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ultimateaclrecovery · 22 days ago

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Portugal day 3 - Douro valley wine tour!

First stop! A tiny town called Amarante. We left Porto really early, 7:30, presumably to beat the traffic so had an hour to kill before going to the first wine stop for lunch. They sold it to us a photo stop, and it was actually pretty photogenic!

First tour was Favios! Our tour guides jacket said follow me I know where the wine is. She walked us through the mixing and fermenting and aging process and then we got lunch! We got an appetizer shot of moscatel, a white and a red with lunch and a dessert wine.

Stopped at a Random train station for pictures with blue tiles and then a fun Boat tour! There was an app for audio guide which was just okay but the views were great and the rain held off!

Second stop! We got to tour the vineyard and see the grape plants and then got three glasses of port, a white, ruby and red. Would’ve been nice to spend longer here as the port was strong and we all got a little tipsy

After a long bus ride back I book it to my hotel to pee (perhaps I should’ve stayed at chatted and found a bathroom nearby but oh well) and then I grabbed a ticket for levarillo, the Harry Potter bookstore. It was pretty but overwhelming filled with people and I couldn’t find a fun classic book that I wanted to buy.

I then went out to Conga for a bifana (thin sliced pork) sandwich. It was okay but hardly life changing, but gotta try all the “Porto” food! I tried to get a side salad but ended up with a plate of tomatoes and onions instead…. Oops.

I then ended the night with gelato because I just wanted something delicious and familiar after trying too many new things. Topped off with a great sunset view from my room

Overly long travel diary

Day 3

Day 3 - 11/4 Douro valley

Leftover pastel de natas for breakfast as the sunrises. Wet and rainy day. Walk to living tour location and fun my bus. I was hoping it would be a small enough tour for just a van but alas. We have maybe 20 people so not a full bus but close. The guide talks about some of the buildings and portugals industry and food, cork wine and cod and also lets us sit in quite.

After an hour we stop at a little town called amarante and are given an hour to wander which is a long time for a tiny place. There is a church and bridge and some pretty views and I wander the streets a little. It is fine but not what I would’ve picked. It must be a timing thing for getting out of Porto early enough but not getting to the wine spots too early.

A lovely wine tour was had. Our guides jacket said “follow me I know where the wine is” she showed us cellars with the barrels and then the truck receiving location where they weigh the grapes and evaluate the quality to determine how much money to give the grape growers or producers. She then showed us the metal vats where they do the fermentation process. Squishing the grapes and maintaining the temperature for perfect fermentation. Talked us through the fortification of moscatel after only four days or 3% of the grapes have become alcohol. The normal quality grapes sit in giant metal vats for 4 years and the bestest grapes get aged in barrels. And then it was time for the tasting.

We started with a baby or young moscatel which hat smelled citrusy and tasted like honey. It was okay. And then lunch. We had soup, basic salad, a rice and French dish, cutely shoved in a round shaped a quilla maybe, and then pork and potatoes. With lunch we had a white (my favorite) and a red (quite good). And then for dessert there was fruit and a custard cake with Carmel sauce and a more aged moscatel.

I am enjoying the people watching of this trip. I most liked the single older man across from me who shamelessly read a book on his phone they most of dinner. I admire the self knowledge to have his one best time. My trip is mostly couples. a few young and about half retired l. There’s also a mother daughter pair, two ladies together and another single lady. It’s a fun mix. One couple sitting near me was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and another was almost at 49 years. My goodness.

I am now pleasantly tipsy back on the bus to the boat ride. Yay boats! Sadly it is quite grey and drizzly outside. Also I love my new sweater that I made just for me :D

I do wish Anthony were here. I think the trip would’ve been more fun with him along. We’ll see if I still feel the same way once I’m traveling with Elizabeth.

Before the boat ride we stopped at a train station with some pretty blue tiles (clearly killing time but pretty so whatevs). I thought that the blue tiles were always abstract geometric designs, but they also get used as part of murals where they make up one single picture which is fun. I continue my collection of blue tile pictures.

The boat ride was perfection. Not too cold and barely raining (no need for a raincoat). It came with an app for an audio guide which was nice but didn’t let you pause it and only came up at certain spots which annoying but better than nothing. The views though were great! The terraces and the fall colors and gentle river breeze were everything I could ever want. They let us hang out on the bow and open air and it was lovely. Got several nice pictures l, took some of others and just enjoyed the river surround by terraced mountains of grape vines.

