Second Verse Same as the First

Well, as I mentioned in the previous post, while the natural beauty of the Douro valley cannot be disputed, I am not "feeling the love" for the villages and towns.  The villages, such as they are, are spread out with no real village centre - at least that I can see.  I am more than prepared to stand corrected on that.  So, today we set out to explore the region a bit more of the area from the river up into the mountains which tower over the valley. 

Our day started on the south side of the river driving in the direction of Resende, which is a small town.  Saturday (today) was market day so we stopped to wander around to see what the offerings are in a Portuguese one.  There weren't many food stalls - although there was a very tempting "Churraria" - and most of the goods were shoes and clothing.  Boring!  That being said, Nawal did buy a couple of tops - but she is the consummate shopper and can find things everywhere!

From there we headed toward toward Maseo Frio which took us up almost above the vegetation line.  The road was steep and winding but offered amazing views.  

We had driven for close to 2 hours before we saw anything remotely resembling a restaurant other than a few tacky cafes.  We stopped at Restaurant de Tormes which seemed to be part of another Quinta (estate).  It was a very pretty restaurant and, as we had passed the road to Quinta de Covela on the way, we had an idea how much time we had.  Although the owner spoke no English, we managed to order a very tasty, not to mention inexpensive, lunch.  I had a vegetable tempura followed by a baked apple.  Both dishes were delicious and the total cost of lunch which included water was €10. 

From there, we drove about 15 minutes to Quinta de Covela.  The road getting there was a bit tricky and the signage for the winery almost non-existent.  However, we managed to find it but not without me ending up in a vineyard where turning around was very tricky!  No grapes were damaged or squashed in that maneuver!  The tour was just the two of us and it was really more of a wine tasting and discussion of the wines around here than a tour.  We had the option of walking up the hill to the vineyards but, with the heat, we declined to do that.  So, for €12 we got to spend an hour hearing about the wine region and then tasting 3 wines.  All three, including a rose, were quite acidic.  From the winery website, here is the information:

On the sinuous terraces of a natural amphitheatre perched high above the right bank of the Douro rRver, Quinta de Covela has - for at least five centuries - straddled the rugged terrain where two of Portugal's best-known wine-producing regions meet.  Downstream, rugged granite marks the landscape of the Vinho Verde region.  Upriver, the hot, slate-layered earth is what gives Port wine its heart and soul.

With panoramic views over the river, the Covela estate covers 49 hectares, of which 18 are planted with vineyards that also mark the frontier between two typical villages of the lower Douro - São Tomé de Covelas and Santa Cruz do Douro, both recognized for their natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.  The Covela Winery is noted for its first-ever Vinho Verde, Edição Nacional (National Edition), made from the Avesso grape which is 100% Portuguese and native to Covela’s sub-region.

We finished the wine tasting just after 4 and it took us about ¾ hour to get back to the hotel as we kept stopping for photos.  So, undeniably the scenery here is spectacular.  However, my first impression of this region hasn't changed.  The villages, such as they are, just don't have the same personality as the Alsatian, Rhine and Burgundy wine villages.  Sorry and no disrespect intended!

Hot in the Douro

Our plan was to spend two full days exploring the various wine routes in the Douro valley to make the most of our time. However, it's hot here. Okay, maybe not the +40' temperatures Portugal had for three or four straight weeks this past summer but temps in the low to mid-thirties are too much for us. So, we decided adjusted our plan a bit to shorten our days and avoid the intense heat between roughly 3 and 6 pm. No wonder they have siestas!

Porto Antigo is a 5 minute drive to the train station in Mosteiro and from there you can get to Pinhao in 2 hours by train. The gal at the hotel's front desk recommended doing this because the track runs along the river so the journey is very scenic.  I had read a couple reviews of Pinhao. One said it was a charming stop on the river - the river cruise companies must concur as there was a ship docked there when we arrived. Another review, Lonely Planet I think, said it was nothing special but a good location from which to explore the region. After our visit, we sided with the latter description!  (As some of the photos following were taken from the train, they aren't of the best quality.  Sorry.)

One of Pinhao's claims to fame are the pretty blue and white tiles on the walls of the train station depicting the grape harvest. Yes, they were pretty. 

As we wandered along the very dusty cobble-stoned street in front of the station, we went into one store and Nawal asked where the centre of the village was. We were told we were in it!  So, we walked down a hill to see if there were restaurants and cafes on the riverfront but, except for a couple we spotted way in the distance with red plastic chairs on patios in the blazing heat, there wasn't much. 

