Porto & Guimarães - Wednesday 27 February, 2019

As a rail enthusiast my plan was to visit Guimarães by train and then return to Porto for a third evening and a visit to Letraria Craft Beer Garden.

On Wednesday 27 February, my downhill walk to São Bento railway station included a break at the 'Imperial' McDonald's, Praça da Liberdade 126, for breakfast. Opening in 1995, it has been described as 'the most beautiful McDonald's in the world' and the stained glass behnind the counter explains why. A sculpted eagle stands above the entrance.

Portuguese letter boxes are like those in the UK. One at the lower end of Liberdade square is next to a newspaper seller statue 'Ardina' created by Manuel Dias in 1990. The magnolia street tree here was already in flower.

Guimarãesrailway station, Porto

The Oporto urban trains north from Porto to Braga and Guimarães are operated by CP - Comboios de Portugal. A visit to Guimarães was chosen as it proved impractical to visit both cities on one day. The price for an 8 zone single ticket is 3.25 euros. Half price applies to passengers over 65 with proof of age. In addition there is a charge of 50 cents for a reloadable Siga card to store the tickets.

After buying my ticket inside São Bento station there was time to admire the azulejo tiles decorating the booking hall before validating my ticket in a machine on the platform and boarding the 10.20 train for Guimarães.

The train arrived at 11.33 after stopping at many stations and following a meandering route that matched the contours of the hilly terrain. 

On the approach to the station you can spot the castle on the horizon, about 2 km north.

A mainly downhill walk northwards of about 1km brings you to the historic centre of the city.
It was cloudy and the weather forecast suggested the chance of rainfall however it stayed mainly dry and the sun would appear later in the afternoon. 

Praça de São Tiago, Guimarães

Walking through the picturesque old city centre revealed several squares that are obviously popular places to stop for a coffee, a drink or a meal on a warm day. The helpful tourist information office supplied me with a useful map and a comprehensive illustrated booklet in English that was worth keeping for future reference.

Praça de São Tiago is also home to El Rock Bar, known for its live music events.

North aspect of Guimarães castle

I continued north in order to visit the impressive castle which has a central keep tower with exhibition space inside for historical information.

There are good views from inside the castle back towards the city and station beyond. The building in the centre with tall brick chimneys is the Ducal Palace (Paço dos Duques de Bragança) and can also be visited.

Restaurante Mumadona

For lunch I visited the nearby Restaurante Mumadona at Rua Serpa Pinto 260.
I had checked the menu by the doorway and took advantage of the lunchtime Prato do dia / Dish of the day offer with spinach soup (1.50 euro) and grilled belly of pork strips served with potatoes and a bowl of rice (6 euro). A glass of the widely available Super Bock lager was a refreshing accompaniment.

From my side table I enjoyed watching the end of a busy lunchtime session that included a table of workmen and another table with the proprietor and his friends. Feeling privileged to enter this environment it did not seem appropriate to take any photographs inside. It was a surprise to see a flat screen TV on one wall of the room but perhaps this is only switched on during the luncthime service. I imagine that bookings for Restaurante Mumadona are essential at weekends and evenings.

After lunch, while wandering around the streets of the historic centre the awning for the Elvis bar at
Rua Dr. Avelino Germano 100/102 caught my eye but I didn't venture inside!

Another cafe bar had a useful sign in the window for linguistically challenged beer enthusiasts on their travels!

As the railway to Guimarães is mainly single track the train service is infrequent. I retraced my steps to the station and caught the 15.48 train which would arrive in Porto at 17.05.

River Douro

If you want to enjoy glimpses of the river Vizela (from Vizela to Canicos), the rive Ave (from Canicos to Lousado), the river Leça (Travagem) and finally the river Douro (Porto), then sit on the left hand side in this direction.
Leaving São Bento station I walked east up the steep slope of Rua de 31 de Janeiro, where every other shop seemed to be a shoe or handbag shop, to find the church of Saint Ildefonso at the summit.

With a nearby entrance, at Praça da Batalha 12A, it was disappointing to find that the blue doors to Cervejaria Artesanal Levare were closed.

At Praça dos Poveiros 72 I spotted a Santa Francesinha restaurant. However, at this stage I was not hungry enough to sample a Francesinha - the Porto speciality sandwich served with melted cheese and a thick tomato and beer sauce.

While in the area I walked through the shady gardens of São Lázaro / Saint Lazurs, officially known as Jardim de Marques de Oliveira, where the tulips were flowering. 

Letraria Craft Beer Garden

From here it was only a 400 metre walk to Letraria - Craft Beer Garden at Rua da Alegria 101.
A step up to the entrance - remember to step down when you leave! 

