We decided to take the longer more scenic route from Porto into the Douro Valley.... they should have said much longer, much narrower, way more winding roads....like for a few hours....it was very rural......I may have squealed a few times and I may have closed my eyes a few times....
Needed to stretch our legs and found a little local bar....it turns out it was a local holiday so very quiet in the little village.
Finally started to see the tiered vineyards I had heard about! Whew, wasn't sure we were ever going to make it!!!
It's a very popular thing here to do a boat tour up the Douro Valley. They bus you from Porto to one of the many stops along the way and then bus you back to Porto.
We stopped at some Locks along the way and were looking at this car....a fellow from England pointed out the owner of the car and translated for us....the ol' Portugese man bought the Renault brand new in 1948......he was so cute....all dressed up for a holiday drive......but we think its a 1962 and it got mixed up in the translation...
He even started it for George and showed him how to drive it!
Stopped at a winery high in the hills overlooking the Douro River. There are so many wineries here and some are so large, their names are on white signs dotting the hills.
Portugal produces roughly 590 to 730 million liters of wine annually, placing it among the top 10-11 wine-producing countries globally. About half of its production is sold abroad.
Portugal is also the world's largest cork producer, accounting for over 60% of global exports and possessing roughly 730,000 hectares of cork oak forests. So combine cork with the wine....I think we may never leave!!!
The Douro Valley is the world's largest mountain vineyard, covering from approximately 103,000 to 111,000 acres and counting! It seems like it goes on forever!!
Long drive day but made it back to Porto! Time to move on tomorrow...cheers!
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