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 is at the back of the owner's house - completely separate and private - with its own large garden and patio area, it has a table, chairs and a brick BBQ.
Along with her friend, David, who had been enlisted to help - because of his "better" English - Maria took us through the place - explaining how everything worked and where everything was. With a small living/tv area accessed directly through the back door, the "little house" (as Maria calls it) has a small bathroom, a large bedroom with lots of storage, and an even larger kitchen with a dining table. Maria had very thoughtfully provided us with some supplies for our arrival - provisions for dinner, including fruits, vegetables and fresh crusty bread + water and beer in the fridge.......and a glass flagon full of port - "from a local farmer!"
We thought that this warm welcome was finished - but no - we were then invited to join them in a drive around the town. With Maria at the wheel - waving to many friends as she drove by - and David as "the tour guide" we spent some time getting our first views of Viana do Castelo. Before we dropped David off at his house, we also stopped at a supermarket, which allowed us to pick up a few more items needed for our first night.
Arriving "home," we were introduced to "Nero" - Maria's very calm and friendly 12 year old dog - before we settled onto our new patio to contemplate our next 3 weeks here. With such a great start, and the best of welcomes, things were looking good......and so the next morning, we began to explore our new surroundings.
Viano do Castelo is in the north of Portugal, easily accessible from Porto, and is situated both next to the sea and to the mouth of the river Lima. With a traditional connection to the sea, this city was involved in the Portuguese Discoveries and, later on, cod fishing.
A short walk to the end of our street took us to a bridge over the river Lima. Inaugurated in 1878, this iron bridge - over 560 meters long - was designed by Eiffel.
With a narrow pedestrian path on each side of its road, this bridge gives a fabulous view of the surrounding area - both river and city.
Over on the city side, we found our way into the (mostly) pedestrian old town, which has charming cobbled streets filled with Renaissance, Baroque and Art Deco architecture......all of them seemingly leading back to the historic Praça da República in the heart of the city. In this square is the Town Hall, the 16th century Misercórdia building and a fountain. Close by is the Romanesque Cathedral.
With no particular route, we wandered around - with plans to do more in depth sightseeing at a later date - we just enjoyed the sights and sounds our surroundings.
We did, of course, take a little rest at one of the many cafés to enjoy a beer and a vinho verde - total price of €3.
With memories of how useful we found "Bluey" (the nickname of our Portuguese shopping cart last year) we ended our day in town with the purchase of a new shopping cart, filled it with supplies and headed back to our side of the river - Cabedelo - to enjoy the evening and dinner on our patio. With the sound of music from town floating across the river, we were happy with our first day.
The next day, deciding to see a different side of our area, we walked in the other direction - away from the city - towards the beach. Although the town can be seen across the river-mouth, the scenery at the beach is entirely different.
Cabedelo beach is one of the area's best - a 1km-long arch of powdery, wind blown sand, backed by high grassy dunes and pine trees. The beach can be reached by a short drive, bus or ferry ride from town and is a Mecca for kite-surfers.....of which, along with wind-surfers, on this day there was an abundance of. As we walked along the beach we watched them - in awe at their speed and talent - definitely not a place for a beginner in this sport.
Although the length of this beach is listed as 1 km, upon walking it we discovered that it actually goes on....and on...and on...for miles. With Praia do Cabedelo becoming Praia de Luzia Mar, the sea & sand just continues southward (with beach names changing frequently) as far as the eye can see - and as it was a much longer distance than we can walk, we turned around in search of refreshments.
The lengthy boardwalks that wind through the protected dunes, give not only access to the beach, but afford some protection from the constant strong winds. With umbrellas to provide shade from the sun, and glass "screens" to temper the winds, the cafe that we found was a perfect spot for our late afternoon drinks!
After another couple of days of getting to know our immediate area, we ended the week with a day trip to Ponte de Lima - the oldest town in Portugal. Nestled in the heart of the Lima Valley, surrounded by gorgeous countryside, this beautiful little town has a long history.
We prepared for this excursion by securing a time-table from the local bus station (there are no trains to Ponte de Lima). We arrived at this modern transit hub, which is hidden deep within a shopping centre, in plenty of time for the scheduled departure - but found a bus to our destination just leaving. We quickly boarded the bus, paid the fare and joined many older Portuguese ladies who were heading back to their villages after what looked like a very successful morning at Viana's market (market? we hadn't discovered that one yet!). Clutching our time-table we were ready to "cross off" the village stops along the way.....none of which ever did appear......but, reassured by our driver that we were going to Ponte de Lima, we did see some of the surrounding Minho countryside, which is lovely, before arriving at our destination in the scheduled 50 minutes.
Ancestry and legend runs deep in Portugal's oldest town. Discovered by the Romans, Ponte de Lima was given its charter in 1125 by Teresa, Countess of Portugal and mother of the first King - Alfonso I. Due to its strategic position, the town was walled in the 14th century and although most of it was pulled down in the 18th century, traces of it still remain. Later growth provided Gothic, Baroque and classic 19th century façades which added to its beauty.
Stepping off the bus directly into the historical centre, we were immediately greeted by a huge statue of Donna Teresa.....but before starting our tour of the town, we decided to soak up a bit of late morning sunshine, and stopped at one of the many cafes, to enjoy a breakfast of fresh crusty buns with a selection of meats and cheeses - along with some delicious milky coffee.
Afterwards, we walked alongside the River Lima through the Avenida dos Plátanos (Plane Tree Avenue) where 116 year old trees provide welcome shade. We passed models of Roman soldiers who face out to the river - a legacy of a legend that when Roman troops marched through Portugal, they reached the River Lima and
refused to cross it, thinking that it would wipe out their memories. Their captain, who crossed the river on his horse, called each man by his name as they waded over - this was to ensure that they would keep their memories when they reached the other side.
We crossed over by way of the ancient bridge, which has joined these banks for two thousand years. A unique structure from the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus, it was extended during the Middle Ages. On the other side is the small church if St. António do Torre Velha and directly below it, we entered the beautiful Arnado Park. This themed garden provides a journey through the history of gardens, with four distinct themes - Roman, Labyrinth, Renaissance & Baroque. These lovely green areas feature mosaics, irrigations systems, terraces and peaceful water features in addition to the scent of many different flowers - including a variety of roses.
We had one more cultural stop at a museum dedicated to the famous wine of this area - vinho verde. Although somewhat limiting due to the exhibits having signs only in Portuguese, we did see some interesting agricultural pieces before being shown an English video on the history of the wine-making.....and a sample tasting.
The remainder of our afternoon was spent wandering through the historic old town, full of churches, historic mansions, museums, squares and narrow cobbled streets......resting from time to time with a cold drink or gelato - it was, after all, a day of bright sunshine and 36C temperatures!
We returned to Viana do Castelo - this time on a bus that was 15 minutes late - tired, but happy with our day of 25,000 steps.