AUDACIOUSLY, I thought I could settle the age-old Lisbon versus Porto debate of which is prettier. Like any good judgment, I shall leave my conclusion to the end.
BUT, FIRST, I should state how this came about for me. I was doing a case up north (England), which went part-heard. That means, it was in two parts. During the first hearing, I said to my instructing solicitor that I felt that, “Lisbon was calling me!” A place I had been three times previously without disappointment; not even close to it. It was sheer delight on each occasion. To my surprise, my calling was met with, “Try Porto, it’s prettier!” This was supported by her colleague. Immediately, I defended the Portuguese capital. “How is this possible?” I replied and added “I don’t think so!” I knew better than to support one side without seeing the evidence of the other. But, dogmatically, I stayed with it. I planned to go over the summer, but circumstances prevented it from happening. When we returned for the second part of the case three months later, I announced that “Porto was calling me.” In truth, it was, but I was in no immediate hurry to go. Then, out the blue, a friend was due to go on a business trip for 4 days and planned on staying for an extra 4 days, two of which fell over the weekend. I said I would like to join and settle this issue over Lisbon v Porto. I should explain. By this time, I had undertaken some research and I knew that this debate had some history. “Leave it to me,” I thought, “I’ll settle it.” How difficult could it be? After all, as a barrister, I am paid to compare two sides of a case and give my opinion on the merits, or I go to court and argue that one side’s case is stronger than the other. Not always easy but feasible.
MY JOURNEY STARTED on the Friday evening. I made my way to Gatwick South and stayed overnight at a local hotel. Although I had already checked-in, I was worried that after another heavy week, I might oversleep and miss my early flight of 7:10. I spoke to the man at the reception desk and requested an alarm call for 5am and gave him my room number. I didn’t receive an alarm, so either he forgot to register it or I gave the wrong room number. Oops! Fortunately, my mobile alarm came through on time.
HAVING TAKEN THE BUS, which picks up every 15 minutes from the hotel to Gatwick South terminal our plane set off shortly after the scheduled 7:10am and landed just before 9:40am. By the time I got to my hotel, Porto was bathing in blue skies with barely a cloud in sight.
I COULD NOT HAVE STAYED more than 15 minutes at my hotel before I ventured into the city centre. Immediately, I knew that I was going to warm to this place. I was taken aback instantly by the grandeur of the historical buildings. I had lunch almost at the first available place I came to. As I ate and drank in sweltering heat the air was enriched with a lone street musician singing, “Don’t Worry, Be happy!” I smiled in acknowledgement. At this point, I shall simply play the video that I made as I do not believe my limited vocabulary would do either or both Porto or Gaia proper justice.
I VISITED PORTO with the notion of comparing it to the Portuguese, capital, Lisbon, but felt along the way that I had approached this comparative assessment incorrectly. I shall simply state, as with many things, I could not publicly declare that which I thought was prettier, but simply to say that I enjoy what both (Porto/Gaia and Lisbon) have to offer, being history, good food, port wine, amazing riverside walks, wonderful beaches, vibrancy, fun, art and much much more.
IN CONCLUSION, I simply rest my case!
Copyright © Ryan Clement 2024
Ryan Clement 