Good-bye ( for now), hello to Portugal. Left this lovely city of Salamanca this morning to make our way to Portugal.
Our first stop in Portugal was the gardens of Casa de Mateus. On our way we left the high table mesa of Spain, to make our way to Porto. As we headed there we went down in altitude, and saw the vegetation become much greener again.
Entering the Douro valley we were treated to spectacular views of hills adorned with many beautiful vineyards, and the signature Portugal home of white stucco and beautiful terra cotta tiled roofs. This area is the main wine region for Portugal, as was evident by the number of grapes being grown. Just lovely.
Bought some local fruit before heading into the gardens, which surrounded the casa. Truly lovely with its planned mazes of hedges, pretty roses, and vineyard and vegetables. Even got to see kiwi growing! After lunch at a local cafe, off to Porto and the hotel.
Made it to the hotel, and after checking out the rooftop bar, boarded the bus to our river tour. After much maneuvering and passing some beautiful buildings covered with the tiles Porto is famous for, we made it to the river edge.
What a beautiful bustling area. There was a lovely river walk with cafes and lovely old buildings, that were once fishermen’s homes.
Had a lovely ride on the river, after which we made our way through the old streets to a wonderful restaurant where we were treated to a delicious dinner of many courses, with of course more wine!
It’s been a long travel day,so off to bed as tomorrow brings an early morning with a city tour.