Back Home From Portugal: Initial Observations

This past Saturday, I arrived home in Boston, returning from my one-week vacation in Portugal, visiting the Vinho Verde and Douro regions, as well as the city of Porto. Despite the fact that it rained frequently while we were there, we still had an excellent time, enjoying delicious food and wine, exploring fascinating places, meeting great people, and enjoying the beauty of the region. I'll provide some brief comments and observations here, but I'll be writing in much more detail in the near future about my recent experiences in Portugal.

 

Five years ago, I first visited Portugal, and here's a photo of me standing on the Ponte de Dom Luis I, a double-decker metal arch bridge, spanning the Douro River, between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.  

This trip, I got a photo from basically the same spot on that bridge. Fortunately, there wasn't any rain at that time, although it was quite windy. 

As we only had a week, we couldn't possibly see everything of interest in the regions we visited. However, we still experienced much, thoroughly enjoying our time in Portugal. In the Vinho Verde, we walked through Ponte de Lima and Amarante, as well as visited Quinta do Ameal and Quinta da Lixa. In the Douro, we visited Quinta dos Murças, Caves da Raposeira, Quinta da Pacheca, and Quinta do Bomfim. We also took a two-hour river cruise on the Douro. In Vila Nova de Gaia, we visited Porto Cálem, Kopke, and Ramos Pinto. We also spent many hours walking around Porto, sightseeing, shopping, and snacking. Our hotel stays included the Monverde Wine Experience Hotel, Quinta de Ventozelo, and the famed Yeatman Hotel. 

We dined well, including incredible tasting menus at DOC in the Douro and the Michelin 2-Star Yeatman Gastronomic Restaurant. And of course, I dined upon the Francesinha sandwich (pictured above), enjoying it one day for both lunch and dinner. I even found some Francesinha socks! For many of our meals, the portions were quite ample and the food was delicious, from meat to seafood. Duck rice, clams, prawns, veal steak, pork cheeks, pheasant stew, Sarrabulho rice, grouper, bacalhau, cod tongues, octopus, eclairs, convent pastries, and much more.     

For the first time, I experienced a Fado performance, at the Fado Português in Vila Nova de Gaia. We enjoyed a delicious, multi-course dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the music. Even though the songs were in Portuguese, and I couldn't understand them, the emotions behind the music were more than evident, and quite moving. It was a special experience, and one I highly recommend.

The scenery in the Douro is breathtaking, one of the most beautiful vineyard regions in the world, and no photo can properly do justice to its beauty. It was overcast or raining much of the time while we were in the Douro, so my own photos weren't as good as they would have been on a sunny day, but I hope they provide a glimpse at the potential of its beauty. When you observe the steep vineyards on the mountainsides, you also gain greater respect for those working those vineyards. Managing a vineyard is hard work, but trying to manage one on steep slopes is even tougher. 

Even if you aren't a religious person, you'll likely appreciate the architecture and artwork of the many churches in northern Portugal. These churches are hundreds of years old, and the intricacy of their construction and art, must have taken years to complete, as well as ardent dedication. 

Many thanks to UNIQ, Rui Peixoto and our excellent driver Joaquim de Almeida, for our time in Portugal. We hired their services for our time visiting the Vinho Verde and Douro regions. Especially in the Douro, you probably should hire a professional driver rather than try to drive yourself. The roads can be narrow, with no railings looking down a steep mountainside. This is my second experience with Uniq, and the drivers are professional, personable, knowledgeable, and courteous. Joaquim did a great job for us, from driving to providing recommendations, and I’d highly recommend their company to anyone visiting Portugal. You won’t be disappointed.

I purchased a number of wines while I was there, including the three Ports above, and all of them arrived safely home in my luggage. We even got to blend our own white wines during one winery visit, and I brought them home as well. There were so many other wines I wished I could have bought, especially considering how inexpensive many wines were. Even at most restaurants, wine prices were extremely reasonable. You could find delicious wines for under $20, if not $10, a bottle! Drink more Portuguese wine! And explore beyond the most popular Portuguese wine styles, such as seeking the wonders of aged White Port, Colheita Port, and the non-effervescent styles of Vinho Verde.

Now, I need to review a couple thousand photos and all of my notes, so I can relate fascinating stories of my time in Portugal, allowing me as well to relive all those pleasant memories. Portugal is a compelling destination, for a myriad of reasons, and I highly recommend that you consider it the next time you're planning a vacation.