The Douro flows west -
gulls gossip of sprats and the
issues of the day.
Travel stirs something in the soul, it is a gateway to unlocking creativity and inspiring the muse. The act of following the changing road lends credence to stories and strengthens metaphor.
Travel is like a primer for an artist, a way to dissolve the sticky tendrils of creative block. The city of Porto in northern Portugal definitely left its mark in this respect.
Some places you visit stick in your mind, growing to become a part of you. I often feel this strange metamorphosis when visiting cities or ancient sites like castles.
Places like these inspire an exquisite focus, a fascination that springs from the research writer in me. It is almost a meditative experience, an absorbing of atmosphere and information, drinking in the weight of history.
The name Porto dates from Roman times, when Lusitanian settlements straddled the Rio Douro. The area of Porto was briefly in Moorish hands along with other parts of Portugal as is seen in so much of the architecture of this vibrant country.
The province around Porto was taken back from the Moores by AD 868 and reorganized as the county of Portucale, with Porto as its capital.
In modern times Porto is most famous for its namesake fortified wine, Port. The main city of Porto lies on the north bank of the river Douro but we stayed near to the warehouses of the town of Vila Nova de Gaia, where vast quantities of port wine are blended and stored.
The dock front of Vila Nova de Gaia is lined with restaurants and port houses. It is one of the most touristy areas, but holds a distinct charm if you like lazy days sitting and drinking in the panorama. for those not on a shoestring budget, I can highly recommend a boozy afternoon wandering the district, visiting one of the many port houses where you can book tastings to sample the quintessential matching of port and chocolate.
After sampling the finer things that Porto had to offer we took a wander to the north side of town to search out some street art. If you enjoy alternative culture the steep winding ways of Porto city offer a buzzing art scene.
A blending of the ancient and modern is something that you often find in European cities. In the evolution of art, from church architecture to these modern street art works, I see the underlying magic in the creative process in action. The wonder of creation in art is in the creative process itself, not in ownership or any reputation gained through the object of creation.
This truth resonates with my creative writing. When writing short stories or poems, the timeless flows in the first act of creation. Further elements such as plot development, or refining imagery, are built in the edit, but even this process is part of the magic of creativity, like an artisan polishing a gem.
All good artists understand that once the creative process is over it's essential to let the work out into the world. Art seeds ideas in the collective unconscious, it is a communication that happens through an artist, writer or performer.
Even in great revelations, there is almost always something that wants to claim, "I am this." Every time you claim, "I am this", you just claimed another sense perception, thought, emotion, or feeling.”
-- Adyashanti
Architecture colors the tapestry of a city-scape while the beating heart of street art expresses a perfect moment of clarity. The beauty of these things are in how they change the observer.
These truths resonate at the heart of travel, each new place inspiring a change in the traveler. Through the lessons of history or the spirit of a new place we get to see the world through new eyes. This alchemy inspires me to create whenever I travel, like finding a diamond at the heart of a lump of granite.
To read more about the aesthetics of true haiku, and the difference between haiku and senryu, please check out my post: Haiku Vs Senryu - The Aesthetics of Form
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