I travelled up to Braga this weekend for a work conference. I had never heard of the place before – a small city 35km inland from the coast in Northern Portugal, nearing the border with Spain – so I had no expectations apart from work, eat, sleep and going back to Lisbon. But I have been very pleasantly surprised by what a charming place this is.
Firstly, the local delicacies. I was coerced (!) by local Portuguese work colleagues to try the local meat platters… they said it was lamb and pork, but after I had tried the overpowering flavours, it turned out I was trying roast GOAT and stuffed pig INTESTINES! It’s always good to try new things… although I’m not sure I would go back to the stuffed intestines anytime soon. However there were also wonderful local cakes and pastries filled with cream, fish soup and other lovely things that were unique to the area.
Secondly, the amazing (now abandoned) Gothic buildings. Braga is Portugal’s OLDEST city, being inhabited since the the Neolithic period. After dinner we walked around the old town. It was stunning in a completely understated way. We walked past one building which was covered in vibrant blue tiles and looked like an old mansion. But I was told it used to be the old morgue, attached to the hospital. It is now abandoned sadly. However it is incredible how beautiful the buildings were even if their original intention was something quite mundane.
Thirdly, the ambiance. Braga is an old university town. But before you think of streets overrun by crazy students, actually the vibe was much more relaxed. Everyone was out having expresso or dinner out on the little cobbled streets, and the atmosphere was so happy and chilled.
Randomly we also stumbled across a large car rally – with hundreds of extreme race cars setting off up the mountain. It was quite a contrast to the architecture and atmosphere, but something really fun to watch!
POLLY TRAVELS THE WORLD 