1936 On the Continent

after passing through a region that is almost disturbing in the opulence and variety of its natural beauty. You have already passed Espinho and Granja beaches, so different from each other in their attractions; you have visited Aveiro and floated gaily down its lovely “ria” in the decorative “moliceiro” boats, a kind of gondola but far less melancholy, with Phoenician sails that cut like wings through the transparent blue air; you have seen Vizeu, an old Portuguese burgh, and Serra da Estrela, an industrial centre near Covilha. There, at a height of 2,000 feet, you were able to ski and enjoy all the snow sports amid magnificent scenery. You will have stayed for a while at Penhas da Saude, Portas dos Herminios, Saint Antony’s Nave in the Biornos mountains, which are covered with dawrf broom, at Cantaros, then at Planalto da Torre, the highest point in Portugal. You saw lakes and waterfalls, granite rocks, and, down below, at the foot of the mountain, a stretch of dense forest. You looked further and saw Unhais da Serra, Caremulo, Canas de Senhorim, where the “Urgueirica” hotel is much patronised by English people, who stay there for long periods; Abrunhoza and its splendid establishment for rest cures, a model institution of its kind; and you also saw many other villages whose clusters of white houses brighten up the enormous stretches of verdure—forests, moors and orchards—covering the surrounding valleys and mountain slopes.
    Oporto, as you see, differs widely from Lisbon in appearance.
    Life rolls on calmly in this city, whose chief aim is to progress. It devotes itself to the intensive labour of an important industrial and commercial centre. But feverish activity here has attained an exact and regular rhythm. It is worth while, as you walk through the streets, to stop now and then and look round; your interest in scenes and colourful local customs will be rewarded. You will be charmed with the quaint boats called “rabelos” which you see floating down the Douro in festive groups, with billowing white sails. They transport from all this region the port wine that will be placed in the cellars and warehouses of Oporto, and later, ripened and mellowed by a few years’ storage, sent to all parts of the world, to be drunk at the tables of kings and commoners, in smart bars and in popular coffee-houses where it always occupies a place of honour.
“Violently Picturesque”
    The special character of the northern capital reveals itself at a glance if you look from the Gaya side at its rough, vigorous outlines, and another aspect is revealed when you see the narrow, steep, dirty streets and alleys of Barrêdo, or the poverty-stricken districts of Sê and Miragaia. These places are violently picturesque, seeming almost to belong to some other world—their atmosphere is somewhat like that of certain streets in the neighbourhood of the London Docks, very similar to the poorer quarters of Naples or New York. There is an air of mystery and adventure about these streets, where you can hardly see the sky between the tiled roofs that almost meet, scarcely allowing the passage of the sun’s rays to brighten the wretched lives of those who exist in these districts. But let us forget this nightmare and seek the exuberant light of optimism near the river, whose waters rush eagerly to meet their comrade the ocean, which is little more than two miles away. The boatmen of the “rabelos” have allowed you to taste their savoury “caldeirada” (fish-hash), and now you are going to lunch at the “Escondidinho.” Afterwards there is a brief programme of visits to be carried out. The Stock Exchange and its Moorishrooms seem to await the coming of Scheherazade. Crossing the Avenida dos Aliados you will come to some buildings with ancient windows and crumbling doors, through which mediaeval kings passed when preparing for the total conquest of the country. Then go to the Soares dos Reis museum; admire the statue “Exiled”; note the bust of Julio Diniz, facing, the Maternity Hospital, and stop for a moment in the Lapa Cemetery, near the modest tomb of Camilo Castelo Branco. An amiable
cicerone
will explain these things to you—the statue “Exiled” and the works of the two novelists.
Excursions
    Pass through avenues and squares and spend a whole afternoon in the Passeio Alegre at Foz do Douro, seeing the city from a fresh angle. Then start on a series of lovely excursions as far as the high Minho. Pay a visit