We like to go away together during the winter months, normally to get some winter sun and warmer temperatures than the typically grey and cold UK. This year we tried Porto, in Portugal, famous for being the home of port wine. We had checked that typical temperatures were 13-15C so we weren't expecting it to be as warm as previous destinations such as Malta and Cyprus. However, we hadn't realised that Portugal is typically quite wet in the winter. Also, this year, it has been battered by several severe storms that have caused flooding and much disruption. When we saw the forecast for the week was 100% rain for the entire week, and 9-13C, it was a bit depressing but at least we knew in advance and could pack all our British winter clothes to stay warm and dry.
It was a nice week. It's a very easy destination, the majority of people spoke English, signage is often bilingual, people were friendly, transport was cheap, and for UK prices we could get far superior meals to what we could get at home. The old town itself, while picturesque, is a bit rough around the edges. It is a UNESCO world heritage site but a lot of the old centre is dilapidated, or even derelict and abandoned, there are loads of construction sites (many of which don't look like they've been worked on for years) to navigate around, and many buildings are heavily covered in graffiti at ground level. But there are some stunning historical sites to visit from the 18th and 19thC times of prosperity, and many amazing churches dating to much earlier. As well as exploring the old town and visiting one of the port warehouses and attending a fado concert, we rode the bus out along the Douro river to the fishing port of Matosinhos for a lovely fresh fish lunch one day, and another day we rode the train to the neighbouring city of Braga. That happened to be the day that Storm Marta hit, so the weather was particularly bad but Braga was lovely, with wide avenues and lovely squares lined with handsome period buildings.
I haven't downloaded the photos off my phone yet, so sorry, no pics this week.
I didn't find much in the way of craft shops. In Braga I found a couple of fabric stores mainly aimed at dressmakers, and a sort of indoor market that had some cheap craft supplies. I didn't buy anything craft wise apart from some Portugal themed fabric and a knitting bag made in the same fabric, from a home linens store. I was tempted by all the colourful ceramic reproduction tiles, referencing the many tiled houses in the old town, but didn't buy. DH found me a nice knitting shop not far from our hotel, called Ovelha Negra, which had a good assortment ranging from Portuguese yarns through to Rowan, Lettlopi, Opel and even some American brands. I picked up some neon yellow Spanish 100% wool called Mota, as DH admired the colour, so I will knit him a hat (and possibly fingerless gloves if there is enough left over.
I did come across a dollshouse museum called O Grande Museu Das Casinhas De Bonecas, spotting their brochure in the tourist info (and not knowing about it in advance, as accused by DH), so we visited that as well. They are fairly new, having only been open two years, and were delighted that we were visiting, I got the impression they are struggling to get publicity. The museum was in a converted garage workshop, so quite a good size and well lit, a big white space. The many houses are in plexiglas boxes for easy viewing. They are specialising in houses that were sold for play, by big manufacturers such as Real Good Toys, Duracraft, DeAgostini etc. so it is not a destination for miniature collectors. They are buying used houses or receiving donations, which they then renovate in their workshop and furnish with mostly cheap imported furniture. I enjoyed seeing the houses that looked like Portuguese or Brazilian houses, plus they had some of the Chinese kits that I have built, and also the Real Good porch kit that I built and converted to fit on my Canadian house. They also had large collections of porcelain dolls, of the quality that came in part-work magazines, which aren't really my thing. But the hospitality was warm and included a hot drink, so we enjoyed the visit.
I was working on my Christmas striped socks and finished the second one near the end of the holiday, I just need to do the kitchener stitch to close the toe. I also took a cross stitch magazine kit and did a little on it. I still need to sort out my goodies from the cross stitch retreat last weekend.
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