Portugal, 1999

Porto, Portugal – Today, I am at the world’s heart of Port wine-making. As I glance out of my youth hostel dormitory window, I see the river (Rio Douro) snaking its way around a sandbank peninsula and out into the vast Atlantic ocean, encouraged on its way by the dull roar of the waves.

KPMG’s International Environmental Network conference, held in Lisbon this year, has given [name] and I the opportunity to visit Portugal. On the day we arrived (Saturday 18th), we climbed up more than 300 steps and meandered through Lisbon’s narrow cobbled streets, past its crumbling, tiled, washing-strung apartments, to reach Castelo de Sao Jorge. Despite some light showers, the panoramic vista and ancient ruins made our tiring ascent worthwhile.

On the Sunday, an afternoon cruise in a 37-metre traditional ship, laced with rigging and studded with tackle, afforded us passing views of the overseeing statue of Jesus, replica of Rio’s own, the Navigators’ monument and the sprawl of Lisbon’s cluttered river-scape. Following the conference, on Tuesday we travelled by bus to Evora to see the Chapel of Bones – a surreal and eerie church literally walled and decorated by thousands of human bones and skulls, supposedly the legacy of generations of local monks. What a strange and haunting experience to be confronted so brutally by human mortality. This certainly goes down in my book of unique sights!

Making our way north to Sintra gave us a day in the fantasy world of palaces and castles of bygone eras. We also visited Quinta de Regaleira, a large estate with architecture, statues and gardens modelled in the 19th and 20th centuries to give expression to various mythological and occult themes. For example, there is an elaborate initiation well (one of three in the world) – a spiral structure descending into the dark womb of the earth, leading into a cave and finally exiting with a rebirth into the light of a fantastic waterscape. The number nine was reflected in the structure as being numerologically significant – 9 levels of descent, 27 metres deep (2+7=9) and 126 steps (1+2+6=9). It was refreshing and inspiring to witness this mystical architectural interpretation in a landscape dominated by the dramatic excesses of orthodox Roman Catholic icons.

The ultimate embodiment of the latter is the Bom Jesus in Braga, which we also visited. The 628 stairs are marked in stages by mini-chapels containing manikin enacted scenes of Jesus’ “Road to Calvary”, in all its agonising and gory detail. While this mountain ascent is an impressive work of symmetrical design, its “grand purpose” left me unmoved. I suppose that path is now too far behind me to even evoke sentimental empathy. So too with the Batalha cathedral in Leira, which portrayed the typical exaggerated architecture of vaulted ceilings and elaborate stone masonry associated with the Middle Ages and its religious (political) aspirations. If nothing else, one has to marvel at the inter-generational continuity and commitment demonstrated by these lofty structures. The impact of Jesus and Christianity in these parts is almost incredulous.

We made our obligatory stop in Porto to sample this world-renowned wine-brandy blend at source. The personalised tour of the Osborne distillery was most informative and the tasting, at 10 am, was also a new and dizzying experience. Today, we visit the Mira de Aire caves, before heading back home tomorrow.