Porto 2025 (Wardruna)
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A couple of months back Margarida bought a costly set of front row tickets to see one of my all time favorite bands, Wardruna, at Casa Da Música in Porto. Best gift I could ask for.
Getting There
We took an early morning Uber on not that much sleep. My stomach was raw and warbly even before we got on the train. The ride itself was a bit more turbulent than I’m used to, but the highlights included seeing more of what this beautiful country has to offer from the window. I nearly knocked my front teeth out in some luggage obstacle course between wagon 6 and wagon 3 just to grab a small glass of juice.
Walking Porto
When we arrived I wanted to use my feet, so we walked for well over an hour. At one point I met a guy who looked down on his luck - he asked me for some cash to buy diapers for his kid. I obliged.
We ended up at Mel, this quaint Nordic-inspired fika spot in Porto that just happened to be open even though it was a holiday. I had a Swedish cider while Margarida had her coffee. After a little snack we took an Uber to our hotel, conveniently placed close to the venue.
Wardruna
We were quite beat from the early morning and the slightly rough travel, so I took a shower and we took a long nap before ordering some Mexican takeaway. Then we went to the venue.
And what can I say about Wardruna? I’ve seen them twice before - once in Stockholm and once in Gothenburg - and they were possibly even better this time around. This was their World Tour 2024/2025 and the setlist was stacked. They opened with Kvitravn and moved through Hertan, Skugge, and Solringen before Heimta Thurs. Lyfjaberg hit different live. They played the skaldic version of Völuspá, then Tyr, Isa, Grá, Himinndotter, Birna, and Rotlaust tre fell. Fehu built up into Helvegen towards the end - and, as per usual, my eyes were glassy. They closed the encore with Hibjørnen.
Fantastic set, fantastic roster of songs performed. Possibly the best I’ve seen them.
The Walk Back
It rained on us as we headed back to the hotel, and then we couldn’t enter the room because the smart lock app decided to stop working. The owner had to sprint over and fiddle about and re-calibrate the lock. Did our ancestors starve and struggle only for this to be our new norm?
The Day After
It rained the next day too. Margarida had to take a business trip from Porto up to Braga, so I worked from the hotel room. I decided to skip lunch entirely to make room for a late dinner at Café Santiago - home of the legendary francesinha. Somewhere in the ballpark of 1,500 to 2,000 kcal of pure indulgence and it tasted very, very good. I’d brought the Sony along so I also took some artsy pictures of Porto before heading back on the third.
What a trip.
