We have recently returned from a two week trip to the Iberian Peninsula. The trip was arranged by Trips for You of Lisbon; the key organizer was Joana Sousa. This was a driving trip set up by one of Wendy Perrin’s country based WOW agents. We flew into Porto and departed from Madrid after spending time in the Duoro Valley the traversing northern Spain from west to east. This post will cover the key elements of the trip, taken by driver and van plus guides as appropriate. Later posts will provide more detail on key activities along the way. First stop was the city of Porto, Portugal.
Porto
We flew into Porto via Frankfurt on Lufthansa. and stayed three nights at the Pousada do Porto on Rua das Flores. This charming little hotel was on a very busy pedestrian street just down the road from the train station. The first evening we had snacks (tapas) at a small nearby cafe. The next day our guide Sofia walked us down the street to a building known as the Stock Exchange. This building was the basic place of financial transaction in the past, and serves now as a center of cultural life in the city.
After touring this beautiful building, we drove out to the “foz”, or mouth of the river where it flows into the Atlantic.
And then around town a little.
After a rest, we enjoyed a dinner at a little cafe called Ostras and Coisas, where we were served a delicious variety of fresh seafood.
On our second day we drove to a nearby town called Matsosinhos, where we met our guide for the day, a sweet gal named Maria. She was actually a marine biologist by training and experience who has started a guiding service with her husband. She accompanied us on a tour of a sardine canning factory named Conservas Pinhais. We had the pleasure of seeing the sardine cleaning, packing and canning, all done by women. At the end we were able to taste the different sardine offerings, which were excellent given the top quality and freshness of the fish.
Maria then took us to a local market focused on fresh seafood and vegetables.
This was followed up with lunch at one of Maria’s favorites, O Valentim. This restaurant entrance was dominated by a huge grill, apparently utilized for virtually all served within. The dining was superb. A sampling:
Eventually we departed, returned to the hotel and rested. We knew the evening would be long as we had reserved a 7:30 pm seating at Villa Foz for a tasting menu. This is a one star Michelin restaurant housed in an old mansion situated downstream from Porto alongside the Atlantic Ocean. The menu shows 11 entries, but the meal had several additional amuse bouches! The service and food was exceptional. We left the table at 11:30 pm after a four hour experience.
The next morning we checked out, and headed with our driver to the Duoro Valley for our next stop. Here is an image of the iron bridge built in 1887 and called the Ponte Maria Pia.; it was designed by Gustave Eiffel.
The Carefree Photographer 