in which we reach the wine region

We spent three days in the Douro valley in a beautiful old cottage perched at the top of a little village, which afforded some pretty stunning views across the valley, especially from the pool. Although the view from our balcony where we enjoyed freshly baked cakes and fruit every morning wasn't too bad either. The Portuguese tradition of cake for breakfast was most certainly something I could become accustomed to. We also made great friends with a cuddly little fellow Barry, who thoroughly enjoyed lounging poolside and reading too!

It turned out we were incredibly lucky to be there in the spring, enjoying spectacular fields of flowers and pretty incredible weather. We enjoyed a few walks around the area and the views around each and every corner were majestic.

Apart from being famous for grape growing, the Douro also has some immense history. The small village was surrounded by Roman ruins and small hilltop castles. Nearby there is also a rich collection of prehistoric rock art - engravings of various creatures in granite. They have also built a pretty striking museum in the nearby town filled with historic information about the region. We found it hard to go past the view from the cafe, where they also happened to make a pretty mean espresso and portuguese tart!

    

    

    

    

    

north south north

The north was so remote relatively, it was easier to drive north into Spain to come back down into Portugal. Say hello Chorizo stock pile! This also meant there chance to enjoy some pretty spectacular scenery including ample crystal glistening water and oak trees.

 

we're back!

We have been out and about around Europe a bit in the last couple of months, for work, for fun and sometimes a bit of both. I have also been enjoying the sunshine and avoiding the computer but in true British summer style, it is pouring with rain so I thought I would continue posting our Portuguese adventures...
While in the north of Portugal we fit in some tame trekking, one day taking off on an adventure that took us past old stone grain stores, waterfalls, oak forests, and many eucalyptus trees that had us nostalgic for Australia. The national park we were in is a preservations zone for traditional agricultural methods and the oranges, flour and beef are part of the slow food movement, all of which featured in our walk: orange trees growing seemingly wild, stone mills, and calm cattle loitering hillside.
Much of the walk was also along old Roman roads that make up part of the Camino de Compostela. The contrast of moving between small farms, stone roads in oak forests, idyllic little waterholes to large open sunny spaces. The joy of being warm was a briefly forgotten delight. More soon...