Inside everything seems rather dark, with some walls painted black, but the blackboard tap list above the bar is illuminated. 

The first column lists the core Letra beers - A, B, C, D, E and F which can also be purchased in bottles.

Letra F is a 6.5% ABV IPA brewed with high amounts of American hops. My 25cl glass of Letra F cost 3 euros and was not too bitter for me. As the garden at the back was not open I found a seat near the bar in the small front area. 

I chatted with barman Daniel and explained that Quinten Taylor had enjoyed a visit to Letraria Craft Beer Garden in January 2018 and his report on Lisbon and Porto bars had been published in the Spring 2018 issue of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine. Daniel posed holding the article in Ullage and Reading CAMRA's Mine's a Pint which featured Quentin on the cover.

Daniel enjoys his job which has the benefits of being able to make fresh coffee and play the music he likes. His musical taste stretches back to my favourite era and it was nice to hear tracks from King Crimson including 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Customer facing fridges built into the bar

The draught beer range includes Letraria specials and beers from other breweries like Tough Love Craft Beer (Aveiro, Portugal) and MUSA (Marvila, Lisbon). My other beer here was from tap 9 - Letra on oak - Witbier aged for four months in a Moscatel wine barrel from Douro justifying the higher cost of 4.25 euros for 25cl. The 5.6% ABV pale wheat beer had a slight wine acidity. 

The current list of draught beers at Letraria can be found on untappd.com. Note that food is available and that opening hours are 4pm (5pm on Friday and Saturday).

 Confeitaria do Bolhão

The 1 km walking route to revisit A Fabrica da Picaria took me past Confeitaria do Bolhão, Rua Formosa 339.

 When I saw the pastries in the window I went inside to order one to eat with a coffee.

It was about 7pm and the elegant ground floor 'snack-bar' was not as busy as it must surely get earlier in the day.

A Fábrica da Picaria

I was ready for more beer after the ten minute walk from here to A Fábrica da Picaria. On my second visit I took advantage of the February beer offer and ordered a large 40cl glass of Pilsener Ariana for only 2 euros. This refreshing 4.8% ABV lager is brewed with Pilsen malt, Tettnang bitter hops, Ariana aroma hops and low fermentation yeast and is served direct from the tank.

I had some time to myself to catch up on Twitter and used Soundhound to work out some of the tunes playing on the sound system including Spotlight by Jennifer Hudson and Sweetly by Estelle.

There was also an opportunity for a closer look at the tanks centrally situated between the front bar and the back room. 

The bar staff are friendly here and I met Augusto and chatted with João (John). João explained to me that the beers brewed on the premises can spend several weeks in the fermentation tanks until the correct flavour and alcohol content is achieved. Charts are used to keep track of the fermentation process. João is from Viseu, an inland town, where the seasonal temperatures vary more than they do at Porto, by the Atlantic coast.

There is a further pair of tanks and a separate seating area with high stools and long tables on the floor below. See Thursday's blog post for a further report on A Fabrica da Picaria.

At 8.30pm I left in order to reach Portugandhi restaurant in time for a meal near the hotel (Rio Grande) where I was staying. As it was all uphill from here I caught the D line Metro from nearby Aliados to Marquês (3 stops).

Portugandhi

Portugandhi restaurant (daytime photo)

When I entered Portugandhi, Rua do Bonjardim 1143, there were no other customers but the welcome, the contermporary music playing and good interior design encouraged me to stay and order a meal.

Portugandhi - entrance and immediate interior

I chose mango lassi to drink and as the quality of seafood is reliable in Portugal my main course was a mild prawn curry with naan bread.

As I waited for the meal to be served there was New Age / Fusion music to enjoy and Soundhound recognised Merhamet by Doğan Sezen and Desert Sound by Dreamers Inc & TreePines.

Café Macau

After an enjoyable light meal it was only 10pm so rather than go to my hotel I revisited nearby Café Macau, Rua de Santa Helena 114, which stocks a variety of beers.

My pronunciation of Tagus with an 'ay' sound rather than a short 'a' sound caused some confusion and I will not make that mistake again! This is a 4.8% ABV lager without much flavour but costing only 70 cents here.

The TV was showing an unusual programme which caught my attention as the same person plays several comical characters. Later research shows that I was watching Cá Por Casa com Herman José.

Herman José, born Herman José Von Krippahl to a German father and a Portuguese mother in 1954 is famous in Portugal from many TV appearances.

There was time for a bottle of Coruja, a 6% ABV dry hpped IPA (1.50 euros) from Unicer Bebidas, the brewers of Super Bock, before the programme finished and the 100 metre walk back to Hotel Grande Rio. 
This would take my count of steps to over 19,500 for Wednesday.