Gilbert Dalbos' Blog: North Portugal trip

The tour took place on May 5, 2016 to June 6, 2016

Despite the long distance travel (more than 2500 km), we decided to go to Portugal by road.

Our aim was to visit the north of Portugal
so we entered through the northern border
Spain-Portugal (route 1)

Before we did a halfway stop in Burgos and spent one night in Leon. This gave us the opportunity to make a short visit to these two Spanish cities.

Catedral de Burgos

Catedral de Leon

To return to France from Porto, we took a different route, with a stop in Spain in Palencia near Valladolid (route 2)

Peneda-Gerês National Park

The National park of ¨Peneda-Gerês extends from the plateau of Castro Laboreiro to the plateau of Mourela, covering the mountain ranges of Peneda, Saojo, Amarela and Gerês

The soil, water, flora and fauna have all been preserved

Soajo (Arcos de Valdevez)

The visitor may enjoy the quietude
of the environment

The Soajo village with granite houses that are characteristic in mountain regions

This village is famous for its 24 stone granaries standing on granite. The most ancient one goes back to 1782. These granite monuments were built at a time when corn started being grown and they were used for the protection of cereal from storms and rodents. Part of these granaries is still used by the villagers.

Vilarinho da Furna or Vilarinho das Furnas and its dam

The village was submerged in 1972 by the filling of the reservoir with the same name

At times when the level of the reservoir falls,
the village emerges

Miradouro da Pedra Bela or The Pedra Bela Viewpoint

A wonderful site that shows off the perfect beauty of the astonishing Peneda-Gerês National Park

A breathtaking panorama showing
the luxurious vegetation

Located at 829 meters high

Cascata do Arado

In the summer time you can also take a swim there

The waterfalls are beautiful and pretty much wild

There are two levels at least

Barcelos

Located north of Porto, the city of Barcelos is known for its handmade ceramics

Every Thursday, the local market attracts tourists and visitors from all over the region

You can find seasonal fruits and vegetables, homemade cheeses and beautiful ceramics but as well as clothes, shoes, and so on and so forth

Porto also known as Oporto in English is a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996

Located along the Douro river estuary in northern Portugal, Porto was elected in 2014 The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency

With a population 237,584 (2011) Porto is the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon

Varied historical monuments including
the cathedral with its Romanesque choir

Porto is often referred to as Cidade das Pontes (City of the Bridges)

Double-decked for cars and trains

The Dom Luís I (or Luiz I)Bridge
(Portuguese: Ponte Luís I or Luiz I)
is a double-decked metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Téophile Seyrig a former partner of Gustave Eiffel took sole responsibility for the new, major Luís I Bridge.

The construction was begun in 1881 and the bridge opened on 31 October 1886

São Bento Railway Station (Portuguese: Estação de São Bento)

Inaugurated in 1916, the historical station is known for its tile (azulejo) panels

Azulejos depict scenes of the History of Portugal

The Clérigos Church "Church of the Clergymen" is a Baroque church

Its tall bell tower, the Torre dos Clérigos, can be seen from various points of the city and is one of its most characteristic symbols

In 2005, the municipality funded a public sculpture to be built in the Waterfront Plaza of Matosinhos.

Waterfront

The resulting sculpture is entitles She Changes known locally as anémona by American artist, Janet Echelman, and spans the height of 50 × 150 × 150 meters

Ribeira Square and the surrounding district located in the historical

district of Ribeira (riverside in Portuguese)

The Ribeira district spreads alongside the Douro river and used to be a center of intense commercial and manufacturing activity since the Middle Ages. Also since that time the Ribeira Square was the site of many shops that sold fish, bread, meat and other goods.

Nowadays the Ribeira Square is a favorite spot for tourists.

In front of Ribeira on the other side of the Douro river is Vila Nova de Gaia

Wine Tasting

There are more than 50 varieties, but not all, are for the visitors, and in particular the caves in the left margin of River Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia, hillside is famous for this.

Sandeman Cellars the one we have visited

The House of Sandeman was founded in London in 1790 by George Sandeman, a young Scotsman, and has grown to be one of the most prestigious Porto Wine brands in the world.

The guided visit leads you through long corridors of oak casks and vats and explains the process of winemaking, how it is stored and where it originated.