I was up and out of Porto for the small town of Amarente. It is a sleepy village with a grand church and monastery. I arrived early and room was not ready so I walked the Rio Tamega next to the town.
The Mosterio de Sao Goncalo was founded in 1543.
It was indeed a quiet town. After checking into nice lodging and finding a roadside lunch spot I headed out to nearby town of Guimaraes
Shots of castle and church in Guimaraes
The next day I was off to the mountains and Parque Natural do Alvao. It is famous for its villages made of Schist stone. I would be staying in small one named Bobal. I set off from gateway town of Vila Real. I stopped a couple times for some hikes.
These villages are almost 1000 years old and some of them have not changed much at all.
I checked into this amazing lodging. Manuel had updated it with all the modern conveniences but made the outside to blend with the traditional houses in the area. It was a little hard to find because my internet did not work up here and no one in the village spoke English. I kept saying my host’s name and a woman in her garden led me over to the neighboring stone house that held Manuel’s parents.
I stopped by the only restaurant in town for some more wine and cheese
The next day I drove the long way through the mountains as I headed back south along the border with Spain
I stopped in tiny village of Folgosinho as I heard there was a restaurant not to be missed. It is called O Albertino and it definitely lived up to billing. For 16 E I was able to get a 8 course meal. It consisted of bottomless wine, cheese, 6 different meat entrees and dessert. Unbelievable!
I had to sit in plaza after meal and unbuckle my pants and relax for 30 minutes before hoping back in the car. I was zipping around these mountain curves in my manual transmission foreign car. It felt like the opening scene to James Bond. I ended the day on the outskirts of Manteigas. An elderly couple ran a B&B and hooked me up with a room and a bottle of porto for sunset.
I drove to Monsanto the next day. It towers high above the surrounding plains. The stone houses merge with the surrounding boulders. The abandoned hilltop castle overlooks the city and countryside. It won the award for most “Portuguese” town in Portugal.
I found lodging next to the local tavern and enjoyed the views from their terrace after hiking a loop around the town on farmers paths.
Until Tomorrow
Darren
