“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
– John A. Shedd
I walked along the Ribeira, a touristy area along the Douro River in Porto full of bars and restaurants. Inside an open doorway I saw this man at his workbench. Intrigued, I went inside to look at his handiwork.
In the back of his shop were shelves full of the beautiful model boats he’d built. He showed me small wooden boats he was currently working on to sell to tourists for €10 apiece. If I understood him correctly, he has also built three full-size boats. It was a privilege to step into his world for a few minutes before heading back out into the crush of tourists.