The second wine tour was very similar to start with showing us barrels in a tourist aging area and then we got to walk up to see the vines. They were so red and pretty! He explained the pruning, how they do a rough prune down to the second wire and then a more precise prune down to the old trunks later. He showed us the difference of the old vines (normal looking) and then the new vines, which were American roots (to protect against bug diseases) with European vines grafted on top that stretched across the first wire. And then grew upwards at multiple points from there. It takes several years to produce “quality” grapes but only to produce any. Again they prune the new growth every year and let the trunk get thick and fat. They trim all the leaves every year down to the third wire to encourage more grape growth. This vineyard using mechanical stomping for most grape and traditional human feet for their vintages. And then we try the ports! We get a chilled white a very dark ruby and then a tawny. They are all 20% alcohol. The white is an appetizer wine and would only be drank before meals chilled. While the other two are room temperature and can be drank whenever. I’m surprised that the ruby is darker than the tawny. I like them all but the white is my favorite and then the ruby and than the tawny but both are a little alcholy bitter for my tasting but pretty good. We aren’t given very long to drink them and I am only half way thru when the guide announces ten more min, so I kind of chug them and then go to the bathroom. And then sneak in one more picture from the most enthusiastic older lady which is fun and is a cute picture so worth being one of the last on the bus, but not late!

“This picture brought to you by an older lady on what is either a mother daughter trip or just three older ladies living their best life, who loved all the wines and is clearly living her best life and gave me a “you go girl” while taking this picture 😂”

And now time for a tipsy car ride home.

I really do love the mix of people on group tours. You got three young couples, three retired couples, one in between? A two person girl trip, a three person girl trip (or mother daughter and friend?) three solos (me, a girl from India, and a tall middle aged man who hi reminds me of the non love interest man in legally blind (the tall awkward one who helps her get books from a tall shelf). Many countries, three USA, a Canada, Australia, Canadian (French candian), India, ect. It’s just kind of fun to see. I like hearing the different travel plans too. From the uk 3 day 30th anniversary trip, to week long, to two weeks two Europe stops, to 28 day uk cruise plus Portugal trip, it’s all so fun and varied.

Idk if I would call this the absolute highlight of my traveling life, like some travel blogs did. But I definitely had a good time and am glad I did it!

I had a boat tour! I tried wines! I learned about things! And I didn’t have to make any decisions! (And I got to sit on bus and do nothing and feeling good about it! (Honestly priceless and underrated))

Got back and it was raining and I had pee so bad and I was kind of hoping to get a ticket to the bookstore before they closed so I basically scurried off the bus and to the hotel 15min away and then felt kind of about because maybe I should have said good bye to people? Or at least the other solo lady from India? But I had to pee and public bathrooms are hard to find in Europe and I knew where my hotel was so I just scurried away.

Got back to my hotel bought a ticket, struggled to find the ticket because it got sent to spam, got confused by the lines but finally made it into the store. It was both underwhelming visually and overwhelming with the number of people and my first thought was to flee. I wandered around took some pictures, tried not to get in peoples way too badly as they took pictures on the cool spiral staircases and looked to see if there were any books I wanted. They had a whole little prince room which was cool (although I’ve never read the book). And lots of classic books. They had these mini little books called “lello collections” that were the only books under 16 euros. Your 8 euro ticket can go to the cost of a book so I think is everything is upcharged for that. They had a bunch classics but none I wanted. The closest was Alice in wonderland but my Alice copy was already a cute little book like that soooo. They had big copies of chronicles of narnis and the little mermaid and secret garden but they were all over 30 euros and I didn’t really want them, but would’ve gotten little versions of them. I give up on finding anything I want to buy and go to conga to get a bifana. The place is very Portuguese and the waiters have no idea what I’m saying but pointing at least allows me to order. I get a bifana (pork sandwhich) with cheese and what I think is a simple salad with tomato and onion, but turns out to be just a plate of tomato and onions…. The sandwhich is okay but nothing to rave about. And I don’t really know what to do with the tomatoes and opinions. I eat some of the onions (at least they have olive oil on them) and then put some more on the sandwich which is good. And then I finally figure out I have to go back to the counter to pay and leave.

I am now tired and grumpy and sick of trying new foods so I go and get ice cream. I walk right past the shop at first and have to turn around but eventually find it! I get dulce de leche and chocolate hazelnut and it’s delicious and exactly what I needed. I eat it while strolling the drizzling streets. I pop in a souvenir store on my way back because I want an ornament with a Santa hat but they only have Portugal ones with the hats and not Porto and I get decision paralysis and grumpy and just go back to my hotel where I also really need poop. I then just scroll on my phone, take a nice hot shower and go to bed.

#Portugal #day 3 #travel diary #overly long travel diary #Douro valley

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