilots to board ships departing from Barra do Douro to the whole world. Drawing Class followed right after, created in 1779; Royal Academy of the Navy and Commerce, in 1803; Polytechnic Academy in 1837. All these schools were designed to prepare cadres qualified to work in the naval area, in commerce, industry and the arts.

In 1825 the first medical school of Porto, the Royal School of Surgery, was founded, which 11 years later gave rise to the Medical-Surgical School. The Drawing Class was also the origin of other schools linked to the arts.

In March 1911, a few months after the Implantation of the Republic (October 1910), this university was established, which has since continued to grow in terms of courses, number of students and international prestige. Initially divided in two faculties (Sciences and Medicine), it received in 1915 the Technical Faculty (renamed in 1926 of Faculty of Engineering), in 1919 the Faculty of Letters and, in 1921, the Faculty of Pharmacy. The Faculty of Economics was established in 1953.

With the revolution of April 25, 1974, the University of Porto would see great growth, receiving more faculties: Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (1975), Faculty of Sports (1975), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences 1977), Faculty of Architecture (1979), Faculty of Dental Medicine (1989), Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences (1992), Faculty of Fine Arts (1992) and Faculty of Law (1994). The Porto Management School was created in 1988 and since 2008 it has been designated as Business School of the University of Porto.

The rectory

It is the headquarters of the University of Porto. Located in the centre of the city, at the Praça Gomes Teixeira, this imposing building also houses the Museum of Natural History and the Science Museum. Between 1803 and 1837 it received the Royal Academy of Navy and Commerce and the Polytechnic Academy of Porto between 1837 and 1911. Installed in the space that housed a college for orphans, this building had a time-consuming construction and was often re-adapted for new functions. On April 20, 1974, a fire destroyed a part of the building, which was again the target of works and renovations. Between 1976 and 1996 the rectory worked in a building near the Palácio de Cristal.