Behind the Scenes in Porto: Prayers, a Full-Sprint Airport Run, and the Fish Cake We Can't Recommend
Every trip we take starts the same way — and this one was no different. Before our flight, we had dinner at the airport and stopped at the adoration chapel to pray for the journey ahead. If you've never noticed that some airports have chapels, look for one next time you fly. There's something beautiful about beginning a transatlantic adventure — kids, camera crew, and all — with prayer.
Those prayers turned out to be well-timed.
The Amsterdam Sprint (Not Shown on TV)
We slept on the overnight flight and landed bright and early in Amsterdam feeling great. Maybe a little too great. We had a leisurely breakfast in the lounge, checked the departure screen, and saw our gate was an easy eight-minute walk away.
What the screen didn't mention: passport control was eight minutes away (not our gate), and the line stretched on forever.
We begged our way to the front of the line. The agent took one look at our boarding passes, waved us through, and gave us instructions we'll never forget: "If I were you, I'd make haste!"
What followed was a solid ten-minute run through Schiphol at full speed. Nathanael and the camera guys sprinted ahead to plead with the gate agents to hold the plane. When the rest of us arrived, the agent told us we only had thirty seconds to spare. Thankfully she let every one of us on.
So if you ever wonder whether the family on your screen has it all together — we made our flight to Porto by half a minute.
First Taste of Portugal
We landed in Porto, found our driver, and arrived at our accommodation before it was ready — the cleaners kindly let us drop our bags so we could head straight out to eat. And here is where we'll say what we said about a hundred times that week: we love Portuguese food. Our top 3 food recommendations are: Bifana, Bacalhau, and of course, Pasteis de Nata. You'll have to wait until Season 2 to see our favorite places to eat them.
We spent the rest of the day walking the city and capturing the outdoor shots you see in the episode — those tiled facades and terracotta rooftops are every bit as beautiful in person.
Clérigos Tower: The Stories We Didn't Have Time to Tell
Our first full filming day was at the Torre dos Clérigos, the baroque bell tower that defines Porto's skyline. There's only so much you can fit in an episode, so here are a few of our favorite facts that didn't make the cut:
Someone climbed it. On the outside. In 1917, a father-and-son team of Spanish acrobats called the Puertullanos scaled the exterior of the tower in front of an enormous crowd — then pretended to sip tea at the top before tossing down fliers advertising biscuits. History's most dramatic cookie commercial.
The architect never left. Nicolau Nasoni, the Italian architect behind the tower and church, loved this project so much that he joined the Clérigos Brotherhood himself and asked to be buried in the church when he died in 1773. He had died a poor man, and the Brotherhood buried him in his own masterpiece — in an unmarked grave whose exact location stayed a mystery for over 240 years. Then, during renovations in 2014, a worker lifted two floorboards and accidentally uncovered a long-sealed crypt full of 18th-century graves. Researchers believe Nasoni is among them.
And in case you are wondering, the man who hit Estella in the head was a tourist. It was an unexpected and slightly painful moment that our DP caught on camera. And yes, he said, "it's OK" instead of, "are you OK?" and continued to take photos of the view.
You can go to Mass in English there. Clérigos Church celebrates a full Mass in English every Saturday at 5 pm — a rare find in Porto and a beautiful way to worship in one of the city's most stunning churches. If you're traveling with family, put it on your itinerary.
Livraria Lello
The next day we filmed at Livraria Lello, often called the most beautiful bookstore in the world — and the crowds agree. While we were getting our shot of the kids reading on that famous crimson staircase, a group of Korean girls spotted them and started fawning over them like they were the main attraction LOL.
Afterward we ducked into Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau nearby with a wonderful library on its top floor — that one did make it into the episode, so keep an eye out for it.
We conducted some important culinary research there: Portuguese fish cakes. Verdict? Delicious. The version stuffed with cheese? We went in believing, as a family, that cheese makes everything better. We stand corrected. Get the classic without cheese!
Cooking with Teresa at Domus Arte
Our final Porto filming day is one you've seen: our time with Teresa at Domus Arte, learning to make the pastel de nata (no, we're not sharing the secrets here — that's what the episode and the cookbook are for!). What you may not know is how much we love Suzel and Teresa, or that this wasn't our first visit. Two years earlier, we'd taken their tile painting class — one of our favorite memories from any trip to Portugal.
If you're ever in Porto, Domus Arte offers hands-on classes from traditional azulejo tile painting to pastry making, and they sell locally made goods in their shop — the perfect place to pick up a souvenir that actually supports local artisans.
The next morning, we flew to Italy. But that's a story for the next diary entry.
Watch the Porto episode of Fork in the Road on EWTN and EWTN+, and find the recipes from this trip in our upcoming cookbook, Fork in the Road: Hungry for Adventure.
