The
next day, after the walking tour of Oporto on Thursday, we headed
back to Vila do Conde for their Friday open market which, like the
one in Barcelos, offered everything you could possibly want or need
to buy, food to flowers and plants to tools to clothing and shoes to housewares and linens. I loved these open markets.
I
bought two meters width of the long ivory lace curtain material for
the corner window in the newly finished back bedroom
And
then headed to the waterfront for lunch.
another
of the religious tableau cabinets tucked between houses or shops
lace
curtains in a window
lunch
I know, you haven't seen too many of these
Saturday
we visited Guimaraes Castle and the Ducal Palace (click on the links
for historical information).
view
of the Ducal Palace from the castle rampart
While
the castle was mainly for defense and has been restored to a state of
semi-ruin, the palace has been restored to a perhaps 'glorified'
version with rooms outfitted as per their original use...waiting,
meeting, dinning, personal chambers, etc.
the central courtyard is now used for shows depicting life as it was when it was inhabited
one
of several of the immense tapestries depicting Portugal's
history
the
armory
The
next day, Sunday, we drove to the wine region of the Douro Valley, a center of vineyards
and wineries. It was our longest day trip drive taking two hours to
get to the furthest point we went and another two hours home. The
hills were terraced with vineyards (or grape orchards as I called
them) and olive trees from bottom to top.
We
stopped in Regua for lunch (more toasted ham and cheese) and wine
tasting at one of the wineries
and
then drove on another 30 minutes to Pinhao, another narrow curvy road, to look at the train
station which had dozens of gorgeous tile murals depicting the area
and industry
and have a glass of port at a nearby hotel and then
headed back home to the Villa.
next:
our last days in the countryside and relocation to Lisbon
previous:
I would have gone crazy in that market. I'm SO glad you got some of that curtain material. It's gorgeous. And by the way- you cannot possibly post too many pictures of food. Not in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe lace will be a nice memory for this trip. I am surprised about the tropical flora. Guess it is from the winds from Africa.
ReplyDeleteI followed you from Tabor
ReplyDeleteAlways a dream to do what you shared.
I smile
Ellen's excellent adventure- photo after fabulous photo. So glad you are taking us along, after the trip but still, feels like we are there. It is a very fishy place, and more solid that I ever imagined, wonderful castle. The countryside , so gorgeous. Lucky journey, Ms. Ellen!
ReplyDeleteI think I might have OD'd on the sightseeing before the wine tasting!
ReplyDeleteyeah, me too if it was all the same day. three separate days.
DeleteWow. That tapestry is spectacular - I can't even imagine the time and effort (and wo/man power) it took to create such a beautiful thing. I wish Americans would embrace the European open market - such a glorious thing!
ReplyDeleteThe lace is always nice to find, I got a huge tablecloth and napkins from the lady who made it .Love that market.
ReplyDelete