Salty Fishermen

Porto, Lisbon
Apr 30, 2016
2 min read

Portugal quickly became one of my favorite European countries. The people are some of the warmest I have experienced in all my travels. Not too many speak English, but that did not hinder communication in any way. The genuinely friendly nature of the Portuguese people made navigating everything a breeze. I spent most of my time in the city, wandering the hilly cobblestone streets and just enjoying being near the water. I ate octopus soup and drank Port to my hearts content. On my last night in Porto, I stumbled across a group of old fishermen at the dock. For no other reason than sheer curiosity, I wandered up and started talking (well mostly pointing and smiling). This quickly became my favorite night in Portugal. They showed me their catch from the day, their casting methods and the new lures they were using. As the day turned into night, they continued to bring me glass after glass of Vino Verde from the local restaurant where they sold their catch... They didn't speak much (if any) English, but the genuine laughter through their charming toothless smiles, was all the communication we needed. I truly fell in love with the Portuguese people after this night.