2026-05-10 Easy, Like Sunday Morning

Now you see him, now you don't....Adventures in picture taking.

Yesterday, JR and I took a walk from our apartment to the Parque do Covelo (in Porto). To be clear, I love language learning as I think it is so interesting. Anyway, back to our story, we were walking in the park discussing aves vs pássaro. It has to do with flying vs non-flying birds.  So all flying birds are birds but not all birds are flying birds. After figuring it out, we went to Reverso to get a grammar check on how to say it in Portuguese based on the definitions. Of course Reverso gave me the english translation as I wrote it out in Portuguese and it made me laugh and realize why we say Portuguese is a nuanced language while English is, well, English.

There's a lot of construction ongoing. This jobsite is ... interesting. We may have mentioned that there are "abandoned" buildings randomly scattered throughout Porto, and there are a lot of tower cranes around town that were not here in November. The reason may be a change in inheritance law, that makes it easier for multiple heirs to sell or redevelop property.

Parque do Covelo is an park set in a residential and commercial district. It has public WC (free), a section set apart for kids to play on various equipment and just run around as well as multiple trails based off a kind of spoke/wheel arrangement.  The primary allee is alive with tree canopies.

These yellow flowers almost look like they are suspended without branches, but on closer inspection, the branches are great camouflage and the young flowers apparently start as fuzzy cocoons pods.

These beautiful trumpet (?) flowers were scattered around and were just stunning.

There's a feature with running water that starts as a fountain at the upper tier of the park and runs through the park and down to the lower promenade and looks like an homage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water. It continues past the waterfall, over an infinity edge and through the trough which goes even lower and down to a small collection pool.

The walk to and from had lovely art and stellar views hidden around every corner.

Every walk we take, we are blown away by all the different tile colors, designs and aesthetics

We decided to walk through the Marques Metro Station park, which we have walked through at least 5 times, and noticed a church for the first time - Igreja de Senhora Conceicão - with absolutely beautiful slate and marble 2" tile mosaics that grace the courtyard in front of the church.

Not to be outdone, the weird and the beautiful combine to bring some very interesting things. A Hell's Angels next to an, well, I'm not sure.

This 'ode to Escher' house

This patron saint on a car dealership and repair shop

Cute restaurant space tucked in a courtyard and adorned by a grotto.

Porto history and culture.

And finally, these two items near each other. The Portugueses is translated, "theater and dance campaign, performed together or alternately"

2026-05-05 You gotta Fight for your Right to Graduate

Qeima das Fitas

Every year in Porto, and other major cities in Portugal, we celebrate the completion of studies and graduation of university students with the Qeima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons). The tradition dates back to the 1850's in Coimbra and began in Porto in the 1940's. This year, from May 2 to May 9 there are activities in the central city celebrating this right of passage. Throughout the week, we saw students dressed in black with their capes and top coats or evening dresses around the streets, mostly being happy students and attending various activities and celebrations.

And for us, the highlight was Cortejo Academico (Academic Parade) on May 5 with not just the graduating students, but most of the students of all the Universities and colleges in Porto who numbered in the thousands. The graduates are wearing top hats with color denoting the university and the band denoting area of study. For example, yellow for medicine, red for law, light blue for computer science. And not too surprising, their enthusiasm was supported by the stash of Super Bock from the cooler on the "float".

Translation for above:  "the war heats up and profits too"

The parade finishes at the Avenida dos Aliados in front of City Hall, where the students are greeted by the mayor.

The tradition of tapping the top hat with the graduate's cane on the day of Cortejo Academico was super interesting. Family and/or friends tap the graduate on each shoulder - a la knightship - and then 'tapping' the hat three times for good luck in their future endeavors. Worth noting, all taps are not gentle as exemplified by misshapen hats covered in tape. 

Stacey took a pic of this young graduate and his mustache as it was as spectacular as the moment.

More about the capes and emblems from our friend ClaudeAI:

The badges (emblems) worn on the cape are actually one of the most personal and meaningful parts of the entire academic costume. Here's a fuller picture:

The Cape as a Personal Canvas

The badges aren't worn on a separate sash exactly — they are sewn onto the inside lower-left panel of the black academic cape (capa), which can be folded back to display them. Students have the opportunity to personalize their capes with badges they collect throughout their studies. The variety of these distinctive symbols is such that some capes become heavily loaded with them. 

What the Badges Represent

Fabric emblems personalize the cape and, by extension, the academic costume, as they concern aspects of the student's life — nationality, hometown, faculty, specialty, and more. They must be sewn in odd numbers on the right inner panel. The requirement for odd numbers is rooted in the Catholic Church's historical influence over universities. The number of buttons on the costume, the holes in the shoes, the emblems on the cape — all are odd numbers. This finds its explanation in the significance that odd numbers hold for the Catholic Church: 1 represents God; 3 represents unity and the Trinity; 7 represents perfection. 

Origins of the Emblems

The use of emblems on the cape is a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and 1940s. Over time they evolved into a kind of visual autobiography of a student's entire university journey. 

The Cape Itself

The Academic Dress of Coimbra, also known as the Capa e Batina, has deep historical roots in university tradition. It emerged as a way of distinguishing students and professors at the University of Coimbra, having evolved from the robes worn by clergymen, who in the early centuries of the university had exclusive rights to wear them. In 1957, according to university law, the academic costume became a symbol for all students to wear in order to avoid differences between social classes — all students are equal. 

