All the time we were in Galicia, Rob & I loved it & took to saying to each other, “It’s good here, isn’t it?” However, neither of us did the first week or two in our home near Porto. There was stunning scenery & we’d always loved the other areas of Portugal, but somehow not here.
It’s mountainous & the back roads are narrow, but somehow, after rural Galicia, the countryside seemed to be very built-up. The Douro is a massive wine growing area & many properties have land & crops, fruit & veg, but even with large gardens, there were houses clustered everywhere. Autumn & Winter is the time to cut back & clear the land & after the dry hot season, fires are now allowed to burn the waste.
When we arrived, the air was thick with smoke & most days, instead of clear mountain air, we had the haze of fire smoke.
After visiting Marco de Canaveses to shop, the first full weekend there, we took a trip along the River Tamega to Amarante. Quite by accident, we arrived directly at the Saturday market, but due to having the dogs in the car, we weren’t able to browse. After a coffee in a square next to the church overlooking the river, we wandered through town to look for a way down the the riverside. It was a glorious sunny day & we began to feel more relaxed.
The following day we drove straight up to the top of the mountain, deliberately choosing to leave the cobbled lane onto dirt tracks. After-all, this was our vehicle, not a hire car so we were allowed & not restricted by the strict insurance policy! We’ve always driven off the main road, sometimes to dead-ends, sometimes into someone’s back yard or at others to surprise places & views. I think the next car will definitely need to be a four-wheel-drive. However, as there were houses & small villages up there, we soon realised these gravel roads were regularly used & maintained.
The views were spectacular.
As the yellow house was half a mile down a single lane track & we didn’t yet have a battery charger, we couldn’t chance the battery dying so took the car out for a run every couple of days. It was also great to warm-up with the car heaters on! Honestly, we had to go a drive in the car to truly feel warm…
One evening we headed off to Amarante to see the Christmas lights & pop into the supermarket. We’d Googled options so followed directions around some narrow one-way back roads to get to the Continente so we weren’t sure of the best route out. Exiting the car park & heading down a very narrow cobbled (of course) one-way street, it ended in a T-junction at another equally narrow cobbled street, both with no pavement & tall houses on either side.
Our Honda estate is a long car & often it’s only Rob’s advanced driving skills which get us through. Even he had a challenge this time. With a car close behind us & another approaching from the right, this was at least a six point-turn & part-way through, I almost believed we were stuck! Thanks to Rob, there wasn’t a scratch on the car as we continued down the steep road.
We returned to Amarante early evening Sunday 17th December & the town was packed! I’m unsure if there was a special event, or if this was usual a week before Christmas as all the stores were open & everyone busy shopping.