A day in Valença & goodbye Viana This region of northern Portugal - Minho - which we're continuing to explore for the second year in a row, is stunningly beautiful. Although often overshadowed on the "tourist-trail," it's an area that encompasses beautiful beaches, rugged mountains, wide rivers, traditional villages and is rich in history. Once again we admired it all, as we took the 1-hour journey to Valença. We travelled through the lush, terraced lan...

Caminha and more Viana It was only at the end of our travels last summer when we discovered that train travel in Portugal is available at a reduced price for seniors - so this year we decided to start early! At the beginning of the week we took the train to Caminha for the 1/2 price fare of €1.25 each :) The journey, which was just under 30 minutes from Viana do Castelo, made 4 or 5 stops and followed a scenic route up the coast. The only minor hiccup was t...

More days in Viana do Castelo Deciding to further explore Cabedelo beach became even more interesting when we followed the boardwalk trail to see how far it would take us. On a day when the sun was hot, but pleasantly cooled by the winds from the Atlantic, we headed south and parallel to the beach, shielded by dunes and pine trees......while up in the sky we could see the brightly coloured kites of the surfers. When the boardwalk eventually ended at a public b...

First week in Viana do Castelo After exiting the baggage-claim area at Porto airport, we were pleased to see our "name on a sign" held up by a taxi driver - an arrangement which we'd made with the owner of our first "holiday" home in Portugal. In just over 30 minutes, Fernando drove us and our bags to Viano do Castelo, delivering us right to the door, where Maria was waiting in the driveway to welcome us - and what a welcome she gave us! Our accommodation here...