To be fair, there was a 5 star hotel between the train station and the river but we didn't check it out.  We did find a little cafe/restaurant called Writer's Place which had a terrace overlooking the river.  We didn't last long outside, however, because of the heat.  We moved inside where it was much cooler.  We enjoyed sharing a board with a selection of local cheeses and some melon in white port.  The woman who ran the place was from Paris so that made communicating a bit easier.  That said, we haven't had too much of a language problem because most of the people we have encountered have at least basic English, which is more that I can say of my Portuguese!

We had planned, on our return journey, to stop at the bigger town of Regua but decided that it would make more sense to just return to our hotel to get out of the heat and cool off.  Regardless of the heat, the scenery along the river is fabulous.

I am not sure what I was expecting before I arrived here but, while the valley is incredibly pretty from a landscape point of view, I am a bit disappointed in the villages we have seen.  They don't seem to have much character or charm.  However, we have only visited or driven through a few of them and tomorrow we will be exploring a bit further so maybe my impression will change.

From City to the Valley

Wednesday, we began our last day in Porto by taking a 1 hour cruise on the Douro River and then having lunch beside it.  

In the evening, we did a tour at the Calem winery which included a Fado concert which we had booked for 21 Euros from a Tourist Information Office.  Given that there were more than 50 people on the wine tour including a screaming child and that the tour guide didn't use a mike, we didn't get much out of it.  Therefore, I can't say I would recommend it.  The Fado concert was good but only lasted about 3/4 hour although it was accompanied with two glass of port - one white and one red.  I came away thinking there might have been a better option to have this experience.  

The red and white ports we tasted 

As the taxi drivers had been on strike for over a week here, getting to the winery from our hotel and back was a bit of a challenge.  To get there, we hired a "tuk tuk" driver who had given us a ride the previous day.  It was pricey and, in hindsight not the smartest decision.  Following the concert, we used Uber to get back to our hotel.  I had downloaded the app onto my phone and this was my first go at using it.  I was impressed - and the ride home cost about 1/3 of the cost of getting us there. 

Thursday, we picked up our rental car and drove east up the Douro river to Cinfaes where we had booked a nearby hotel called Porto Antigo.  The scenery along the way was fantastic although the drive was a challenging because the road was winding and hilly.  There were moments which provided amazing and dramatic views of the river and its steeped, terraced banks.  Unfortunately, there were a limited number of places to pull over for photo ops.

Where we are staying is right on the river with a bar and restaurant right beside the water.  The weather continues to be perfect - too hot at 33' - and we enjoyed our dinner sitting outside.  We will explore the Douro valley for the next two days.

The view from my room - so beautiful

Exploring Porto

For our first day in Porto we decided to take a Hop On/Hop Off bus tour.  There are several companies here, like in many cities.  We bought a ticket (25 Euros) that would be good for 48 hours and included a tour of a winery and a boat ride on the Douro.  We set out around 10:30 before the day became too hot.  The high predicted was 32'.  

The stop for the "Blue" bus was almost right outside our hotel door.  First, the tour headed through some of the more modern sections of the city and then out to the sea front.  On the way, we could see a thick layer of smoke lying up near the hills and we wondered if it was from the forest fires that covered the country this summer.  The tour continued from the sea to the mouth of the Douro where we saw the breakwater which protects the river from of the storms in the ocean.  We drove up the river along the bank past the fishing boats and quays where the fishermen were selling their catch – some so fresh they were still alive!  

From there and on the other side of the town, we crossed over a bridge to the Gaia district which gave us some amazing views across to the old town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

When we came back across the bridge, drove west along the river and then up a hill where we reached the old town centre.  We got off at the main square there. 

We walked down the hill back to the river front where we stopped for a light lunch and something to drink.  It was very warm – more than 30’ – and we were both thirsty.  Our lunch stop was La Taverna, a very casual place where we got a front table which was great for people watching and for getting "rehydrated" - three cans of iced tea for me!  

After that, we wandered further east along the quay toward the bridge going over to Gaia.  We had planned to walk over to that side and pick up the Blue Bus again as its route would take us back to the hotel.  However, at the start of the bridge, there was a Tuk Tuk driver – turned out he was a Sicilian studying international law here – and we negotiated a ride for €20 to take us back to the hotel.  Given the heat, it seemed to be the perfect solution to getting back.  Besides, the bus only comes every 1/2 hour or so and we didn't want to stand in the sun that long.  The heat had sapped our energy and it was just too hot to do much more of anything!  It was a fun ride as we took some narrow alleys and backstreets which the bus could certainly not have driven on. 

For dinner we went to a fabulous seafood restaurant where Nawal had eaten when she was here on her way to Madeira.  The grouper I had was so fresh it was amazing.  We chatted with a German couple sitting on one side of us who live in Munich and, on the other side were an interesting English couple who live in Frankfurt.  Once again, it occurred to me how great it is when you travel to get out and chat with locals or other travellers.  It enriches the experience and gives you an opportunity to learn a lot!