“Port wine is like men, the older they are, the more complex.” Sergio was waxing philosophical between sips. My husband and I had booked a private wine experience at his shop (“it’s my wife’s shop”) in lieu of one of the tourist-packed Douro River vineyard cruises in Porto. While we selected our favorite vintages we were charmed by Sergio’s love of his city’s “aging elegance” and how he’d won the nation’s blind wine tasting contest. Being with him was emblematic of our trip.
Throughout the month we used the sharing economy to book several experiences that brought Portugal’s culture alive and helped us avoid the forced march of large group tours that we abhor. We cruised the river with Sylvia Tomas and Pedro Lemos, an ambitious young couple. They’d found a neglected boat and fixed it up for tours. As we waved to passengers crowded onto the decks of passing ships, Sylvia told us, “The difference is we don’t want to seem like a business. We want to seem like
we opened the door to our house.” Pedro grew up in a family of sardine fishermen so his stories of the city’s history were enlivened by childhood memories. Meanwhile, we became fast friends with the 3 other passengers on the tour, fascinating young women who’d emigrated from the U.S. to Israel. It was a great choice among the many river tours offered on Airbnb Experiences Porto
In Lisbon’s “Onion Square” we shared a dramatic moment with our tour guide Beatrice. “We are standing where people greeted the ships returning from the Far East with new foods, exotic animals and spices….To them this ocean was a vast scary place where you might fall off the edge of the Earth. When they tasted onions they ate them like apples…. Pepper made them sneeze. Chocolate was a revelation, magic.” Then she compared it to our current perspective on exploring outer space. “What magic will we discover there someday?” We
booked that memorable experience on a Free Walking Tours site where you pay what you will. They’re available in hundreds of cities worldwide.
On the site Go With Guide we arranged an informative Jewish History Walking tour where we walked through historic neighborhoods and heard about the Inquisition. We became acquainted with the cuisine of Portugal on a food tour that we booked on Airbnb Experiences. “We have 365 recipes for cod, one for each day,” our guide Eloise began. Then she led us to a dozen small restaurants where we tried everything from fish to cheeses to flaming pork.
The food tour ended with the ubiquitous pastel de nata pastry so I was delighted to attend a cooking class to make them that I booked on Get Your Guide. What a wonderful afternoon. The 6 other students were from around the world and shared their stories as we baked and our teacher Katia was the real deal: “My grandma used to bake 100 natas each day and I was the delivery girl. So I’d deliver 95 or 96…”
A big highlight was sharing a meal at João’s apartment that we booked through Eat With This website offers dinner parties in local’s homes all over the world. The lavish meal he prepared for the 8 of us was delicious and the international company was very lively. João offers his dinners quite often and it was apparent that they were an important part of his income which we were happy to support.
The sharing economy is changing the way we travel. It’s a lot more than Airbnb and Uber. You can rent everything from a parking spot to ski equipment or travel for free by trading work, pet sitting or house swapping. It’s a great alternative to either being with a group the whole time or being on your own.
