Portugal's Heartland

On the way from Lisbon to Porto, Portugal's second biggest city, we stopped off to visit the Batalha Monastery and the quaint town of Coimbra. Construction of the monastery and large church at Batalha began in the late 1300s and mostly finished in the early 1400s, though the Portuguese monarchy continued to build onto the site into the 1600s. The style of the monastery is a uniquely Portuguese blend of Gothic and Manueline architecture with soaring arches and intricate sculptural details. The town of Coimbra, once the capital of Portugal, is alongside a river and has a preserved medieval town and historic University. We enjoyed lunch and a walk before continuing our journey onto Porto.

Similar to Lisbon, Porto straddles a river, the Douro in this case, and melts into the Atlantic Ocean at its edge. The town is both the namesake of the country and it's famous fortified wine. Porto is a town to wander on foot, taking in the quirkiness, beautiful vistas, and countless churches adorned with the azulejos tiles, and happen upon a port tasting overlooking the river. In Porto, we visited the Sao Bento train station and took in the amazing tile murals of Portugal's history. We also visited the wild Lello Bookstore which features ornate bookshelves and a curved staircase which is legended to have inspired features of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

One day we took a full day trip inland from Porto to the Douro Valley. This wine region produces both normal wine and the famous fortified wine of port. Barrels are then shipped down the river to Porto for distribution. We had a chance to visit a vineyard and winery, dating back centuries. We learned about the grape growing techniques in Portugal, which historically included many varietals all growing and then harvested together. While some wine is still produced this way, wineries are now often using the more common technique of growing each varietal in its own area. After touring the vineyards, we sampled some of their wine and then drove further into the valley to meet our solar-powered boat for a cruise. From the river we enjoyed spectacular views of the terraced vineyards, historic Quintas (wine estates), and the beautiful day. Finally, we visited another old Quinta for a gourmet lunch and tour of their wine cellar.