Breakfasting on the obligatory pastel de nada, we crammed our bags into an Uber opting out of lugging them to the Sixt car hire. A few wrong turns, an exceptional Portuguese motorway and we were in the Douro Valley. We stopped at the towering Carrapatelo dam, where we witnessed the rain-soaked lock in action; water gurgling as a huge river cruiser, alongside smaller vessels, rose; barrier receding, the boats emerged edging slowly into the river upstream. A canal lock on steroids!
So unusual to see the iconic terraced vertical valley slopes stepped with man-made rows of grapes, punctuated by the white Quintas and accompanying wine buildings, storage silos and mansions! Parking on a vertical slope in a Régua side street we visited the Museo do Douro, expanding our knowledge of the port wine industry and the Douro valley history. Apparently its all the fault of the French! Prohibitive taxes, causing the British to invest in the fortified port wines of the douro valley, developing the Quintas into the famous Port wine trade! A spurious search for a café along the river banks, lead past the Portuguese air force Portugal day display, Régua being the 2023 host.
The sun returned as we drove across the bridge into picturesque Pinhão, where we stayed in an old Quinta, now the riverside vintage house hotel. We had an amazing quaint old luxury room with views up and down the valley and a balcony; it was certainly a stair filled multi-level maze to find it!! During a dry spell, my husband attempted a chilly swim whilst I read savouring the view. Later we wandered along the river dining in a Portuguese restaurant, sadly inside hiding from the rain! Oops I left the luxury cushions out!
Photos - just my snaps!
Douro Valley: Régua and Pinhão
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