April 30, 2025

Porto has a particular pace. Not slow, but surely not rushed. The server in the cafe comes over to your table when they are ready. As an ex-New Yorker this took some adjusting to. New York spirts. You dart between traffic. You eat on the go. Crowds slow you down. You are always concerned about being late. Porto is much more precise. As a certified people watcher, I observed that people in Porto walk deliberately. Steady. They have somewhere to go but they will get there at the appropriate time.

Things take time. Especially the important things.

Portugal is primarily known for three things: cork, leather and wine. Their most famous wine, port, comes from the appropriately named city of Porto. The wine received its name, “port”, in the latter half of the 17th century from this seaport city at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe

Nearly 80% of all corks come from Portugal. That is nothing to sniff at! (My attempt at a wine joke) The process of harvesting cork is a slow, tedious task that is not automated. A cork tree takes 25 years to mature and can only be harvested once every nine years. The specialists who harvest the cork are some of the highest paid agricultural workers who apprenticeship for up to 10 years. The initial cut into the tree must be extremely precise before the cork is hand peeled off the tree. An ill placed cut can kill the tree rendering it useless. Cork is not just used for wine bottles. NASA uses cork from Portugal on the space shuttle because of its insulating qualities and light weight.

When one thinks of leather images of Italy emerge. But the best known and most exclusive fashion houses, like Hermes, covert leather from Portugal. The tanners spend countless hours perfecting the perfect feel. Leather purses from Portugal feel worn even though the purse is brand new. The tans are not dyed but left natural making each purse a unique piece of art.

Wine is stored in barrels, but port wine is stored in barrels in wine cellars that require a particular amount of dampness to assure its unique quality. With port, a distilled spirit like brandy is painstaking added during the fermentation that stops it in its tracks by killing the yeast, giving the wine its unique bold sweetness. Long before France, Portugal was the first country to certify its grapes. As a matter of fact, under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only wines from Portugal are allowed to be labelled “port”.

All of the processes described above take time. They cannot be rushed. To do so would take away from the integrity of the finished product. More importantly it would be a discredit to the craftsman. Ultimately, it would be a discredit to the people of Portugal.

In a world where 5 minutes is too long to wait for something to come out of the microwave and our attention spans have been grossly altered because of social media “quickest, fastest and right now” dominate our cultural mindset. In Porto, I quickly adapted to a slower pace. And I liked it.

In Spain and Portugal, it is commonplace to walk by beautiful mosaics and not even appreciate their beauty. Take a moment slow down and appreciate the craft, the artistry, the detail, the time required to produce this masterpiece standing proudly on the street in Porto.

There, don’t you feel better.

Welcome to Porto, Portugal.

Thanks for traveling with us.

Here is an update from a Thirdmill student. Anna serves in the children’s ministry in her church. She had planned to take courses for children’s ministers, but realized she wanted to get a basic knowledge of theology first. Studying through the Thirdmill Insitute, she joined a Learning Community. She wrote, ‘As we began to take the lessons, in short, our attitudes changed, and we realized the purpose of our Christian life and God’s purpose for His people. Life and ministry should be Christocentric – that is what I am striving for.’