Suggestions

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!

Parque Oriental
21 September, 2018 / , ,

It is one of the less known green spaces which makes it more peaceful and ideal for strolling, relaxing or playing sports.

Designed by the same author of Parque da Cidade – the landscape architect Sidónio Pardal – Parque Oriental benefits from the proximity of Rio Tinto and many of the routes are old rural roads that crossed the fields. This quiet and bucolic setting, dominated by pines and cork trees, is perfect for relaxing or escaping the heat on the warmest days of summer.

The wild flowers and some examples of camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas lend more color to this space, making it even more enjoyable for those who like to be in contact with nature.

With nine hectares in length, this park is also ideal for walking, running or cycling, often receiving initiatives designed to promote physical activity.

 

Alameda de Azevedo, Porto

Animaux de Porto
12 September, 2018 / , ,

Laura (26) and Romain (29) came to Porto almost by chance. To their passion for the city they added their love for animals and created Animaux de Porto, a company that provides pet-sitting services.

The French couple, from Brest, Brittany, passed through Porto whilst on vacation in 2016, but it took some time before they decided to leave their jobs and live in France a year ago. Accompanied by their cats, Pipoune and Snookie, they got in the car and began a new life in Porto 17 hours later.

When one of the cats fell ill and realized that the treatment involved taking three pills a day, they questioned what anyone who had animals with similar problems would do. And so the idea came up to create a service for those who have animals and do not want to take them out of their environment whilst on vacation or working.

Pet-sitting is more than a job; it’s a passion that began even in France, when they took care of their relatives’ pets. “We bring a special presence to the animal, which has a moment reserved just for him,” they say, explaining the advantages of this service for both the animal and its owner who receive messages and photographs to keep them informed their animal’s state of mind. And language is no obstacle since, in addition to French, Laura and Romain also speak English and a little Portuguese.

Information:

www.animauxdeporto.com

animauxdeporto@gmail.com

Instagram: @animauxdeporto

Facebook: Animaux de Porto

Tel: + 351 926 857 199

Tél: +33 631 890 173

Manuel de Novaes Cabral
13 August, 2018 / , ,

Born in 1960 in this city, where he carries his professional life, excluding the period in which he was head of the office of Minister Valente de Oliveira, in Lisbon. It is from here that since November 2011, he leads the IVDP, Institute of Douro and Port Wines, which supervises, monitors and certifies the quality and quantity of the and Douro wines as well as promotes them and defend the respective designations of origin. Graduated in Law and postgraduate in European Economics by the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, served as deputy director of the newspaper O Primeiro de Janeiro and was an adviser to the of the Fundação de Serralves.

But before arriving at the IVDP he was the Municipal Director of the Presidency of the Porto City Hall for 8 years and many years in the Coordination Commission of the Northern Region.

Getting back to wine, his connection is deeply familiar and institutional as for 4 years he was also Secretary-General of the Assembly of European Wine Regions, and represented the Porto City Hall at the Great Wine Capitals.  This connection is still made through books, rooted and properly cultivated taste; among others, he published “Aspects de la politique Vitivinicole des Régions d’Europe” (3 vols., 2000 and 2001), “Territories of the Wine” (1st edition, 2009, 2nd edition and Mode de Ler, 2010) and “Other Territories of Wine” (ed. Modo de Ler, 2012) and, of course, his frequent and regular participation in newspapers and magazines.

With wine as the center of attention, but with special focus on what the Douro region provides us.

As he considers wine a cultural element, he does not cease to make this connection constantly: he presented this month in July the book Poems of My Life, the 23rd volume of an annotated collection of poems inserted in a collection begun by Mário Soares, which includes authors such as Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Vasco Graça Moura or Eduardo Lourenço.

His suggestions are about the city where he lives and knows well. And what good tips he has to give

Restaurant: I really like going to Ernesto, in Rua da Picaria. It blends really well its old feel with the cosmopolitanism of its clientele. And the walls full of memories, with the cosy good taste of my friend Reinaldo, along with an honest and impeccable kitchen.

 

Bar: A Capela Incomum, in Carregal. The place, the friends and the very old memory of the visits (without any success) of the old Conservatory.

Tour: Is Porto not a romantic city by nature? Let’s do the Caminhos do Romântico!

Ideal place to drink some port wine: Port wine, by itself, at the right temperature and in the glass, transforms any place. I suggest, of course, the atmosphere of the Port Wine Cellars, in Vila Nova de Gaia.

A secret of the city that you can reveal: The heart of D Pedro, in the Church of Lapa, whose keys are shared by the Ombudsman of the respective Brotherhood and the Mayor of Porto – only accessible to some and in very rare moments.

