Divine Douro

The Douro River valley

When I first put together this trip in April, today’s route was not part of the plan. We were going to drive directly from Porto to northern Spain, but all that changed when I went to the eye doctor. She told me we had to fit in a visit to the Douro Valley, and that we should stay at Quinta de la Rosa, a winery that also takes guests. I always do what Dr. Turner tells me to do, so I changed our itinerary to fit this day into it.

Runners on the tram line

Since the distance today would not be very far, we decided to spend our morning in Porto. There was still much more to see. We had heard that the tram ride along the river was a must, so we headed back down into the lower part of the city by funicular, planning to catch the tram at about 11:00 a.m. for a 20 minute ride. However, we did not expect the run that took place today. Hundreds of people in bright orange t-shirts jogging over the rails made it impossible for the tram to run today. Too bad, but what can you do? Instead, we walked around sites that we had not yet visited and took a few final photos of this glorious city. We considered entering the Palacio da Bolsa (stock exchange palace) and Igreja de Sao Francisco (a gothic church) but photos were forbidden in both places, and time was short, so we stayed outside.

Sao Francisco Church (left) and Palacio do Bursa (on right)

By noon, we had loaded up Miguel, our car, and were headed east towards our destination.  We stopped for lunch at Amarante, a lovely town along the Tamaga River. It is known for its resident saint, Sao Goncalo, who is venerated for his ability to find husbands for single women. Local people touch his effigy in order to get his help in this area.  Your dad and I put in a word - and a touch - for you, Katie and Jess, just in case you need his help.

Sao Goncala Bridge and Church in Amarante

Lunch was in a confeteira with a patio over the river. It was perfectly peaceful until some yappy dogs across the river broke the silence – for about 10 annoying minutes.

Next, we made our way over the hills to the banks of the Douro River. We climbed very high and then came back down again, to vistas of terraced vineyards, dotted with white houses with their terra cotta roofs. The Douro Valley, like the Dordogne, is prime land for growing grapes. In fact, this area has the oldest vineyards in Europe. It is very beautiful, as you can see from the photos I have included.

Terraced vineyards

Before we checked into the winery for the night, we explored the town of Pinhao nearby. It has a lovely old railway station, adorned with signature blue tiles. That was its only outstanding feature, so before long, we arrived at Quinta de la Rosa. We decided to have a swim before dinner, and I had the rare luxury (on this trip) to curl up with a book for an hour or so.

Quinta de la Rosa on the left, Pinhao on the right

Train station in Pinhao

The pool at Quinta de la Rosa

Unfortunately, the Quinta does not serve dinner on Sundays, so we had to leave this idyllic spot for a short time. We ate at a simple, but good, local Portuguese Restaurant in town, Cais de Foz.