It's a magical place, with the Douro River snaking through the steep hills and valleys that are terraced, growing lots of grapes for wine, and fruits like raspberries, figs and passionfruit.
They also grow large leafy vegetables like cabbage and collared greens to make the well-known caldo verde, a hearty soup made with finely sliced kale, potatoes, carrots and some slices of chorizo for seasoning.
However, getting there requires nerves of steel behind the wheel as the roads are not only winding, but also very narrow, and cars can be speeding along and sometimes veering into the opposite lane without any shoulder as a buffer!
This morning we were on a side road turning onto a highway, but we could not see the oncoming car on the left, who slowed down just in time as we made a fast left turn out of the way. That really woke us up!
When vehicles followed close behind us, we would slow down and let them pass us, as we were only going 50km/h to 60km/h.
Following GPS navigation, some directions called for sharp turns that went up or down steep hills.
And at night there can be long stretches of the road without any street lights let alone reflectors! Perhaps the good thing is that there aren't many cars on the road at night so if you miss a turn you can back up -- there is no room to do a U-turn!
Nevertheless, we found some interesting sights. The other day we came across some massive boulders on the top of a hill. The area is set up for barbecues with a barbecue pit sitting empty, and some stone picnic tables around.
There are several of these huge boulders, but the biggest of them seems to be standing upright, as if a giant just placed them there like rocks he had played with.
Down below we reached the river, where the rich keep their boats, and the water there was so calm.
But most of the picturesque sites we saw were pastoral scenes, watching farmers harvest grapes for wineries, terraced hillsides attached to villas of varying sizes, and traditional to ultra modern minimalist.
We stayed in a small quinta, or estate that grows some grapes, and has rooms in a large house. Breakfast is laid out in the dining area, very homey, with homemade jams and jellies, freshly picked pears, passionfruit and grapes.
Once you've shaken off the stress of driving the winding roads, it's a relaxing place to chill and enjoy the scenery.
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