The Portuguese are very passionate about their country. Understatement! The ones we have met and talked to almost seem as though they are getting commission for the manic OTT way they seem to want to convert you into never leaving their country.
They operate like the kids at school who want to join the in crowd and try to over impress you with their helpfulness, knowledge and hip language. The intensiveness of it all just made Rosie and The Operator want to take a step back, look sideways at each other and casually look for the nearest exit whilst nodding and smiling at them.
Yes, it is a mean thing to say. Rosie always moans that people could be more friendly and helpful in this day and age but the Portuguese take this to a whole new level.
Our apartment host Antonio welcomed us with open arms and two kisses, one on each cheek. Rosie blushed, very Euro, we are off to a good start. The Operator, well Rosie could tell he felt weird brushing stubble, but hey, it wouldn’t hurt if he could be a bit more dashingly Euro.
An hour and twenty minutes later we are waving to Antonio from the doorway of the apartment watching him run backwards down the street waving to us. We shut the door, took a breath and asked what the hell just happened.
Cyclone Antonio had hit Porto and totally blew us away. He was warm, genuine and more than a little cray cray. His apartment was beautiful and he introduced us to every nook and cranny. After full instructional demos on how to use the dishwasher, aircon, and blind shutters he picked up the Netflix remote….The Operator put a stop to that 10 min instructional….no thanks, we will not be watching TV. Following Antonios line of vision The Operator also quickly said we will not be using the oven and cook top, we will be eating out during our stay.
Antonio hesitated….we had ruined his flow, he shook his head and lunged for the fridge….appeasing us with a huge chocolate cake. I kid you not, his Mama makes the best chocolate cake he assured us and she made this as a welcome for you to Portugal. My Papa makes Port every year just for family and friends and he wants you to try his port as a welcome to Portugal as we are now friends. I kid you not, it actually bought a tear to Rosie’s eye. That was the sweetest thing ever.
After forty five minutes of going over the city map Rosie and The Operator knew the town of Porto off by heart, better than any strange town we hadn’t visited in our own home country. That was awesome! Rosie had done her homework on the sights to see in the town. Antonio confirmed them, added to them and also recommended local places en route between them for coffee, drinks and eats. This is valuable local information Rosie cannot get enough of and was very grateful for the in depth advice.
The local advice then turned into us leaving Porto and the towns we must stop at and visit on the way to Lisbon. Pull back Antonio….we would like to actually leave the apartment and start to see Porto first please.
Wow, he just never stopped talking….after shutting the door on him, we needed a tittle of Papas port and a smidge of Mamas chocolate cake to give us the strength to go out. Rosie can say they were both totally delicious and she could feel the hug of welcome upon consumption.
Ping, Ping, Ping…..went Rosie’s Whats App….multiple messages were bouncing in. It was Antonio….he had forgotten to tell us something.
Every person we encountered in Portugal was similarly intense and earnest, albeit to a slightly lesser degree. Everyone wanted us genuinely to enjoy our holiday in their beautiful country and were very proud of what there was to offer. It was heartwarming to feel and experience this degree of patriotism and welcome….but just so damn exhausting!