The "Rasganço" — Tearing the Cape at Graduation

One of the most dramatic graduation traditions tied to the cape is the rasganço. The entire academic costume of the student is torn to pieces by family members and close friends. This tradition marks not only the end of studies but also the end of academic life in the "city of students," Coimbra. Since the badges on the cape represent a student's entire journey, this tearing is a deeply symbolic act — a joyful destruction of everything that chapter represented. So the badges are essentially a wearable scrapbook: every emblem tells a story about where the student came from, what they studied, the groups they belonged to, and the experiences they accumulated across their years at university.

2026-05-02 You gotta have friends

Fresh from Barcelona and Ahliana's debut panel on AI, along with Jack, we had the privilege of enjoying our friends in Portugal. It's always a good time when the four of us go on a  playdate.  It could be said that it's always a 'hoot'.

We all enjoy a market so we took them to the most famous one in Porto - coincidentally around the corner from us - Bolhão Market. There's a piano for all to enjoy at one of the entrances and Jack treated us to some melodious content (Ahliana in the foreground).

We walked and enjoyed some typical Portuguese streets and of course had to stop and have some Port at the Batalha Market. It was quite good. 

We decided to finish the day with an evening of Fado - traditional Portuguese music - and there's probably no better place in Porto than the Casa da Guitarra. 

"Fado is a melancholic Portuguese musical genre rooted in Lisbon's working-class neighborhoods, characterized by its deeply emotional expression of longing and fate — a feeling the Portuguese call saudade. It typically features a vocalist accompanied by the Portuguese guitarra (a pear-shaped 12-string guitar) and a classical guitar. Recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, fado covers themes of love, loss, the sea, and destiny, and remains one of Portugal's most defining cultural traditions." It is traditionally sung by women, but in the City of Coimbra, it is traditionally men.

We were able to sample and appreciate some traditional, acoustical Fado along with a glass of Port in this acoustics driven building. The venue is very intimate and there are maybe 40 audience members. While we enjoyed the first performer, the second performer, was absolutely amazing. You could feel her emotion from the toes of her feet to the top of her head. Both the guitar and the guitarra player were magnificent.

    

The next morning, we stopped at this gem of a place. Jack and Ahliana declared the 'Drama Queen' benedicts were tasty and Stacey thoroughly enjoyed her Toasta Mista (Ham and Cheese). JR made a decision to have the 'pequeno' stack of pancakes.  For future note, it wasn't enough to satisfy a twelve year old; next time order the full stack.  He did say it was very tasty.

It was very rainy this Sunday morning - European Mother's Day - so we opted to get out of the rain and chill for a bit, and ride the metro from São Bento station - which has lovely examples of Azulejo tiles - to Nova da Gaia. We rode to the terminus and then rode back to Jardim do Morro stop and then took the cable car - what we Coloradoans would call a Gondola - down to the Port Wineries.

This bunny wraps around the corner of a building and from the approach of the sides seems disconnected. But seen diagonally from the corner, it is a beautiful sculpture made from unique materials. The artist, Bordalo II (Artur Bordalo), is known for using trash to create animal art that critiques wastefulness. 

We passed on waiting for a table here. It looked to be a long wait for a table.

Sculpture made from car tires, artist Cummul. We will need to go at night as the light from the lampost in the center must give it some interesting shadows.

Upon a search, we found that this stencil art is by the Belgian street artist JAUNE, "who is known for depicting small municipal workers in humorous situations. His full name, Jonathan Pauwels, uses these characters to explore the paradox between the visibility and invisibility of city employees. His work often features these figures interacting with garbage bags, traffic cones, and other urban obstacles".

The rain had stopped and the clouds made for interesting backdrops for this church and mural.

If you click to embiggen, you will see some apartment doors that are 'interesting' in placement.

We stopped at Bom Dia winery, which is a specialized local producer, and received a tour from Manuel.  Bom Dia only uses their own grapes - 3 red varietals and 3 white - to produce approximately 70,000 bottles per year. They produce everything from a dry white to a 40 year Tawny.

The narrow street is a connector to the World of Wine experience and has several different small winery opportunities.

When the touring was done, we made our way back to Porto utilizing the cable car and the metro where we walked over to Arco das Verdades to enjoy some wine, cheese, pork, hummus and bread. This is a much sought after happy hour location and we were delighted when we were able to secure one of the two window tables. The bar is intimate with opportunities to enjoy the encyclopedia on the shelves, listen to some 'table' jazz or change the channel to several other selections, and just enjoy the view.  JR and Stacey will definitely be back. Caution: they have a very limited menu and do not serve beer, but do have coffee. The wine selections are curated to show off the best of the Duoro Valley.

We were reading and discussing aqueducts, you know, like you do...

Below image borrowed from SipwithNik    As I forgot to take a pic.

Camino de Santiago -  from Claude AI - The Camino Portugués is one of the most popular routes of the ancient pilgrimage network leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain, where the remains of St. James the Apostle are believed to be enshrined. Starting most commonly from Lisbon or Porto, pilgrims walk northward through charming towns, coastal cliffs, and rural countryside, covering roughly 280 km from Porto or 620 km from Lisbon. It remains both a deeply spiritual journey for religious pilgrims and a beloved long-distance trek for secular hikers seeking adventure, culture, and reflection.

Stacey found this marker indicating the route at the Bishop's Castle on the walk home.

As always, our time with Jack and Ahliana was a ton of fun - brief, but grateful they were able to squeeze us in. We look forward to a longer visit - Até a Proxima!