Up and down the Douro

Today seemed to be a bit less hot than yesterday (at least to Susan) but it was still quite uncomfortable. Unfortunately, we're not doing much walking because of the heat, but we're eating just as much! Hopefully things will cool off enough while we're in Porto to work off some of this food.

There is apparently marvellous scenery along the Rio Tua, one of many tributaries of the Douro. Many people take the train from Pinhão to Tua and then switch to the narrow-gauge train which runs along the Tua to Mirandela. We thought about taking it, but for a variety of reasons decided not to check it out today. Instead we drove to Alijó again, but by a different, indirect route, starting with the ferry across Douro.

UP. We drove up and up (there's a lot of that here!) on N222 to São João da Pesqueira. On the way, we stopped at the Padaria Lusitana in Ervedosa do Douro and bought some bread.

DOWN. Then we went down and down (see previous parentheses) and crossed the Douro at the Barragem de Valeira.

UP. Once again, up and up, through Linhares (which seemed very historical) to Parambos, all of this on N214.

DOWN. This time, down and down (now on N212) led to the confluence of the Tua and the Douro, in Tua. We could see where the narrow-gauge railway to Mirandela starts, and a bit of the gorge which forms the very dramatic scenery at the start. The part that we could see was very different scenery- even steeper mountains and very rocky and wild with no olive trees and vines as we see almost everywhere else.

UP. Our second trip to Alijó in two days, this time via São Mamede da Ribatua where the landscape levels off for a bit. Still, every bit of land seems to be covered with vines.

UP. A bit more until the landscape flattened out again for quite a while in to Alijó where we had lunch in a shaded spot in a nice park. It is cooler in Alijó due to the higher altitude. It didn't take us as long to get there as we had expected and so we ate lunch a bit earlier than usual, however it was the same old lunch - mmmm: wine, cheese, bread (better than we've been eating so far in this area), carrots and olives.

DOWN. The drive down from Alijó was via the same route (N323) that we took up there yesterday - but it is certainly not a hardship driving that route again. And, it looks a little different going the opposite direction. The views are spectacular; we just can't get over how much of this really rugged landscape has been turned into land for growing grapes and olives ... it is immense!

Again due to the heat, today only rated a 2.0, however Susan is angling for a 2.0+.



Looking down on Ribalonga on our way down to the Douro from Parambos


The confluence of the Douro and Tua rivers from the east side of the Tua valley


Looking down on the narrow-guage railway line along the Tua and the bridge that we drove across the Tua - taken from the west side of the Tua valley


A prickly-pear sort of cactus


Close-up of the terraces that dominate this landscape


Many of the terraces use no mortar