And if being a bit eerie: Why not circle through the cemeteries of Porto, like the catacombs of S. Francisco, or “hanging out” with Camilo Castelo Branco or Arnaldo Gama in the cemetery of Lapa? And if you go there, ask to see the pistol with which Camilo committed suicide in 1890 in S. Miguel de Seide.

One last tip: Do not forget to visit one of the lesser-known and most notable Houses of Porto, the former Banco Comercial do Porto, currently the Douro and Porto Wine Institute, in Rua Ferreira Borges where you can with a glass of Port in hand.

Procession of the paper costume in Foz do Douro
9 August, 2018 / , , , ,

 

From mid-June to mid-September, the União de Freguesias (Union of Parishes) of Aldoar, Foz do Douro and Nevogilde, host the São Bartolomeu parties – a group of activities that liven up the streets and unite populations and visitors.

The procession of the Paper Costume is admittedly the most awaited moment of the festivities, with a history that has already surpassed 100 years and that in the last decade has gained special notoriety in the city.

 

These are months of work and preparation, with a permanent focus on roots, history and stories of the region. The 2nd French Invasion of 1809 and the Liberation of the City of Porto is the theme for the Paper Costume Contest in 2018, which will take place on August 26. There are meters and meters of paper, surgically worked by dedicated hands that keep this festive moment in the city alive.

This year’s edition has 350 extras, from gatherings and associations of the União de Freguesias, who will join the remaining hundreds who visit Foz do Douro to live this unique experience.

The current format is now 75 years old and integrates a route that seeks to reach the main centers of the history of Foz do Douro. The costumes parade begins at 10:30 am and goes through the Cantareira, rich in its fishing tradition.

After the inevitable passage through the charismatic Jardim do Passeio Alegre, a favourite amongst many intellectuals who fill the culture of Foz do Douro and Oporto, the procession continues to Ourigo Beach where the sea baths take place, one of the most noticeable traditions at the São Bartolomeu parties.

These baths are filled with tradition and folktales. Also known as “holy baths”, these dives in the waters of the Atlantic – seven, as tradition says – are a way of thanking São Bartolomeu’s favors in the last year and for banishing malaria over the next twelve months.

The participants of this year’s edition come from Bloco da União de Freguesias de Aldoar, Foz do Douro e Nevogilde, Associação de Moradores do Bairro Social da Pasteleira – Previdência, Associação de Moradores do Bairro Social de Aldoar and Orfeão da Foz do Douro.

People from all different backgrounds and spaces join in this tradition, showing that the city is made of all and with all even in the most popular of its traditions.

Loja das Tábuas – An expression of nature
9 August, 2018 / ,

Have you visited Loja das Tábuas? It produces boards for most kitchen Chefs and markets traditional Portuguese products with national, raw materials and revitalizes them with a contemporary and elegant touch.

Visit it at the Palácio das Artes in Porto and find dozens of different models of cutting boards or tableware that you can customize with a laser engraving. In addition to the Portuguese pine, you will find, for example, oak wood boards, olive wood and various cork products. There you can find other utensils such as benches, wine boxes or national cutlery products.

At the end, take your boards in a reused litter pack to complete an experience that values tradition and past knowledge whilst creating emotions in the present.

Largo de São Domingos, 20
Palácio das Artes
Porto
+351222080067
https://www.lojadastabuas.pt

 

The suggestions of Maria Miguel
20 July, 2018 / , ,

At 17 years of age, Maria Miguel already walked the runway for brands like Saint Laurent, Chanel and Isabel Marant. Her career – which she tries to reconcile with her studies – makes her travel a lot, but Porto is her home.

Her passion for the city is implicit and she recently said in an interview with a Portuguese newspaper: “To me, of all cities, it is the best to live in. It has the sea, the river, has great food”.

Maria Miguel was born in Braga but lived in the Gerês area. When her father went to work in Angola, she accompanied the family and lived for seven years in the African country. She still spent a year in England but now, despite spending a lot of time in Paris, it’s in Porto that her family and friends live and here she comes back whenever she can.

The love of fashion came by chance in the life of this “tomboy”, who liked to play football and to walk in shorts. She was approached several times by representatives of models agencies but it wasn’t until the age of 14 that she decided to give it a go. After winning the L’Agence go to model contest, proposals for work began to emerge. She travelled to London and later to Paris, where she did a casting for Saint Laurent that changed her life. She has already opened two runways for the brand and worked exclusively for the prestigious Parisian brand for a full year. Despite all her success, she continues to not be dazzled by fame, keeping her tastes simple and normal for a young girl of her age.

RESTAURANT

Puro 4050: It has the best tru e pizza in the world! Largo São Domingos, 84 Porto

STROLL

Baixa do Porto:

Not only is it beautiful but you can also get a good workout in as it is full of ups and downs.

GARDEN

Parque da Cidade:

It has really cool football fields!