Vila Nova de Foz Côa
I wished to visit the archaeological park in
the valley of Côa. Que nenni, ah yes, on
Mondays all is closed in Portugal. Except the tourist office
in V. N. de Foz Côa which informed me in French kindness about
the localization of the museum to book as of
Tuesday my visits. I bivouacked on a carpark vis-a-vis the toilets,
one never knows!
Côa alley
On Tuesday, October 31st was devoted to visit
the Archaeological
park of the Côa Valley as well as the museum
located at 3 km away from the city. The site
is registered with UNESCO,
here. I visited
two sites, in the morning the site of Canada
do Inferno where rupestral engravings were
very difficult to perceive then in the
afternoon the site of Penascosa close to Castelo Melhor where
rupestral engravings were more visible. Finally in
the late afternoon I immersed myself in
the splendid Côa Museum,
not to miss.
Archaeological Park, click on the pic for opening the gallery
Mondim de Basto
On Wednesday, November 1st I traversed under a low-angled light the
vineyard of Porto. It was a rapture for the eyes, a shimmer of
autumnal colors. I did not cease stopping to try to take pictures
what I felt, amazement. In Pinhão, they were the azulejos of the
station describing the activity of the grape harvest, certainly it
is not the train station of Perpignan whose Salvador Dali had got excited!
But it is the center of the vineyard. Then before establishing my
bivouac in Mondim de Basto I went up to +920 meters of altitude to
visit Capela Nossa Senhora da Graça offering a panorama to 360°
under a sky become misty. It was a great morning of introduction to
the wine of Porto appreciated so much by British as of 17th century
who became wine purchasers of fields in the 18th century. The landscape
is covered with nearly 80% of vineyards and the cultivable remainder is
with olive-trees.
The vineyard of Porto, click on the pic for opening the gallery
Guimarães
The following day I arrived at Guimarães in a light drizzle which
finished in violent rain at the end of the morning obliging me to
take refuge in my truck and to leave the city. The historical
center is circumscribed in a perimeter walkable, slowly!
It is registered with the world heritage of UNESCO,
here.
Due to climatic conditions I selected the monuments which I wished to see
according to the Green Guide by Michelin knowing that the schedules of opening
are as from 10:00. While waiting I traversed the streets to
impregnate me with medieval atmosphere of the city of the time of the
Dukes of Bragance. The museum Alberto Sampaio exhibits remarkable
parts of the religious art. The Saint Francisco church held my
attention by its azulejos,
here,
its sacristy and the chapter house. I establish my bivouac at Lamego
on the carpark of a Leclerc Center.
While crossing the city I stopped to take a picture of Santuãrio de
Nossa Senhora dos Remédios of which I did not climb the 617 steps.
Visit of Centro Historico, click on the pic for opening the gallery
Lamego
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| Santuãrio de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios |
Porto
On Friday, November 3rd I left Lamego to traverse Ruta do Românico, N
222. It was not an excellent idea because the sky was sealed in
intermittent rain. The road twists in rolling mountain between
vineyards of Porto while skirting the Douro river. I put close to
4:00 to traverse the 139 km without photographic in the rain.
I arrived at Porto in the beginning of afternoon establishing my
tepee (!) at the Ibis hotel to visit the city, registered with UNESCO,
here.
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On Saturday, November 4th I went down to the roundabout of Ponte
da Arrébida to take a bus #902 bound to Casa da Musica then by the
subway to Estãçao de São Bento where I took pictures of the
room of Not-Lost covered with azulejos telling the history of the
country. Alas while leaving the station my camera Nikon D800 made
pschitt, way of speaking, because the two batteries were empty.
Since my departure from Thébaïde Villa I had thus taken twice 400
pictures, without thinking of reloading them. Of course I had not
taken compact Sony. But I had my smartphone Nokia Lumia 830, under
Windows phone, of which I had never made use of the photo function,
it was a big first. Despite everything I shortened my visits to
concentrate me on left bank of Rio Douro where the wine storehouses
of Porto are. I took a reservation for the most famous wine
storehouses Ferreira. The visit was programmed in French at 14:30
for 40 minutes duration with a tasting. I strolled on the
quays while waiting for the visiting time. Then around 15:30 I
returned to the hotel by the quays with a stiff climb on foot
to reach it on the hill in forty minutes of walk. Admittedly it was
a curtailed day by my improvidence, “a idade” (the age)!
Visit Porto-1, click on the pic for opening the gallery
On Sunday, November 5th was a beautiful day with a hot sun of 18°C.
I traversed the Old Port then the Romantic Center of Porto. But very
quickly I reached my limits as well physical due to the
geography of the city, rises and descents of paved streets and
staircases, as intellectual by the saturation of baroques churches
gilt-edged of woodworks and imageries telling the genesis of the
Catholic religion. In the afternoon I took refuge in Museu Nacional
Soares dos Reis to change my ideas by admiring sculptures and
paintings old and modern of which the very beautiful white marble
sculpture by Soares dos Reis entitled “O Desterrado” (the Outlaw),
alas on white background. The return to the hotel was long and painful by
the weak frequency of public transport.
Visit Porto-2, click on the pic for opening the
gallery
On Monday, November 6th I desired to see the sea before leaving
Porto. While passing to Praça de Albuquerque I surreptitiously
took a picture of Casa da Musica in prohibited parking. Then by
the avenida da Boavista I reached the sea where I looked at a
strange sculpture “She exchanges” realized by Janet Echelman. The
sea front is traversed by a long walk without parking except close
to the two forts controlling the access to Rio Douro, Castelo do
Queijo, fort São Francisco Xavier and, Castelo São João da Foz do
Douro. At the beginning of afternoon I established my bivouac at the
bottom of the hill of the Ibis Hotel on the quay of Rio Douro in a
large carpark occupied by Portuguese motor homes
because it is by no means referred.
Visit Porto-3, click on the pic for opening the
gallery
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| Casa da Musica |
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| Bivouac on Rio Douro quay close to Ponte da Arrábida |
