Vila Nova de Gaia

The Duoro River or Rio Duoro is a beautiful sparkling blue river, the mouth of which is only a few kilometers north in a section of Porto called Foz do Duoro. (Technically, this is still a part of Porto, but is not the city proper and seems more like an autonomous town.) The journey to the Porto "boardwalk" takes us less than 9 minutes. When we arrive, we are overwhelmed by the volume of vendors, restaurants, and boat companies offering tours of the river to anxious and selfie-obsessed tourists. Everything is for sale: shawls, jewelry, hats, shoes, cork products (Portugal is the biggest cork producer in the world!), aprons, tea towels, handbags, wine, cheese, bread, live music. You name, it's being peddled.

The restaurants line the left side of the boardwalk as you walk east with the river to the right. Patrons are casually seated awaiting their drinks or meals. To pass the time, the tourists are engaged in a noticeable oral fixation. Lots of people - old and young - vape. That's metal and nickel in your lungs. In. Your. Lungs. (Don't do it, folks. End of PSA.) Many casual wanderers puff on their cigarettes and exhale their stinky second-hand smoke in the direction of innocent passersby while others mellow out and suck on hookahs. Just an observation but that's a lot of collective lung work for no reward and lots of damage (at least with the vaping and smoking).

The stage has been set and attracts folks from all walks of life. Languages are flowing as smoothly as the wine - Portuguese, Spanish, German, English (native and accented), Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, French, Russian. The outdoor seating bursts at its invisible seams with the overflow of visitors desperate to sip overpriced beverages and consume generic cuisine created specially for the tourist aficionado. (Yes, that statement is dripping with sarcasm.) As the sun beats down relentlessly, the river carries a cool breeze that makes mid-day pleasant. Still, the majority of vacationers seek refuge to navel-gaze and vibe with the live music under the shade of restaurant umbrellas that infringe upon the headspace along the narrow walkway towards the river crossing. It's a scene. And I love it.

As we make our way through the sea of people, the pavement constricts and forces everyone to accommodate folks walking in the opposite direction. The only problem - which can be observed generally on most European streets as I recall from past travels - is nobody yields their space. (For the love of humanity - Yield. Your. Space!) Partners grab ahold of each other for fear of a mere seconds of separation by having to allow someone to pass by, and groups of friends cling together even though four are walking across and Deezy and I have to pass by in single file. It's annoying so now I hunker down. Yes, I refuse to move unless someone from the on-coming party moves. And, I sometimes completely stop in my tracks. I get a bit of side-eye but folks move and there have been no collisions...yet.

Vila Nova de Gaia (Gaia) is an easy walk across the Dom Luís I Bridge. The lower part of the bridge offers narrow pedestrian sidewalks and equally restricted lanes for cars. In the absence of cars, the roadway becomes an extension of the walkway, and drivers are forced to reduce speeds to a mere crawl because of the heavy foot traffic. The slender roads contribute to the forgetfulness of tourists who weave from side to side without looking for passing vehicles. (And mind you, the overflow of libations on this side of the river undoubtedly contributes to the free-spirited meanderings of tourists.)

The upper part of the bridge is equally ungenerous in its official walking space, but instead of sharing the road with cars, pedestrians are accompanied by the occasional metro. Much like in Porto where the trolley cars drive on the sidewalk, the tracks on the bridge are a kind of psychological barrier for most tourists. Tracks are like a guardrail, and few will cross them. We're two of a handful of people that casually step across, between, and beside the tracks.

The Monastery of Serra do Pilar is part of a trifecta earning recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (The other two pieces of the trifecta are the historic center of Porto and the Dom Luis I Bridge.) Its presence is majestic, simple, and commanding. Interestingly, I am able to take pristine photos of it because the sprinkling of people who found their way to the top (a very short and easy but somewhat vertical walk) are preoccupied with selfies. It's great. While everyone else is standing around channeling their inner Narcissus, I'm breathing the insanely fresh air, feeling the welcomed heat of the sun on my skin, and enjoying the historic grounds.

Now, you may have been waiting for some story about wine and cheese and chocolate and all that good stuff. I know, Gaia houses an absurd number of tasting rooms. The most popular seem to be the Sandeman, Taylor's, and Graham's Port. We didn't go during this brief wandering across the river. Once tourist season calms and the crowds disperse, there be more time and less urgency. So stay tuned...