Looking at Porto: The Symposium area

[By Paulo Mendes, Symposium Correspondent, in Porto] Time
flies! The Symposium is around the corner, just a couple of weeks and here we go! As a Porto native and local correspondent, I
thought it would be the right moment to take you to some favorite places in
this highly sketchable city. This way I hope to whet your
appetite, Symposians and non-Symposians, who are to arrive soon or
some time in the future.

It
is said that the “Tripeiros”, as Porto inhabitants are called,
are, among the Portuguese, the most proud of their city. As someone
who was born, studied and worked here, can’t call myself an
exception: Great location and scenery, old monuments and architecture, nice people, nice gardens and
parks, good food; The river but also the sea, beaches within
the city. A couple of hours driving from such places as the Douro valley,
the Minho province, the mountains of Gerês and several monumental
cities and landmarks… How cannot a person feel blessed for living
here?.

Being an urban sketcher since 2014, the only thing I regret is not having
sketched all urban, social and architectural changes witnessed over almost five decades. How precious those sketchbooks would be by now!

But
the city keeps changing, especially in the last few years, and there
are still lots of pages to be filled. And I am sure there will be sketches waiting for you to make in every corner!

For
this post, I firstly wanted to show the place where the Symposium will
happen: Alfândega do Porto, the massive building at the right.
Alfândega means Customs: This was built in 1859 as a Customs House
and served its purpose until 1987, being then converted into the
actual Congress Center and Transport and Communications Museum.
Location couldn’t be better, between the river Douro and the lovely
Miragaia neighborhood, in the city’s historical area.

Close
to the Alfândega building, a former rail yard converted into a
parking lot and promenade provides great riverside views; This sketch
was made last Sunday, St. John’s day, during the traditional race of
Rabelos, the old typical boats that used to transport the wine
barrels and other goods from the highlands of Douro.

The
Miragaia neighborhood, just across the street from the Alfândega
building, is a treat for sketching. If you have the misfortune of
being unable to go elsewhere during your stay, you still could fill
some sketchbooks here without walking too much. How to resist this
colorful mess of balconies, windows, hanging cloths and so many other
elements? A lot to explore here!

A
ten-minute upstream walk will take you into the Infante area, its
name given by a nearby square. This is also the way to go to the city
centre, another 15 minutes up the hill, with plenty to see and sketch
on the way, or using the “500” bus if you want to save your legs.
The “1” tram will take you in the opposite direction, a scenic downstream
ride until the Foz district, where river meets sea.

This
is also the entrance to the Ribeira, perhaps the best-known and most
visited of all historical neighborhoods, whose cascading houses can
be seen in the first sketch.

Baroque
lovers should not miss the São Francisco convent church at the left,
for its richly ornated gilded carving interiors.

I
hope to show more of the city in the next days. See you soon!