Guimarães: European Capital of Culture 2012

Guimarães is the town from which the style of embroidery that is featured in my new book Portuguese Whitework: Bullion Embroidery from Guimarães comes. It is in the north of Portugal, and if you know where Porto is on the coast, Guimarães is inland from there. It is not a tourist area, though actually all of the parts of Portugal that we went to weren’t overly crowded with tourists. (We didn’t go to the southern coastal areas!)

It is known as the birthplace of Portugal, as in the twelfth century the region was given to the family that created the country, with Afonso I as the first king of the new kingdom. The historic centre of Guimarães is a Unesco World Heritage Listed site (the list is something my husband uses to plan our holidays. I think he has a personal goal to visit as many of them as possible!)

When we visited Guimarães, I wanted to take some photos of the old town. As my parents used to be in a camera club, I know that dawn and dusk are excellent times of the day to take photos. So one morning during our stay, I rose very early, and set out on the short walk to the walled part of the old town. It was very quiet, and hardly anyone was around. As is my custom, I tried to look as little like a tourist as possible, but I probably stuck out like a sore thumb!

It was magical, making my way through the streets of a town waking to a new day. Seeing the sun catching on the facades of the beautiful old buildings in the town square for the first time that day was something I’m not likely to forget in a hurry. It was a lovely experience.

This year, Guimarães has been designated a European Capital of Culture. Throughout the year there will be cultural events in and around Guimarães. What better way to celebrate the rich culture of such a beautiful city, than by learning the exquisite embroidery that originates from Guimarães?