Pursuing pão

After a very slow start today, we went into Oliveira da Hospital for a quick café and to buy some good bread. At the same time, we picked up a queijo fresco de ovalha which is a local specialty made daily. We then headed out to try to pick up some wine at a place just past Seia, the Quinta de Pellada. There, a very helpful young man showed us what they had to offer and we ended up buying two bottles.

Yesterday in Seia we learned that they had a very good Museu do Pão (Museum of Bread). Obviously we couldn't pass that by so we headed up (and it was up!) to the museum where we spent an hour or so looking at the very interesting displays. They showed all the steps involved in the traditional making of bread (starting from sowing seed) but also had a fascinating display on the political and social aspects of bread in Portugal. The museum is part of a large complex that includes a shop and a restaurant which is apparently very popular. We had packed our lunch and decided that a bench near an old mill stream at the museum was a good location to eat it. And it was!

Our route back was through the countryside that we can see from our room. And for much of the way, we could see our hotel in the distance. It was a lovely drive, partly on N231 through São Ramão and Valezim; then on to another road which passed through a number of villages perched on the mountainside, including Sazes da Beira and Corgas.

Back to Johnny's (in Oliveira do Hospital) again for dinner tonight. We split a large seafood salad and some salmon spaghetti - the spaghetti in particular was excellent. Washed down with a 2001 Nelus, a very nice local Dão wine from Nelas.

Another amazing day, a perfect 3.0 on the Knowmark Weather Scale.